Join this unforgettable tour that takes you to Japan's oldest castle. Wear a kimono and wonder through charming streets while savoring local delicacies. Perhaps take a ride in a traditional rickshaw and have matcha green tea in a traditional Japanese garden. Throughout the experience, we capture your memories with video and photos. Finally, we’ll visit the unique Penis Shrine, where you can pray for a bountiful harvest, the flourishing of nature(fertility), and prosperous descendants.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
hotel, hostel, airbnb, station, etc
- I'll pick you up at your desired location within Nagoya
Visit Japan's oldest mountain castle located in Inuyama. Inuyama Castle, built in 1537 by Oda Nobuyasu—the uncle of the renowned warlord Oda Nobunaga—offers a unique glimpse into Japan's rich history. The castle is surrounded by three distinctive shrines, making it an ideal destination to immerse yourself in Japanese culture.
A little chill time, we can have lunch at a nearby restaurant, or we can sit somewhere and have a lunch box. We can also stroll around in our next location and eat while we walk.
A charming street leading to the castle, Joka Machi, which means "castle town," boasts a unique atmosphere with quaint shops, traditional houses, and delightful eateries. You can wear a kimono or yukata as you explore the town, return to the castle for stunning photos, and even enjoy a cup of green tea with wagashi (traditional japanese sweets)in a traditional setting in the Urakuen garden. This garden was created for a single purpose: to serve as the setting for Jo-an, a priceless
seventeenth-century tea house. Jo-an is a masterwork of tea house architecture and one of
only three tea houses recognized as National Treasures.
A mere 30 minutes away from Inuyama, is the little city of Komaki. Komaki is home to the yearly Tagata Jinja Shrine's Honen Festival, one of the rarest festivals in Japan as they carry around huge wooden carved penis and deliver it to this shrine. This shrine is full of phallus symbols, whether of stone or wood and comes in all sizes. It's a small shrine, but worth a visit.
Slowly we head back to Nagoya, and like with all my tours, I don't mind stopping at a local supermarket, drug store etc., to get some things you normally can't get in the city center
Your desired location
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Transport by car (Mitsubishi delica d5)
highway fees included
gasoline included
parking included
Guidance
Refreshments
Video recording and still pictures
entrance fee castle
I will upload the video and pictures to a private cloud for you to download. They will NOT be used for promotion without your permission.
kimono/yukata 4400 yen pp
Urakuen garden and tea 1800 yen
alcoholic beverages
lunch
-The tea ceremony place is closed on Wednesdays.
-I recommend weekdays as the weekends get crowdy
There are two ways I do this trip:
-The "from point to point" way, in this case I follow the itinerary to the minute and to location, you'll be back at a set time.
-The "follow your feeling" way, in this case I adapt to your wishes and keep the itinerary as a base plan. I can't really guarantee you'll be back on the minute.
Hi lovely travelers,
I'm Serge, originally from the Netherlands, and Japan has been my home for over three decades now. What brought me here initially was love, and that love has kept me rooted in this beautiful country ever since. Along the way, I discovered another love: Japan itself. Following my stint as a radio jockey and TV presenter, where I co-hosted a dedicated program for the Nagoya Grampus soccer team, I transitioned to a behind-the-scenes role as a media fixer for international media outlets.
Though my job as media fixer, I've been traveling and working throughout all of Japan, exploring unique places and meeting lots of very interesting people.
I would love to share and make you, my dear traveler, experience these places as well. Visiting and getting a tour at Japan's oldest traditional vinegar maker, or experience and taste at a traditional "katsuo bushi" bonito flake maker, or do you prefer to visit some old local shrines or temples. with no-one around you, except for the crickets and trees. Maybe you just want a friend to bring you to your desired locations and interpret and be at your beck and call 24 hours (like I do for the media). If you're looking for flexibility (time, places. transport), you won't find a better match than me.
My work as a fixer taught me a valuable lesson: the key to traveling together successfully, lies in a blend of humor, professionalism, and adaptability.
“Top notch tour guide”
We had a wonderful experience with Serge. He contacted us the day before the tour to suggest that we should consider starting our tour at an earlier time due to potential traffic issues going to Korankei Gorge. We were pleased with his suggestion as we even had extra time to go to another lovely spot. Serge gave us three options for the second place to visit. We chose to go to Shikizakura to see the cherry blossoms and colourful autumn leaves. We were not disappointed. He even took candid shots of us. We met Serge as our private tour guide but parted as a friend. He is very passionate at what he does and knowledgeable as a guide. Tip: A great photographer too. Do not hesitate to have him as your tour guide. You will not be disappointed.
Serge R.
(3 reviews)Thank you so much for your kind words. Honestly, I feel like I have the best job in the world! With people like you, it never feels like work. From the moment you stepped into my car, the conversation flowed so naturally, it was as if the concept of "strangers" simply vanished. I laughed so much, and I was deeply inspired by the respect and love you share for each other. Thank you both for such a wonderful day—I’m already looking forward to our paths crossing again!
“Private Ceramic Arts Tour”
I asked for a tour of two famous pottery towns, Seto and Tajimi. Serge put together a great day which included a visit with a warm and wonderful ceramic artist, a tour of the Seto Pottery Museum, a visit to a pottery tool store and a tour of an amazing ceramic festival at the Ceramics Park in Mino. Although he was unfamiliar with the pottery scene in these pottery towns, he did his research and reached out to experts and as a result, the tour gave me insight and experiences that I could never have achieved on my own. Just as important, Serge was warm, easy to talk to and answered all my questions with humor and grace.
Serge R.
(3 reviews)Thank you so much dear Heidi, we had an amazing day as well, thanks to you, my world has gotten a bit bigger, I could experience something new and I caught the pottery bug as well. At the moment I'm putting your video together, it will take a few weeks due to the busyness of this month, but I hope it'll be worth the wait. Till we see again, Serge
“Amazing guide ”
As in the title amazing guide with a lot of knowledge, great personality and ability to create unforgetable memory. Flexible about program, well prepared abd perfect for as well adults as kids. Highly recommended guide. You will never regret to go with him.
Serge R.
(3 reviews)Thank you so much, you all. I had a wonderful time with you. I really loved guiding you around, this is the reason why I became a guide....to meet people like you!
$296/ per group
Reserve