Dream Tours Japan: Testimonials

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Testimonials: Dream Tours Japan

Private Unzen to Nagasaki City sightseeing Tour

“During my visit to Japan in April 2012, I spent a day with Shannon. He picked us up at our hotel in the Unzen Hot Spring Resort and showed us around the area. Places included the volcano (the mountain that erupted) a school that was partially destroyed and a village that was covered by the volcanic ash. Shannon was very knowledgeable about the area, its volcanic history and the effect of the eruption on the people. He brought the volcano to life and enabled us to see what it is like for the residents of the area living with the history and wondering about what the future will hold.

Shannon also knew about interesting (and inexpensive) places to eat and buy souvenirs–important for the tourist!”

- Inge Fryklund, Bend, OR, USA

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

"For anyone planning to visit Nagasaki and having a Private tour, Shannon is a jewel of a find. Our group can only speak highly of him and he was the highlight tour guide of our 30 day Asian tour. It was such a pleasure and rare find to have an individual that is passionate about his tour of Nagasaki Japan and what he is showing, he is knowledgeable of the history, culture and people in depth. We covered all of the following during our one day tour; Firstly we visited the Isahaya Spectacle Bridge. Then headed to the Isahaya Bay Dike Road. Next location was the Samurai Street and Castle in Shimabara. After this the Preserved Houses that were destroyed in the 1992 Volcanic Eruption were visited.

We headed to the Mikado Restaurant for lunch and then walked around the Unzen Jigoku (Hell ponds). Restaurant was outstanding and Shannon guided us thru the food selection. This was one of the best lunches we had during our trip.

The next and most outstanding highlight was Shannon's hometown of Obama where we met his delightful wife, who brought towels for us to use while we had a natural hot springs foot bath whilst enjoying some wine and snacks, with Shannon and his delightful wife and the fantastic scenery. We stopped at the Tachibana Shrine for a Shinto blessing before heading back to Nagasaki City to the Peace Park with a nice walk around before checking out the epicenter and finally the museum.

The last part of our tour was the Sanno Shrine where the broken torii (shrine gate) and Camphor trees were viewed as an example of mother natures ability to repair itself even after a atomic explosion. Lastly it should be said that Shannon is Australian married to a lovely Japanese girl and needless to say their command of the English language is impeccable and totally understandable and pleasure to converse with as opposed to other guides we had during our trip."

Joseph Limansky- Boca Raton Fl USA

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Dear Shannon,

Both Sheila and I want to add our praises of you for the tour you gave the 8 of us during our one day visit to Nagasaki. Your devotion to your city and concern for the people you were leading was wonderful. In addition, you have a beautiful wife. Please thank her again for her hospitality.

We wish you and your family much health and happiness for the coming years.
Sincerely,

Alan Feller

USA

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

One of the highlights of our East Asia cruise was the day we spent with Shannon in Nagasaki. He picked us up at the Nautica's berth to show us the city's sights.

We visited the Peace Park where the atom bomb actually exploded. This was awesome. We also visited the 1992 volcano eruption site to see what I considered to be unique partially buried buildings in volcanic ash including the former school and several.homes. Shannon was exceptionally knowledgeable in the area's volcanic history and the effect the eruption had on the local population. The museum visit was excellent.

The next visit was also unique where we enjoyed a footbath in 40 degree water flowing from the hot springs. This visit included snacks with wine - very enjoyable. The last visit was the Tachibana Shrine for a shinto blessing and see the start of the cherry blossoms before returning to our ship.

Truly a great tour.

Alan Greig

Brisbane, Australia

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Nagasaki Japan. I organized a private tour here for eight of us with Shannon who met us at the ship. The guide an Australian married to a delightful Japanese lady gave us a wonderful tour. He treated us like long lost friends. We drove directly to Isahaya to visit the beautiful Spectacle Bridge before heading toward the Shimabara Peninsular then on up the mountain to Unzen. We walked around the Jigoku area (Hell ponds) and drove up to the volcano lookout point for a spectacular photo opportunity. Then to Shannon's home town of Obama (Hot Spring town), where we had snacks and drinks to relax our weary feet at the longest foot bath in Japan at 105m long. Shannon's wife met us here with a delightful picnic. We then passed the Tachibana Shrine and received a Shinto Blessing before heading back to the Nagasaki City area where we visited the Peace Park. This was a fantastic tour and we felt like we had learnt so much about life in Japan.

I know all 8 of us felt your tour was a highlight of the cruise.

Kind regards

Ros & John

Sydney, Australia

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Not sure where to begin in describing our tour experience with Shannon, but as they say it's always best to start from the beginning! To say that Shannon was by far one of the best tour guides we had on our 3 week cruise is an understatement. All my emails were answered quickly and no stone left unturned. I left the whole day in his capable hands and what an amazing day it turned out to be. We did and saw so much, I can't imagine doing Nagasaki and her beautiful surroundings without Shannon. Going to the footbath in his hometown of Obama and meeting his lovely wife and having snacks she prepared and drinking wine was the highlight of our day. Hopefully our paths will cross again.

