Joined 2016
Seiko T.
Available Areas
Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji
Languages
English, Japanese (Native)
Response Time
9 hours on average
Availability Updated
2 days ago
Tour Categories
About Tour Guide Seiko T.
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!
Important
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.
Tours
All tours can be customized for you. Send me a message with your requests!
Kyoto Essentials: Full-Day Private Tour
Discover Kyoto's most popular & memorable sites! This is a semi-tailored tour so you can choose a few spots from my recommendations in addition to two must-see sites. You'll also learn how to use public transportation system in Kyoto and tips for other points of interest that you're looking at for the rest of your days in Japan. This tour is good for first timers in Kyoto on the first day! *PLEASE MESSAGE ME BEFORE BOOKING
Osaka 1-day Grand Tour
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
Nara & Osaka 1-day Tour
Visit Nara and Osaka must-see sites in one day including Nara "deer" park, Great Buddha at Todaiji Temple, Osaka Castle, and Dotonbori for the evening. Tour itinerary is flexible so you can focus on one of the two areas. Good for those who have a limited time and start to feel you've seen too many shrines and temples in Kyoto.
Fushimi & Uji -Local Delicacy of Sake and Green Tea!
While the tour covers the popular Fushimi Inari Shrine and Uji Byodoin Temple, we'll also spend some time in Fushimi sake district for sake tasting and local lunch at an old sake brewery. In Uji, the home of the best Japanese tea, we'll visit traditional tea houses and enjoy their special tea that many eminent Shoguns also appreciated. PLEASE MESSAGE ME BEFORE BOOKING
Osaka/Namba Evening Tour for Foodies
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.
Himeji Castle & Kobe City Photogenic Tour (+ Hanshin Tigers game!)
Visit the most famous and beautiful castle of Japan - Himeji Castle with 400 years of histoty In the afternoon, we'll visit Kobe, known as a cosmopolitan city located between the Rokko Mountain Range and Kobe Harbor, attracting many tourists with its amazing night view. You can choose to enjoy the view from the mountain, harbor or both sides. PLEASE MESSAGE ME BEFORE BOOKING
Reviews
“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.
(90 reviews)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
“Amazing, highly recommended!”
Seiko, my family and I can't thank you enough for such an amazing, information Kyoto cultural experience. Our tour was above and beyond our expectations, with bonus hidden attractions on the day that we would never of seen without you. I wouldn't hesitate booking with you again and highly recommend you to anyone looking for a friendly knowledgeable guide. Thank you again.
Seiko T.
(90 reviews)Thank you Alison for your kind words! It was the busiest week in Kyoto I've ever seen but thanks to your flexibility and willingness to walk extra miles to see hidden attractions, the tour went smoothly and most importantly, I am very happy that your whole family enjoyed the day in Kyoto! Hope you also had a great time in the other destinations of Japan. Seiko
