In 1993, Himeji Castle was designated as the first World Cultural Heritage site in Japan. Because of its striking beauty and elegance, it is popularly known as the "White Egret castle", but in fact it was an impregnable fortress.
Next, I would like to introduce you Engyoji Temple, where the movie "Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe was shot. The temple is located about 6 kilometers northwest from the Castle. We can take a bus and a ropeway from Himeji station to the Temple.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
at your hotel in Kobe or Osaka
Engyoji Temple
It was placed in the set of "Last Samurai."
Himeji Castle
Because of its striking beauty and elegance, it is popularly known as the "White Egret castle"
Kokoen Garden
Feudal Lord Garden of Himeji Castle
Ending Point
at your hotel in Kobe or Osaka
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee
・Our transportation fee (2,000JPY) from Sannomiya to Himeji.
・Our trasportation fee (you and your guide) in Himeji is about 600JPY/person.
・ lunch
・ Your entrance fee about 2,000JPY/person
I guide you Sapporo, Furano, Otaru, Hakodate in Hokkaido / Aomori in Hokuriku / Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji in Kansai / Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Kagoshima in Kyushu / Kochi, Matsuyama, Ehime in Shikoku / Matsumoto in Nagano/ Tottori, Shimane, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato, Fukui in Japan Sea side / Please get in touch with me!!
Thank you.
Hello, I'm HIDEo YOSHIda. Please call me HIDEYOSHI, the same name as the famous shogun who built the Osaka Castle in 1585.
I was born in Kobe and worked in Osaka for nearly 40 years. I would like to introduce the Kansai region to you ,including Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama.
Kobe is one of the two largest ports in Japan, along with Yokohama. After the opening of the Port of Kobe in 1868, foreigners built their residences on the hillside of the Kitano-cho area, overlooking the ocean. Many of the foreign residences are now open to the public as museums, including the Weathercock House, with it's symbol weathercock on the triangle-shaped roof.
In Meriken Park, the red Port Tower (the city's landmark), creates a beautiful contrast against the white Kobe Marine Museum. The museum's design was inspired by the waves and sailing ships.
When you have a chance to visit Osaka, please join my tour. I'm sure you'll enjoy the interesting and historical, scenic spots. For example, Shin-Sekai is a downtown area with a strange mix of nostalgic atmosphere and contemporary energy. You can try local foods (kushikatsu, sushi, tempura) at a reasonable price. Billiken (a famous statue of the spirit of luck) will be waiting for you!!. Dotombori is a popular street with a lot of flashy signboards. Osaka is widely known as a "Kuidaore-no-machi", or literally "drinking and eating luxuriously to death." Osaka Castle was built by Toyotomi HIDEYOSHI in 1585. Oh, it's my residence, isn't it !
These days "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" area in USJ, or Universal Studios Japan, is also attracting more and more people.
I'll be looking forward to seeing you !!
Brian S.
“A Lovely Day with Hideo visiting Kochi.”
My family of five had a wonderful day touring via private taxi with Hideo visiting Kochi's top sites during our short window during our port stop from our cruise. You have to pay extra cash for the taxi, but this was still cheaper than the excursions offered via our cruise ship for our family. Hideo was able to tailor our trip ahead of time and was very communicative about some changes that needed to be made due to the garden closure on our day in Kochi. Hideo walked with us in the city pointing out the famous red Harimaya Bridge and came back at the top of the hour to show us the beautiful mechanical clock. He walked with us and gave us excellent history at the Kochi Castle, at the Katsurahama Beach where we viewed the famous samurai Sakamoto Ryoma statue and had an excellent bonito/tuna meal (my girls had steak), and ice cream. Finally we toured the lovely Buddhist temple Chikurinji, temple 31 of the 88 on the island of Shikoku. Hideo was prompt, kind and modified his tour a bit when the very hot and humid weather slowed down the family. Hideo provided a wealth of information and answered all of the questions that we had about Kochi and Japan. I highly recommend using Hideo as a guide. You will be in very caring hands.
Hideo Y.
I'm very glad to receive your excellent review. Thank you for joining my Kochi tour. Kochi castle is one of the 12 castles that are built until 1867 (when Samurial Period finished) and now still exists. We dropped in at Harimayabashi bridge with the lost love story. On the oppisite side, we could see the unique Mechanical clock. We could see the Yosakoi dance and Katsurahama at the clock. We had bonito for lunch. Kochi faces the Pacific Ocean and "one fishing line and a hook bonito" is very popular. Lastly we visited Chikurinji Temple where we could see the beautiful 5-story pagoda and I showed you the Buddhism. I wish you and all your family good health and happiness.
Jennifer S.
“1 day Miyajima Tour”
Our group of 9 (2 families - 4 adults, 2 teens, 3 kids) had a great day on Miyajima led by Mr. Hideo. He was able to book the water taxi for us in advance as I was having difficulty doing so online. We met at the Peace Museum after our group saw the museum early 0730-0930 (highly recommend) with the audio tour and accompanied us to the water taxi. We were able to enjoy shrines, the rope suspension, and snacks/shopping, as well as take lots of pictures. He recommended a great low-key restaurant for lunch. Our group had a great low-stress time and would strongly recommend Mr. Hideo as a guide.
Hideo Y.
I'm very happy to receive your excellent review. We used a water taxi, or a World Heritage Route from Peace Memorial Park to Miyajima, for about 40 minutes. We could see the Great Vemrilion Gate at both low tide and high tide. When we just arrived at Miyajima, it was low tide, so many tourists walked uder the Great Vermilion Gate, after a while when we leave, we could see as if the gate looked like floating on the sea at hige tide. We took Ropeway to the top of Mt.Misen where we could command a panoramic view of the Seto Inland Sea. I'm sure you enjoyed Miyajima tour. I wish you and all your family good health and happiness.
Mike M.
“Memorable day in Kochi”
We arrived in Kochi on a cruise and were looking for a custom tour for our family. Hideo created a personalized itinerary based on exactly what we wanted to see. Since public transportation in Kochi is limited, he arranged a private car for us, which made getting around easy and comfortable. Hideo was very knowledgeable, especially about the history of Kochi Castle, and he helped us navigate around the Ryugado Caves and translated the many Japanese signs in the caves for us—something we really appreciated. His kindness made our visit to Kochi truly memorable. We were very happy with our experience and would recommend Hideo as a tour guide!
Hideo Y.
I'm very glad to receive your excellent review. Kochi castle is one of the 12 castles that were built until 1867 and today still exists. From the observatory floor, we could command a panoramic view of Kochi city. Ryugado Cave is one of the top three lime stone caves in Japan. We explored 1-km cave to see various shapes of stalactite such as "Water fall of the Flying Dragon", "Jewelly Stone", "Beaded Screen Waterfall" and the like. I wish you and all your family good health and happiness.
$338/ per group