Cheers

Michelle Hugh plus gang of 6 from Jamaica

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Dear Shannon,

The pictures are wonderful and I so enjoyed the entire day. It was lovely to meet your wife, please thank her for the refreshments again. Next time we have to sample the baths where we get to go right in. Thank you for making this one of the most memorable stops on the trip.

Hope you and your family make it to Jamaica one day soon.

All the best,

Annette.

Jamacia

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Hi Shannon,

We had such a great day-thanks to you and your charming Wife. Hopefully our paths will cross again sometime in the not too distant future-until then-Best of luck and all best wishes.

Again-many thanks for the lovely memories.

Michael and Bonnie.

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Hello Shannon,

Many thanks for the pictures, you gave us such a good time - thanks.

We certainly covered a lot of ground...

Stafford and I are back at work, telling our friends about the great "foot bath" and the lovely touch in meeting your wife for lunch.

Hope that one day you will come our way - keep in touch

All the best,
Marilyn

Private Nagasaki to Shimabara Port sightseeing Tour

Hello, Shannon,

We had a wonderful three week trip in Japan, thanks especially to you! We all agreed that the Shimabara Peninsula was one of our favorite spots. We experienced so many different things and gained so much information from just talking with you. It was truly a wonderful and memorable experience for all of us. Thank you so much, also, for going the extra mile to retrieve Lauren's iPhone. Please give our thanks to your wife, also, for providing the wonderful snacks in Obama. Next time we come to Japan, we will certainly put Kyushu on our list of "must-see" places, and we are certainly going to tell all of our friends to visit the Nagasaki area and to contact you. Because of you, we have some wonderful memories of the "real" Japan, not just the big cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. We are so glad that we came across your website and found you. Thank you so much once again for a truly fantastic tour of your region.

Regards,
Jere Okada

Hawaii

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Hi Shannon.

We are now back in Sydney.

What an adventure we had. All of us truly loved Japan. Nagasaki was great. Tokyo is just crazy. and Kyoto is just amazing.

Unfortunately we were a bit rushed at the end as you dropped us off for the ship. I didn't get to say how much we really enjoyed the day with you showing us around Nagasaki. We got to see areas where a bus would not have taken us, and probably got to see twice as much. Your knowledge and information you gave us during the day was great, and the present for the kids at the end was a wonderful gift. Green tea Kit Kats is something new, but the kids loved them!

If I ever have anyone ask about Japan, I will be sure to tell them to visit Nagasaki if they can, and will definitely be recommending you to show them around. We were talking with others from the ship that night and the next day and said how wonderful you were and everyone was so jealous of what we were able to do.

I am sure Wendy and will visit Japan again, we might wait until the Kids are older so it is just us. Also, Thomas and Charlotte will visit one day I am sure. They had the greatest time. We asked them what their favorite day was of the entire 3 weeks we were away. They both said dressing up as Ninja's with you was the best.

On a personal note, the tour we had with you was our first taste of Japan, and it could not have been any better. Being able to meet your wife just showed us the personal touch of your tour, and the true nature of Japan. I truly thank you for providing me and my family a day that we will never forget. Domo arigato gozaimasu!

Again, thank you so much for the day, it was definitely the highlight of our trip.

Regards,

David Mynard

Here is a video highlight from the Family Tour:

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Shannon Lefebvre loves what he is doing and it shows--from the first time we corresponded until receiving a summary by e-mail after taking the tour. Being cruise ship passengers with limited touring time, Shannon maximized the time we had yet the tour seemed to have spontaneity rather than a following a rigid schedule. Throughout the tour Shannon was very open to questions. His tour provided a great opportunity to see Japan through an ex-pat’s eyes. He is a great host, very personable and upbeat, knowledgeable, and bi-lingual (English native language and Japanese). The tour cost was a bit more than several other Nagasaki tours we investigated but his tour was most definitely worth the difference. The tour was truly a highlight of our entire Asia cruise. Highly recommend.

Kind regards,

Ann, USA

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

We arrived Nagasaki, Japan at 8:00 AM and had to clear Japan Immigration as this is our first stop in Japan but it was efficiently done and we were in the first 25 folks off the ship to meet Shannon, our guide today who is Australian married to a Japanese. The transport was a Toyota van seating Shannon and our group of 6 and we were quickly out of the city proper into the countryside on our day’s activities. Our first stop was at Isahaya to see the Spectacle Bridge (stone) from the 1400’s rebuilt after a flood destroyed it in the middle of the town with a reflecting pool showing how it might have looked centuries ago. Continuing to the Isahaya Bay we drove across the controversial land reclamation dike built to stop flooding. It separates the sea from the original bay that is now fresh water for irrigation. Then we headed toward the Simabara Peninsula. Here we visited the Shimabara Castle built by the feudal lord in the 1600’s where it withstood attacks from invaders and earthquakes and a giant tsunami in 1792. The castle fell into disrepair and was dismantled and finally rebuilt in 1964. This area is also infamous for the rebellion by Christians in 1637 due to persecution by the feudal lord, however, the Christians were defeated and some 37,000 were executed on this site.

