Backstreets in Namba offer lots of great little shops, restaurants and bars for the locals.
I will take you to the area and ask you choose 2-3 spots and restaurants to visit.
You'll start the tour from Nipponbashi (Osaka's sub-cultural mecca) or Doguyasuji (kitchen equipment street including potteries and knives) and end the tour in Dotonbori. Kuromon Market is optional.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Information Center Namba (near Takashimaya/Nankai Namba station) or at your hotel
Kuromon Market (Optional & has to start the tour by 4:00pm)
Doguyasuji
Nipponbashi
Dotonbori
Shinsekai & Tsutenkaku (Optional & need an extra hour)
Ura Namba (backstreets with many standing bars and small restaurants) for dinner and/or drink
Ending Point
Wherever in Namba or at your hotel
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee for 3.5- 4 hours, hotel pick-up in Osaka and Kyoto area
transportation fee for you and guide, dinner for you and guide, entrance fee if any
PLEASE NOTE THIS TOUR IS FOR THOSE WHO BOOKED OTHER DAY TOURS WITH ME
1. The tour is 3.5-4 hours depending on where we go. You can choose a few spots and one or two places to eat and drink that can be covered within 3.5- 4 hours.
2. If you'd like to visit Doguyasuji and/or Kuromon market, I recommend starting by 16:30 as most shops there close around 18:00.
3. The cost of food and drink for you and guide is NOT included in your guide fee. (typical pricing: glass of beer: 300-600 yen, small dish: 300-500 yen, main dish: 500-2,000 yen, takoyaki: 500-700 yen, etc.) Please understand this is not a typical sightseeing tour, rather focus on eating and drinking at local places in Osaka, frequently referred to as the country's kitchen, which is why the tour rate is set low.
4. Please have enough cash to pay at small restaurants/bars which take cash only.
5. Namba has a variety of restaurants/bars from high-end sushi bars to very reasonable stand-up bars, so I will choose one as per your budget and what kind of food you'd like to eat. It will be helpful if you can tell me your preference in advance.
6. Please note that most small restaurants/bars are not smoke-free especially during dinner/bar time in Japan.
Calendar will be updated for the next few weeks.
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.
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
$143/ per group