Published on May, 2024
I am so thankful to Taco and Ryo for their flexibility and responsiveness on the 1-day Rural Villages and Brewery Town tour. We had a last-minute change of vacation plans and I contacted them directly via their website to ask about availability over a 1-week period. We were so lucky they had one day available!
Ryo was a fantastic English guide and we learned so much about the area's history and traditions, what it was like growing up in the Japanese countryside, and how it's changed over time. She went above and beyond to answer our many questions and we just loved the overall conversation with her. She also helped me live my dream of feeling like I was in a Studio Ghibli movie. Doing the bike tour in May was special since we also got to observe rice being transplanted to the rice paddies!
Overall execution was excellent. The train instructions and tour program guide sent beforehand were clear. Ryo was prepared with ponchos in case it rained. Biwako Backroads is really the way to dive into the Japanese countryside where domestic tourists typically visit.