Unzen was next to walk around the Jigoku area (Hell Ponds) where the sulfur bubbles up from the earth along with the hot water that is piped to all the buildings to provide heat and hot water. Then a visit to the Old Yamamoto House, a samurai whose family served the local lord in the 1700’s. A startling view of the houses buried by the Mt. Heisei Shinzan volcano in 1990 plus views of the volcano itself included a walk around the park established to honor those that perished in the blast and lava flow. One story houses had lava up to the roof and two-story houses had lava covering the first floor. Sad!

A stop for a picnic prepared by Shannon’s wife at Obama (means little beach) where Shannon lives with his lovely wife and two children. The picnic was at the park where hot springs flow through town. Sushi, eggs and sweet potatoes boiled in the hot springs, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, hummus, cheese, crackers, pineapple, strawberries and sparkling red wine eaten with chopsticks made a delightful lunch. We then took off our shoes and joined the locals by putting our feet into the hot water for a few minutes in the longest foot bath in Japan at 105 meters long, really hot. This stop was a highlight of our day. Leaving here we decided a Shinto blessing was required so a stop at the Tachibana Shrine provided the blessing and some great photos. From here to the Peace Park and Atomic Museum was about a 45 minute drive. The park is dominated by the statue of Peace by Seibo Kitamura showing the right hand pointing up to represent the atom bomb, left hand pointing out representing peace, right leg curved representing meditation and left leg poised for action. The actual bomb site is several feet below the current level and one stone and brick column remains of the Catholic Cathedral that was destroyed in the blast (A new cathedral was built some years later on another site). We were told that the bomb detonated about 500 meters above the ground to effect the most damage and based on the photos it did just that. Everything was leveled and all the water was vaporized in a flash thus the reason for people leaving bottles of water at the shrines at the site. It was touching to realize the destruction.

Our day with Shannon was really special and he was very accommodating even emailing our itinerary to us so we remembered everything we saw.

Regards,

Bob & Iris Spears

Georgetown, TX

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Hi Shannon,

Firstly I want to thank you for a wonderful tour on the 23^rd May of Nagasaki and beyond. They all wanted me to tell you how much they enjoyed the tour and saw so much more than the ships tours. John (he sat in the front with you) said he did a private tour in Hawaii and thought nobody could ever surpass that, but you did by miles. The lunch that your wife prepared for us was delicious, a little more than a snack.

The ship did a tour to the castle, Samurai village and the preserved houses plus lunch, and that cost about $15 p/p more than your tour, we saw a lot more for less money and only had 9 people instead of 40.

We will all have fond memories of our day in Nagasaki. Once again thank you Shannon.

Regards

Margaret and Neville Carlos

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

"Six of us had an absolutely wonderful tour in Nagasaki with Shannon! It was considerably better than the typical on-the-bus/off-the-bus tours offered by many cruise ships. Shannon customized the day for us, and we saw and did many things -- such as a delightful picnic among cherry blossoms -- that were certainly highlights of our visit to Japan."

Donn Pearlman

Las Vegas

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

It is my absolute pleasure to recommend, Shannon, as a tour guide of Nagasaki Japan. As a dedicated and knowledgeable citizen of Nagasaki, my new found love of Nagasaki is more than I ever expected. Shannon’s expertise in the history of this city, along with his honest, conscientious & courteous delivery of information, made it possible to think about the time we spent, the importance of the itinerary chose for us and how we captured everything that Nagasaki had to offer to us outsiders. Shannon went beyond what we expected in terms of a city tour. His wide range of knowledge was a huge advantage to our visiting the best places that Nagasaki has to offer.

Without a doubt, I confidently recommend, Shannon, as your man to introduce you to city of Nagasaki and all it’s history & beauty.

Please feel free to contact me at, cmilarczyk@yahoo.com, should you like to discuss Shannon’s experience & knowledge and an all-around great person. I’d be happy to expand on my recommendation.

Regards,

Cathy Milarczyk

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

I could not have picked a better tour guide to show us Nagasaki than Shannon. He picked 6 of us up at the port in a very comfortable and roomy SUV. It was a full day tour that extended after dark. He was kind enough to stop on the bridge back to the ship so we could take a night picture of beautiful Nagasaki. We covered all the highlights and more of Nagasaki. Learned about the culture of the people and ate authentic food of the area. Best tour ever!!

Debra Barnes

USA

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

A Great Tour Option for Nagasaki, Japan

We had a wonderful and educational private tour on our visit to Nagasaki, and we highly recommend Shannon, our very professional tour guide. We were able to spend a full day with Shannon, who introduced us to some of the most intriguing sites to see in the Nagasaki area. Shannon had a great enthusiasm for the culture and sites we visited, and he was able to add a lot in terms of historical perspective. Shannon provided a very comfortable van for our small group and our snack and meal breaks were a real treat and focused on the local fare. Hat’s off to Shannon for a tour we thoroughly enjoyed.

