Makoon was an exceptionally good guide for me and my family in Kyoto. I’m a pretty critical person but Makoon gave us a five-star experience. Some of the best things were: his email communication before the trip, his excellent English and North American accent, the way he encouraged and connected with my entire family, including my tween/teen kids, and his flexibility. Further to all of that, you could tell that he is really a genuinely great human being, and touring with him was a true win-win – you could tell that he really loved sharing Kyoto with us. I had been to some of the places we visited but Makoon brought a tablet with a couple of slide of grounding information (e.g. about emporers and shoguns) that really made the experience deeper for all of us. My wife and kids generally don’t like to go to museums and to “learn” on vacation, but Makoon snuck in some basic Japanese cultural and history lessons such that the kids didn’t even realize they were learning something! I would suggest Makoon with absolutely zero reservations.