7-8 hour quick tour to cover "must-see" sites in Osaka!
After learning a bit about the history of Osaka during Osaka castle visit, you will visit nostalgic street of Shinsekai, Japanese subculture mecca and gadget paradise of Nipponbashi street, gourmand street of Kuromon Market, and Dotonbori street with glittering signs.
PLEASE MESSAGE ME BEFORE BOOKING
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel or JR Osaka station
Osaka castle (Optional: Museum on the main tower @ 600 yen)
Shinsekai & Osaka's local lunch
Nipponbashi (gadget, Japanese pop culture, toys etc.)
Kuromon Market for food stands and local specialties
Dotonbori (street with 3D & glittering signs)
Optional: Umeda Sky Building floating garden @1350 yen (with subway one-day pass discount)
Ending Point
Flexible
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Guide fee, hotel pick-up in Osaka
Transportation fee during the tour(approx.1000 yen per person), lunch
*both for you and guide
Entrance fee
You will be walking a lot during the tour, so please wear comfortable walking shoes and clothes and bring an umbrella or poncho in case of rain.
Transportation fee for the day will be 800-1,500 yen per person depending on your itinerary and hotel location. Please bring enough cash for the fare.
Please choose one of the below options (except for those meeting up in Kyoto):
1. River boat from Osaka castle to Dotonbori @1,200 yen (only available on weekends in spring-fall, free for the guide)
2. River boat ride in Dotombori @1000 yen - see the Dotonbori street from the boat (may be a long waiting time during the peak season)
3. Umeda Sky Building "Floating Garden" at the end of the tour @1350 yen (with subway pass discount) for the sunset/night view of Osaka
It was selected as one of the "Top 20 Buildings around the World" by Times along with Taji-Mahal and Sagrada Familia.
4. Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine by Hankai Tram - if you are interested in a beautiful local shrine and Osaka's only Tram ride thru suburban areas.
5. Osaka Museum of Housing & Living @600 yen- learn about the city's history of life style and traditional Japanese housing (extra 600 yen for kimono experience)
Please note below before booking and contact me first for availability:
1. My schedule on GoWithGuide site is open for the next 3-month only.
2. All my listed tours include hotel pick-up fee and guide fee. Please ask for quote for custom tours.
3. For tours in the peak season, I am currently prioritizing mult-day tour requests (at least two "full-day" tours per group) and accept one-day request between the booked tours etc.
***Excursions ***
I can guide you in Okayama (including Naoshima and Kurashiki), Hiroshima (Onomichi, Shimanami islands cycling, Miyajima, etc.) and Shikoku (Iya valley etc.) if you pay for my transportation.
The above areas can be visited from Osaka/Kyoto in one or two days.
**Pleaase note that I am not available for tours in Kyoto-Osaka area in Jan-Mar**
**My booking calendar is open only one month ahead**
Hello! I am Seiko, National Licensed Guide since 2007.
I was born and raised in Kurashiki (Okayama pref.), spent my college days in Kyoto, lived in Osaka for more than 15 years and recently moved to a city near Nagano (guiding in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara etc during peak season).
I studied in Wisconsin, USA and worked as a translator/interpreter, market researcher, and executive assistant for global companies for many years where I enjoyed spending a precious time with people from different backgrounds and cultures and broaden my world and horizons.
I myself am a traveler for life, been to more than 30 countries and all the prefectures in Japan, and always excited to help my clients with their planning. I am also a hiker, kayaker, scuba diver, and snowboarder enjoying myself mostly outdoors in every season.
Besides city tours in Osaka and Kyoto, my tours can stretch to introducing local food and drinks, sake/beer brewery visit, visiting less-touristy areas, excursions to enjoy the nature such as walking/hiking tours, baseball games, tours for kids, onsen day-out, and more!
Let's have a fun time and unique experience with me!
Important Notes before booking:
1. Please check availability with me, even for open dates, before booking!
2. Transportation fee, entrance fee, and lunch/dinner for you and guide during the tour are NOT INCLUDED in the guide fee and to be paid at each site. Please bring enough cash to separately pay them during the tour. (Licensed guides get free admission at temples/shrines/castles and most tourist attractions, except for some facilities like aquarium, zoo, amusement parks, etc.)
3. Please let me know IN ADVANCE if anyone in your group has any physical challenge and/or food allergies.
Thank you!
“Pleasant and energetic guide!”
We had a great time touring Osaka with Seiko! She was accommodating and flexible and incorporated places the kids wanted to visit like a cat cafe. It was interesting to learn about the history and significance of the city. She even introduced us to special foods which was a treat! We spent a long day with her but she was always upbeat and cheerful and gave us a memorable day in Osaka. Thank you Seiko!
“Mount Myoko at its best ”
This was our first time in the Myoko kongen area and Seiko has been the perfect host for us. Friendly, kind and well organised, she took care of all logistics including bringing us to a nice local place serving specialties of the region for lunch. Seiko knows herself best around the area and knows the best views and spots to visit . We absolutely loved it and would recommend it anytime :)
“Half day tour around Kyoto”
Seiko was an excellent tour guide for Kyoto with broad and deep knowledge about everything from the specialized shrines to history of sake distilleries. She met us at our hotel and even adjusted our schedule on the fly to try and avoid the expected rain that day. We toured the Fushimi Inari Shrine, explored the Fushimi district and ate at a local yakitori restaurant, went to Kimozu Dera, and explored the streets and alleys in Ninenenzaka/Sannenzaka. It was a very full 6 hours covering a lot of areas and we thoroughly enjoyed it all.
Seiko T.
Thank you Tuan for your kind words. With your flexibility, no hesitation to walk further to see more, and trusting my recommendations, we could see both major attractions and true local scenes. Lucky us, we didn't get much rain during the tour despite the almost hopeless forecast:) Hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Kyoto and your family trip in Japan! Best reagards to all of your sweet family members. Seiko
$253/ per group