Jim and Evie Bradley

October 2016

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Hi Shannon,

I wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for a truly lovely tour yesterday. Having been to Nagasaki once before, it was a treat to be able to get out of town to see the surrounding sights.

I don't know if I had a particular highlight, as I enjoyed all of our stops equally. But the food market and the foot baths were probably the most fun

Thank you again for a wonderful day.

Cheers,

Sherita

USA

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula Sightseeing Tour

Just wanted to drop a note to say a big thank you to Shannon for making our visit to Nagasaki so memorable. He met us promptly and being a party of all Australians it was wonderful to have an Aussie show us around. A drive to Isahaya and the Spectacle Bridge, drive to Isahaya Bay, Obama hot springs, beautiful lunch provided by his gorgeous wife and many other attractions and photo stops on the way back to our cruise ship. Thank you Shannon...

Regards,
Sandra Gaunt

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

This is a magnificent tour. From the first email correspondence Shannon was terrific and easy to work with. We had a wonderful day exploring Nagasaki. The tour was very informative and Shannon is just a fantastic guide. He is friendly, capable, knowledgable and timely for our departure. He is also very professional, and it was lovely to meet his wife, who joined us for a short while and even provide very impressive refreshments

And, most importantly, Shannon provides a quality tour in a limited time frame. In our case, we just had one day in Nagasaki. Shannon planned a perfect day and we felt that we saw so much. It was a memorable day and one, we will never forget.

Just an absolutely amazing tour - there were 4 of us and we travelled in comfortable and saw much more than the rest of the folks on our cruise ship. We have fantastic photos and unforgettable memories -one of the highlights of trip to Japan. I strongly recommend this tour.

Warm Regards,

Carol Carpenter

Nagasaki Culture and WW2 History Tour

Our group of six from Las Vegas hired Shannon for our first visit to
Nagasaki in 2016. We happily hired him again in 2019 to guide us to different
delightful sights there for our second visit.
(Ask him to take you to see the lobby of the Henna Hotel,
where robots check you in at the front desk!)
Shannon is highly recommended!

Donn Pearlman

Attachments area

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Dear Shannon

PLEASE LET ME THANK YOU on behalf our group of 8 persons

FOR ENJOYING TOUR IN

NAGASAKI JAPAN

WAS MOST INTERESTING AND HOSPITABLE

BEST REGARDS

DAVID SNAPIR

Nagasaki and Shimabara sightseeing Tour

Dear Shannon

We just wanted thanking you again for a wonderful day tour, in which you compiled both your skills
and your heart.
The outcome was outstanding!!

All the best for you and your nice family. When you will include Israel in one of your future tours worldwide
please don't forget letting us know about that so we could see you again!

Ari

Nagasaki to Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

It was a great pleasure to meet you today and thanks from all of us for an interesting day full of Japanese

and Nagasaki experiences. You made it an enriching experience.

A highlight of the trip was meeting you, going shopping, bathing our feet and learning about

Nagasaki.

And thanks for the video.

Wonderful service. Wished we could have had you with us in other ports.

John

Sydney, Australia

Shannon did a perfect job

Tour Fukuoka in Privacy and Comfort.

The choice of places to visit was perfect. Shannon's narrative and choice itinerary matched

our desires perfectly.

Bill and Susan

California, USA

A Lovely Full Day Tour with Shannon from Fukuoka to Nagasaki

Tour Fukuoka to Nagasaki in Privacy and Comfort.

It was easy working with Shannon especially given the time difference when setting

up the tour: I live in LA; Shannon in Kyushu! Shannon picked us promptly at our hotel

in downtown Fukuoka at 7:30 am to start our very full day drive and tour to Nagasaki.

We hit so many places as described in his itinerary; there's some flexibility depending

upon your count and schedule.There was just my son & I, so we had plenty of room in

Shannon's Prius and ample time to tour all the spots. He may have other vehicle options

for larger groups.

My 32 year old son was initially skeptical of the tour, thinking it would be easy to just

jettison to Nagasaki via train but at the end of the day and at the end of our two week stay

in Japan, he found the 10+ hour tour with Shannon to be informative and relaxing.

He appreciated the opportunity to visit some of the out of the way but interesting places.

We had been in Osaka, Kyota, Tokyo, and Beppu by this point, so this tour gave us a

different perspective and Shannon graciously shared some of his personal insights and

experiences with us. Having two teenage kids in Japan will give one plenty of insight!

I won't highlight all the places we went with Shannon; his itinerary is pretty detailed and

you may do a different route. He does various Kyushu tours. We had a wonderful seaside

lunch grilling our own seafood! Shannon also took some wonderful pictures as well as a

nice video.

BTW Shannon's English is good (Australian that it is, ha ha) but his Japanese is pretty

flawless as well!

Thanks Shannon.

Mary

California USA

Customized flower viewing and strawberry picking half day tour

We had a half day tour around Fukuoka with Shannon. Shannon does his best to ensure that
we got to see everything we wanted and made sure that we felt very comfortable during
the trip! Highly recommend if you would like to enjoy Fukuoka fully!

