From seeing to feeling — why we built this, and where we're headed.
From a trip you only look at, to a trip you listen to and feel.
GuideTunes was created by a single traveler who loves exploring the world with just one backpack. Over the years, I've walked through many countries and experienced all kinds of cultures, landscapes, and encounters with people.
Travel truly is wonderful. And yet, there was something I always felt along the way.
"Amazing." But that's where it ends.
Before you stands a building with centuries of history. A dish loved by locals for generations. Customs and culture unique to that place. "Amazing," you think — and yet you pass by without ever really understanding it.
Local guided tours can be expensive, run on fixed schedules, and feel hard to join as a solo traveler. Often they're only offered in English or Chinese.
There are information panels at the sights, but while you're reading the text, you lose the time to actually look at what's in front of you. You're finally there, yet you can't fully take in the air and the atmosphere. You look down to learn, and the view slips away. I lived that kind of travel again and again.
So I built an app for traveling by ear.
What if, as you walked, you could hear the story of a place through your ears? What if you could keep looking at the scenery while learning its history and culture?
Whenever you like. In any order. Even alone. At your own pace. If you could travel that way, you'd come to love the place even more.
That's the wish GuideTunes was born from. It isn't just about delivering information — we aim for an audio guide that lets you feel the time, the air, and even the daily lives of the people there.
Turning the world's "I don't get it" into "I can feel it."
We started with Japan. Senso-ji. Meiji Jingu. Tokyo Tower. Tsukiji. Ramen, sushi, tempura. Japan is full of places and culture that grow far more fascinating once you understand them.
But this is only the beginning. One day, we want to make cities and cultures all over the world into journeys you can "listen to and feel." Wherever you travel, we want to build a world where you can understand a place in your own language and enjoy it from the heart.
Your support widens this journey.
GuideTunes is still a small, independent project. Creating each audio guide takes a great deal of time and money — on-site research, studying history and culture, translation, audio production, and building and running the app.
Your support will be used with care to grow GuideTunes into a better service: adding new destinations, expanding the languages we support, improving audio quality, and refining the app.
Let's build the future of travel, together.
GuideTunes is not a finished service. We want to grow it together with everyone who travels.
"Please add this place too." "I loved this story." "I wish you covered this country." Each of those voices becomes GuideTunes' future.
Travel doesn't end with looking at the scenery. When you come to know a place, feel its culture, and understand its people, the journey becomes something far more special.
From a trip you only look at, to a trip you listen to and feel. If this resonates with you, please support GuideTunes. Your support makes journeys richer, all over the world. Thank you, truly.