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Reviews

• Wonderful custom tour

  katherinesJ5336HV,May 7, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had a wonderful experience with Amami Tours! Two couples booked a tour during a cruise ship stop. John picked us up promptly and gave us a relaxed interesting tour directed to our interests (hiking, birds and food). He is personable and knowledgeable. Highly recommended.

• A Great Time Was Had

  jimmH8673FH,May 6, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  My wife and I toured with John and really felt that he was excellent. He was on time and provided interesting insights into both the culture of the island, the nature of the island and some very interesting aspects of the history. This included touring textile producing artisan shops. We enjoyed our lunch with him and hearing what it was like to actually live on this amazing island. We recommend him highly.

• Amazing kayak tour with John—well organized, informative, and great fun. A truly unique experience!

  888lysettem,May 3, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  The kayak tour with John was a great pleasure for us. We arrived in Amami and booked a tour with John at short notice. He was very easy to reach, and the booking process worked perfectly. He picked us up directly from our hotel and gave us lots of information and recommendations about the island. He created a wonderful atmosphere, and we all had a lot of fun. The kayak tour itself also went smoothly without any waiting time. He has excellent expertise and explains everything in very good English. We would definitely book a tour with John again anytime. It was a truly unique experience! Thank you very much, John, for the amazing day!

• Great night time tour!!!

  perowe,May 1, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Fantastic nighttime tour! John has a real passion for finding wildlife and interesting bits of nature. Having good luck that night, John just kept going and going, well into the night. We saw 4 Amami woodcocks 2 Hime habu vipers 1 Habu viper 8 Ryukyu wild boar 3 Otton frogs Dozens of Amami spiny rats 1 Ryukyu long haired rat 1 Ryukyu odd-toothed snake (Loo-choo Big-tooth Snake) Half a dozen vinegaroons 2 Amami green tree frogs 100s of swort-tailed newts 2 Sakamoto freshwater crabs 2 Ryukyu scops owls 12 or so Amami rabbits. In addition to his passion, he was also extremely well outfitted, with the best piece of equipment being a thermal sensor he could attach to the hood of his vehicle, rotate freely from inside the vehicle, and wire to his smart phone, attached to the dashboard, to see the image of animals coming into range. We were able to locate an Amami Woodcock hiding just by the road, allowing a real closeup opportunity with great lighting. Had it been walking, it would have flown away, but it was confidently hiding and just sat there. If you are looking for someone to show you around, he's the guy, in either English or Japanese no less.

  

  

  

  

  

  

• A perfect day trip experience for the hole family.

  V8797ZHmarion,Apr 28, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had an amazing full day Amani experience with John. We just told him what we want to do and he arranged everything so that we went snorkeling in the morning, kayaking in the afternoon and a had really authentic and tasty lunch at a place we had definitely not stopped on our own. If you want to have an easy going experience, with a guide that is not just fluid in japanese but also in english, John is absolutely the guy for you. We really enjoyed every second of our trip, thank you very much. Cheers Mario, Pauline, Gerd and Cirsten.

• Great guide and introduction to Amami

  496mollys,Apr 26, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had a short stop on Amami and we booked two tours with John - nighttime birding/wildlife tour and a full day kayaking/wildlife tour to maximize our time there. We were most interested in seeing the endemic birds of Amami and John delivered. John was very knowledgeable, teaching us about Amami while leading us to great places view the wildlife. He worked with us to customize our trip adding a short kayak per our request. Would recommend to anyone visiting Amami.

• Amami, Unfiltered: John Knows All the Secrets

  Sarah S,Mar 31, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Had a fantastic private tour with John, (“Mr John”) to the locals! He showed us spots you’d never find with views that were other worldly! He took us to see the silk dying and weaving process called Oshima Tsumugi. We went for a lovely lunch at a local restaurant. Then a hike to see some wildlife and off the beaten path shrine. He speaks fluent Japanese and enlightened us with island history, local phrases, local food and island art!!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Not just a tour - a tailored experience

  G6196FGgizemk,Mar 25, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had a great day with John, learning about the culture, history and nature of Amami Oshima. He’s an experienced guide and knows a lot. Since we like to do birdwatching, he stopped at various places along the way to watch the birds we encountered. He is flexible with the tour program and can tailor it based on your interests. Strongly recommended!