Jen

Singapore

Awesome Tour of Nagasaki

Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

Our tour guide Shannon did an awesome job giving us a full tour of Nagasaki

in the limited time we had that day. From the historical War Museum to the actual

radio towers used to start the Pearl Harbor invasion.

We had a peaceful picnic lunch at the temple and finished with great views atop

the highest point in Nagasaki.Shannon's historical knowledge cannot be surpassed.

John DeBiase

NYC

Nagasaki to Fukuoka

Tripadvisor review: Fukuoka to Nagasaki 2 day/ 1 night tour

Great trip! Shannon is very knowledgeable and friendly. We were able to work with

Shannon to customize tour, making the experience even better.

We traveled from Nagasaki to Fukuoka, with stops at Sohonzan Shrine;

picnic lunch near the Saikai Bridge; Takachiho Shrine and Gorge and Kawachi

Wisteria Park to name a few.

Unfortunately, the Wisteria had blossomed about two weeks prior to our visit,

guess we will need to return someday.

Audrey D- Hawaii

Karatsu to Fukuoka sightseeing Tour

We had an amazing time with Shannon in Karatsu. Our ship was delayed in arriving to Karatsu

and Shannon was able to make changes on the fly. We saw beautiful floats, shrines and he

even got us a private sake tasting with the owner of a great sake producer.

Wonderful day!

Shannon is an excellent guide!

Regards,

Lina

USA

Fukuoka Culture and Nature Tour

Shannon is knowledgeable, friendly, and drove safely. The tour was well organized and he

was flexible due to the changing weather.

Richard

Hawaii

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Shannon was hands down our best guide while visiting Japan. He not only created a day for us based

on our interests, but threw in some surprises, including a sake tasting, hot springs foot-bath, and a

local market shopping trip so we could pick out our own freshly made lunch.

We felt very well taken care of and left knowing that we just had the best tour of our 2 week vacation

in Japan.

Thanks Shannon!

Robert Hazzard

USA

Fukuoka to Nagasaki full day Intensive Tour

This was a wonderful full-day tour, with an English-speaking Australian who lived for 15-years in

Kyushu and Japan. We appreciated the packed & practical

itinerary going to, and coming from Nagasaki; with time to rest & recover on the way back to

Fukuoka– many thanks, Shannon!

Jondi

Phillippines

Fantastic Tour Guide for Fukuoka!

Tour Fukuoka in Privacy and Comfort.

We had a great day with Shannon touring Fukuoka. We enjoyed a variety of activities

including Nanzoin Temple, Yusentei Park for beautiful gardens and Tea in the Tea House,

a Sake Brewery for tasting and beautiful Ramen for Lunch.

All with minimal walking on a very hot day. Shannon was able to drop us off at the entrance

and park the car to reduce our walking which we greatly appreciated.

He was very knowledgeable about Japan and great fun.

Joan P

Australia

An Unforgettable Great Experience - historical and fun tour

Tripadvisor review: Private Full Day Tour from Fukuoka to Nagasaki

The tour with Shannon Lefebvre was a great experience. He took very good care to explain

the history and culture of the areas. He did not rush through the tour and was open to

added suggestions. The tour was a lot of fun and a relaxing time learning about the cultural

significance of Nagasaki and its involvement in the landscape of WWII.
It was a positive experience learning about the people of this region and their role in

Japanese society as a whole.

Shannon Lefebvre was very knowledgable and informative and was open to questions and

discussions during the tour. The tour mixed history and fun experiences together.
He took us at the end of the tour for a great hot steam foot soak that was amazing and a

nice end to the day of sightseeing.

A few days after the tour he sent to us a memory keepsake video from our tour together.

It was a wonderful thoughtful and unique keepsake surprise.

We highly recommend this tour if you are interested in Nagasaki, its history, its food and its

culture as it relates to the Japanese culture.

It's a very special day when Shannon Lefebvre is your guide on this tour both as a

knowledgable professional, english speaking pleasant fun tour guide.

This was a memorable great experience.

Mary B- USA

Nagasaki to Shimabara Peninsular Sightseeing Tour

Hey Shannon,

We are back home in Germany.

Just wanted to say again, that we had a fantastic trip with you!

Everyone loved it and we had great fun. My family talked a lot about the trip during

the following days. Felix didn't want to touch any Sushi for days so as to not forget

the delicious Japanese sushi we had on the day.

Best wishes,

Julian

Germany

Fukuoka Culture and Nature Tour

We had a great time. Shannon was excellent. Very enjoyable tour, he was very knowledgeable
and helpful to mother and baby.

Calvin L

Hawaii

Shannon was absolutely...

Viator review: Tour Nagasaki or Fukuoka in Privacy and Comfort.

Shannon was absolutely perfect for us! It rained the whole day, but it was the very

best tour we have ever had. Shannon had so much information about Japan and the city.

He made it so easy to get out of the car, get an umbrella, walk and talk, then wait here

for a few minutes for him to get the car again and hop in and off to the next attraction.

