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- Car Tour (driving guide)
Enjoy the authentic castle towns and famous Oumi beef just outside Kyoto (Private Car Tour)
First, while it is early enough, we will drive and hike a little bit on the ancient steps to one of the oldest temples in Kyoto and Shiga called Hyakusaiji. After that, we will explore a castle that has a tower that is one of the five originals remaining in Japan, Hikone Castle.
We will enjoy Oumi beef for lunch. Oumi beef is if not better, as good as Kobe beef known as one of the three best beefs in Japan.
We will enjoy the scenery in Oumihachiman from the mountain top and the old moat.
Meeting Point
JR Oumihachiman station
- Will come and pick you up at the station by my car. * Oumihachiman is about 30 minutes by JR train from the Kyoto station.
Visit Hyakusaiji temple
Will visit Hyakusaiji which was established by the famed prince, Syotoku back in the early 7th century. We will hike up for about 15 mins through the woods on the ancient steps and get to the main hall of the temple.
Visit Hikone Castle and the town
Will visit Hikone Castle which is one of the only five original castle towers in Japan date back to the early 17th century.
Lunch
We will go to a restaurant that serves Oumi beef which is one of the three best beefs in Japan.
Oumihachiman old street and the shopping area
We will go through the photogenic streets with old style houses and visit an area where some charming/unique shops are.
Hachiman moat
We will walk along the moat and see the beautiful traditional scenery of Japan.
Himure Hachimangu Shrine
We will visit Himure Hachimangu Shrine.
Hachimanyama castle ruins
We will ride on the cable car to go up the mountain to the castle ruins area. Will trek a bit and see the beautiful view of Lake Biwa and rice paddies.
JR Oumihachiman station
I will take you back to the JR station where our tour started and
end the tour.
Ending Point
JR Oumihachiman station
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Inclusions & Exclusions
- English translation / guide fee
- Private car
- Pick up and drop off by car (at JR train station)
- Transportation cost from Kyoto to Oumihachiman (JR train)
- Lunch has to be paid by yourself based on what you would like to have (avg. 15 to 30 USD per person).
- Lunch for the guide also has to be borne by your side
- Entrance fee to the castle
- Parking fee (if necessary)
- Cable car fee (up & down, cash only, 6 USD, for the guide also)
Tour Important Information
* This tour involves a lot of walking, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
* Please let me know in advance if you have any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.
Important message from the guide
For some tours I can not guide everyday due to store closings. Please check my availability on each tour page. Thank you!
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Shiga Tour Reviews
“Best day trip in Kyoto and Arashiyma”
Nori planned the perfect day trip, based on our general guidelines to experience the traditional Tokyo. Nori took us to beautiful zen temples and gardens, that are less popular to the western tourists, as well as to some common attractions as we asked - the golden temple and the bamboo path. We also experienced the local food and sweets - based on Nori’s excellent recommendations. Nori is very knowledgeable and has a very good English. Thank you Nori for Planning this wonderful day trip for us!
Nori I.
(6 reviews)Thanks Maya! It was a pleasure exploring Kyoto with you all. I am really glad that you liked my tour. It is amazing to see how eager you guys are to learn all the new things here in Japan. I learned a lot from you and was able to see the things I need to improve on too. There is a lot more to see here in Kyoto and surrounding areas. Hope you will come back sometime and we take another great adventure together. Thanks again!!
“An Expansive Experience”
Nori, my wife, and I must have taken a cosmic compatibility test before meeting The moment we engaged Nori, we knew Nori understood the essence of what we desired to experience in Kyoto Nori reviewed our list of gardens and temples and orchestrated a schedule with an intuitive sensitivity to what we wanted to experience as well as what we wanted to see (I hope you can understand the nuanced distinction.) Having lived in the US, we were not foreign to him...and Nori never felt foreign to us Nori knew that, after several hours of contemplative exploration, we would enjoy shopping We encourage you to engage Nori Create your Kyoto experience together--your "tour" will be an experience imbued with awareness. Arigato gozaimasu, Nori!!
Nori I.
(6 reviews)Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments! I was concerned about the rain that day but the rain made the day even more precious. I also enjoyed so much by going around the town with you two. I just love thinking of what each person would like to experience the most here in Kyoto. When I see happy faces of my guests, I get more motivation to study further about all the wonderful places surrounding me here. I hope you guys can come back in near future to take another adventure. Also, I appreciate you leaving out your favorite incident just outside Sanjyusangendo! LOL Hope to see you again soon!
“We love Nori!”
If you need a guide in Kyoto, Nori is your man. So lovely, knowledgeable, thoughtful, accommodating… the list goes on! We had the best day of our trip so far and genuinely enjoyed Nori’s company. Thanks for everything (including those delicious sweets)! You really are the best!
Nori I.
(6 reviews)Thanks so much for your kind words. I really appreciate it! I felt bad that I thought I was tiring everyone out with all the walks but I am so glad that you all enjoyed my tour! Please come back in the fall to see the amazing foliages! I will take you to the places even more secluded and nice! Have a safe and happy rest of the trip!!