We never felt rushed, but we moved along at a good pace to see so much! He was

just the best and it was an excellent tour!

Sorry to say this, but the fact that Shannon spoke English as his first language

made all the difference. It was just so easy to hear him and understand everything he said.

Barbara

San Diego, USA

Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

Our tour guide Shannon was amazing. Being that he also spoke English and

Japanese it made the tour that much better. He could help us communicate with

locals to ask questions and give us accurate translations. Shannon took us to many

amazing places including the epicenter of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb

(very humbling to see). Shannon took us to a Sake Brewery where we were given

an impromptu tour of the facility by workers where they explained how they make

their sake, shochu, gin, and the brewery was just starting to make whiskey

(we have to come back in 3 years to taste the first batch). We also tasted many many

many of the sakes, shochu, and gin that the brewery makes. Shannon took us to a

market to pick up fresh food and drink so we could have a picnic. We were able to

explore Old Sasebo Wireless Transmission Facility and Kawatana Historical Heritage

Site Torpedo Launch Test Site Ruins. We went explored a shrine, checked out a robot

hotel, went to Ceramics Park Hasami where they have an entire

history of kilns to check out, and we went high up on the peak to look out over our ship.

We highly recommended Shannon as a tour guide. When we return, we will definitely

hire him again! So much information and so many sites to see. Loved every minute of it!

Tamika

USA

Excellent guide with no language barriers

Tripadvisor review: Private shore excursions in Kyushu, Japan

Shannon is very professional and a great wealth of information. He will customize your

tour to your liking even while you are on the tour.
A common concern from guests going on excursions in Japan is the difficulty

understanding the guides with their Japanese accent.

The Japanese are wonderful people and cannot help that we don't understand Japanese.

So it's something we've had to caution guests about.

Shannon has an Australian accent and I never had any difficulty understanding.
His prices may be a bit more than the big group tours but you get what you pay for.
I was so impressed by Shannon's services that I'm using him for multiple

cities for our group tour coming up around Japan.

Sherri Ko- Hawaii

Wonderful Tour of Nagasaki

Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

We just returned from a 12 day cruise of Japan. This tour was our favorite tour of the trip.

We felt like we truly experienced Japan culture as well as the sobering history of

Nagasaki in WWII. Shannon was an excellent guide. He took us to a grocery store to

pick out items for our picnic lunch. We had already visited several Shinto shrines in Kobe,

Tokyo and Kyoto where there were lots of people.

Imagine our delight when he took us to the Sohonzan Shinto shrine and gardens where

we were the only ones there! It was a beautiful experience.

We also visited the Hario communications towers built in the 1920's, the Umegae

Sake Brewery and the Hasami Ceramics.

It was a fabulous day; we highly recommend this tour!

Marianne

USA

Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

Shannon Lefebvre

Full day of fascinating Nagasaki. Peace park, ceramic works, picnic and sake tasting,

and of course Mount Inasa and the incomparable views. Shannon was very

communicative about our meeting place at the port, was great at answering questions,

and gave some insight about living in Japan as a foreigner. Would book again.

Phil

USA

Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

Shannon Lefebvre

We booked Shannon's excursion in and around the Nagasaki area as a private

excursion while we were on a cruise. Shannon was knowledgeable and as an Aussie,

he was a native English speaker. He managed to get to everything on the itinerary

even though we had believed that time would not allow that.

Jim Sadler

USA

A journey worth taking

Viator review: Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

When you arrive in a new city you have no idea what makes that city tick.

This tour takes you on a journey and shows you that Nagasaki has a somber

past, but also an incredible soul of resilience,

and a future in the hands of some hard working young people.

We, my teenage son and partner, thoroughly enjoyed our day with Shannon.

Life is a journey, and this one is worth taking.

Samantha- Sydney, Australia

Fukuoka to Nagasaki full day intensive private Tour

“We had a memorable and amazing tour with Shannon. He was very organized,

flexible and informative.

He got to see so many places on our way to and in Nagasaki.

I am so happy that we went on this tour.

We would definitely book another tour with Shannon.”

Dayna Nam

Hawaii

A nice travel

Viator review: Tour Fukuoka in Privacy and Comfort.

We loved the natural japan.mixed of rural and urban, especially the food.

Everything was good.

Will definitely come back!

Mary G

Phillippines

Fukuoka-Nagasaki with 3 Teenagers!

Tripadvisor review: Private Full Day Tour from Fukuoka to Nagasaki

More than half a year after spending an ambitious Fukuoka-Nagasaki Day

with Shannon, my children still randomly say "Remember Shannon?

He was so so cool!"

That he was! Endlessly kind, entertaining, and efficient—Shannon took us to

IYKYK (If you know you know) spots that we would never have found on our

own.

I'd recommend Shannon to anyone interested in history, architecture, crafts,

photography, food, and sake!

We've kept in touch and would love to tour with him again when we return

to Fukuoka!

Ayesa, Manila, Phillippines

Something for everyone on this tour!

Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

Shannon is an incredible tour guide. But more importantly, he put together

an amazing tour. We took two locals from Nagasaki and they both said they

had never heard, nor been to, many of the things we visited.

Shannon is a pro and he is extremely knowledgeable about the Japanese

culture, the food, the language, and the history, and the architecture.

There was some really fun parts, sad parts, thought provoking parts, and

even some spiritual aspects. If you book a tour with Shannon everyone

in your group is going to feel like they had their needs met.

There is something for everyone. Also, Shannon will 100% go the extra

mile and spend way more time with you than the tour requires

if your group needs it.

Gilbert B

California

USA

WW2 sites rarely seen

Tripadvisor review: Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

Shannon was awesome. So much fun and so knowledgeable.

Traveled in a very comfy van to places you'd never see on a

cruise ship tour.

If you like WW2 history - this is the tour for you.

Everlyn

USA

Nagasaki and Shimabara Peninsula sightseeing Tour

Hi Shannon,

Thanks again for our tour in Nagasaki to the Shimabara Peninsular.

My parents especially loved the picnic lunch followed by the foot bath.

The highlight of the day!

It was lovely to be taken away from the more touristy areas and get to do and

experience something the locals would do.

Regards,

Darren

Gilbraltar

Outstanding! A+

Tripadvisor review: Fukuoka Nature and Cultural Sightseeing Tour

Shannon is an outstanding guide and we highly recommend him for English

speaking

tours of Japan. His knowledge of Japanese history and culture provided us

with keen insights into Japanese life and its similarities and pronounced

differences with western culture and perspectives.

Our tours with Shannon were truly wonderful Experiences and we will

definitely book him on future tours when we return to Japan .

Irma, Tennesse USA

Fantastic day in Fukuoka!

Fukuoka Nature and Cultural Sightseeing Tour

This was a fantastic tour, and we are so glad we did it. We would not have

been able to see half as much if we had not had Shannon driving us around.

He will make recommendations, or work with whatever places you want to go.

It was such a hot day and Shannon made sure we walked the least amount

possible, stayed hydrated, and had the AC blasting when in the car.

We learned so much more about the history and everything we saw, and ate.

Since it is a private tour, the flexibility of what we wanted to do was great.

In the end, we did some stops at Uniqlo, GU and other great shops that we

wanted (but would have been too lazy to get there on our own due to the

extreme heat) for some awesome shopping at fantastic prices.

This is something we definitely could not have done on a bigger group tour.

He's not only a great driver, he also gets out and walks with you to be your

guide, your photographer, or your interpreter, which was super helpful.

After we got back from our vacation, Shannon even put together a video

of all the things we did the whole day as a nice keepsake!

That was super duper awesome, never had a guide do that before.

We would totally hire and use him again in the future should we ever

return again to the area.

Sandie

NYC, USA

Wonderful family tour with a cool bilingual guide

Tripadvisor review: Private Full Day Tour from Fukuoka to Nagasaki

We had a wonderful time touring Fukuoka region and Nagasaki with Shannon

our Aussie guide who has lived in Japan for so long that he’s essentially

Japanese in all but appearance!

We felt very comfortable and safe with him. A very knowledgeable guide

who customised our tour according to our requests and needs.

Our two boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves too and we learnt loads

about Japanese history and culture.

I absolutely recommend Shannon to all English-speaking visitors to the

Kyushu region; rest assured that he is well-versed in Japanese customs

and traditions, showing off Japan to its full potential.

It is not easy to get a guide in Japan who is both fluent in English and

Japanese.

Shannon, we are waiting for you to plan our Kyushu beef tasting tour! :)

Thank you again for a lovely family holiday, including booking a yummy

Motsunabe restaurant for us!

Annabelle,

Singapore

Wonderful guy

Viator review: Fukuoka Nature and Cultural Sightseeing Tour

Shannon exceeded our expectations. He is not only an excellent tour

guide but made sure that we'll have the best Fukuoka experiences

in dining and shopping.

Carmina, Phillipines

Dream Tours Japan - Wonderful Nagasaki DayTour/

Shore Excursion

Tripadvisor review: Nagasaki City and Shimabara Peninsular Sightseeing Tour

Shannon Lefebvre, owner of Dream Tours Japan, is a top notch tour guide.

He conducted and drove during our 8 hour shore excursion on November 29,

2024.

He is fluent in Japanese and has extensive knowledge of Japanese history.

Most importantly, he was able to customize our tour for my 6 year old twin boys.

I was also able to pay an upcharge

1 week before the tour so my Japanese friend could join us.

We had the best time thanks to Shannon's planning and knowledge.

He also compiled a video with pictures of this memorable day for us.

Scott, Wisconsin USA

One of the best tours we have taken

Tripadvisor review: Nagasaki City and Shimabara Peninsular Sightseeing Tour

We had a great day in Nagasaki. Shannon was excellent. Great

communication. easy to find in port. Once in the car, the magic started. He

was knowledgable, funny and easy to talk to. We enjoyed all our stops and

surprises he had planned. You will not be disappointed! Months later we are

still talking about our day in Nagasaki.

I won't spoil the fun, but he thought of everything.

3 days/ 2 nights tour around KyushuMemories for a Lifetime

We booked a 3 day customized Private tour or Kyushu for our

party of 8 friends and family with Shannon and we were not

disappointed. He worked with us to put together such an

awesome experience that we will never forget.

We let him know what places we wanted

to visit, dates of our travel, he then put an itinerary together

adding so many hidden gems. We were shuttled around

comfortably in a spacious van, took us to many off the

beaten path locations.

The local style lunches and drinks also included were so

delicious. His commentary and knowledge of the areas

visited made our visit made for everlasting memories.

He toured us through Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Takachiho,

Kurosawa, Aso, Yufuin, and ended in Fukuoka.

Gary L

Hawaii

Excellent tour with Shannon

One of the best we had in Japan

during Majestic Japan cruise

Tripadvisor review: Shannon Lefebvre

We visited several ports during our cruise around Japan.

However, I must say that the tour I organized with Shannon

from Dream Tours Japan, was the best.

Shannon was the tour guide for our small group tour around

Matsue, Tottori, Japan from the Sakaiminato Cruise Pier on

September 28th It was perfect from beginning to end and

exceeded my expectations.

I will always remember our group getting into the boat that

took us around the castle moat. So much fun and laughter.

To this day, I laugh whenever I think of that boat ride.

We enjoyed a bento lunch complete with saki and wine at

Shinjiko foot bath. Another stop was Main Street (known as

Mizuki Shigeru Road) of Sakaiminato, childhood home of the

creator Shigeru Mizuki. There are a total of 177 fantasy bronze

statues and sculptures. We drive by the five-tiered Matsue Castle,

one of the remaining feudal castles. We did a photo op at a former

Samurai Residence called Matsue Buke Yashiki.

The residence was once the home of a highly ranked samurai.

There are many adjectives to describe our tour guide.

Here are a few. Shannon was friendly, likeable, accommodating,

and personable. We really felt we were with a friend and not a

tour guide. He went over and above to make our day a

memorable and unforgettable one.

All tour participants felt we were with a friend and not a tour guide.

Time and money well invested.

Highly recommend Shannon of Dream Tours

if your travels bring you to Japan.

Joanne, USA

Tripadvisor review: Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

Shannon does an amazing tour. He is a great guide, educated,

personable, speaks both English and Japanese and is a safe

and good driver.

We are a group of 4 x 50 something year olds.
Our tour included s o much and was well worth every dollar spent.
We learnt of the history of the Atomic bomb, followed by an

amazing shinto shrine, we purchased beautiful ceramics, had a

local lunch (Chanpon noodles are really good), we drank Japanese

green tea, drove past Huis ten Bosch and learnt of this and at night

saw Mt Inasayama, an absolutely beautiful view.

We feel like we have seen all that Nagasaki has to offer and

highly recommend Shannon to be your guide.

Jackie, Sydney, Australia

Nagasaki Cultural and WW2 History Tour

We had a great tour with Shannon in Nagasaki. We saw all the WWII historical

sites, including a few sites not found on other tours. He took us to the

Sohonzan Shrine which was greatly appreciated as it was a very peaceful

and quiet area away from the city.

The Sake Brewery was a unique experience. We enjoyed

the tasty Castella cake and the juicy strawberries. Our day ended at the Mount

Inasa Lookout with great nighttime views of Nagasaki. We would give Shannon

more than 5 stars if possible.

Bonnie

USA

Great day with Shannon!

Tripadvisor review: Private shore excursions in Kyushu, Japan

We had a fantastic tour with Shannon. He was super

knowledgeable and custom tailored the tour to meet our

needs.

We would highly recommend him as a tour guide!

Sheri H, Atlanta USA

Nagasaki to Fukuoka

Tripadvisor review: Fukuoka to Nagasaki 2 day/ 1 night tour

Shannon Lefebvre is an excellent guide in and around the

Nagasaki /Fukuoka area. Not only is he very familiar with the

nooks and crannies of the region but he knows so much about

the people of Japan and the country’s history, culture, and

idiosyncrasies, and being an expat he gives a detached and

objective viewpoint. Aside from the stunning sites and historical

places we visited

(we walked through a bomb shelter that school children built during

WWII by chipping away into a rock

mountainside near their school in a remote area of Kyushu),

Shannon’s narratives were fascinating and amusing. I remember

these more than most of the sites visited.

He even procured an item that a friend/fellow traveler

mentioned she wanted to take home but was unable to find.

It wasn’t a request but he brought it to our hotel before we left

Japan. We were all blown away.

Thank you, Shannon, I’m sad that you’re booked the month I’m

returning to Japan with family.

Sharon K, Hawaii, USA

Private Full Day Tour from Fukuoka to Nagasaki

Shannon provided excellent historical and cultural background at various

sights.

We appreciated his willingness to accommodate our interest and needs.

His knowledge base was excellent.

Leatrice Chee

Hawaii

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