Panoramic view of Osaka Castle
Kisyu-Goten in Osaka castle
Entrance of Osaka Castle Tower
Stairs in Castle Tower
Overlooking from Castle Tower
EV Hall at Umeda Sky Building
Observatory of Osaka sky Building
Overlooking from observatory
Skating at north of JR Osaka sta.
North of JR Osaka sta
MYAKU-MYAKU of Expo.2025
Expo 2025
Pavilion at Expo25
Luxury cruise ships at Osaka Port
Naniwa-Yasaka shrine in Osaka
Auspicious Daruma in Katuoji Temple,Osaka
Hydrangea Pond in Kyuanji Temple,Osaka
Gyojyabashi Bridge in Kyoto
Lady Maiko released in 2014
Hoo-do at Byodo-in in Uji City
Keage Incline in Kyoto
School trip in Keage
Nanzenji Temple
Lake Biwa Canal in Nanzenji
Philosopher's Path in southern part
Lake Biwa Canal in northern part
Approach to Ginkakuji Temple
Hashimoto Museum and Garden
Rice field at Ikaruga Village
Deer Park in Nara
Horyuji in Nara
Cyuguji
Townhouse in Naramachi
Todaiji Temple Great Buddha Hall
Great Buddha
Temple grounds in Todaiji
Kiki's Delivery Service in Syodoshima Island
Joined 2024
Yosshi S.
Identity Verified
Interview-Based Quality Checks
Date
People
Available Areas
Kyoto, Nara, Osaka (Living)
Languages
English, Japanese (Native)
Response Time
1 hour on average
Availability Updated
2 days ago
About Tour Guide Yosshi S.
Thank you for visiting my page.
I will guide you to the ancient capital cities with 1000 years of urban development and 100 years of filming and screening history.
I grew up in Osaka, studied in Kyoto, and worked for 20 years as an urban planning expert for the national and local governments. During this time, I surveyed many community development sites throughout Japan. I welcomed business leaders to encourage investment in the cities.
After quitting my career, I became a film-loving professional engineer. I visited unique cities in foreign countries to see urban planning and locations that appeared in picturesque film scenes and posted photos on social media (90 cities in 30 countries up to now). The more I saw foreign cities, the more I loved my hometown. I wanted to know about the travel industry and got a national license as a Guide-Interpreter and Travel Service Manager. I have started guiding based in the old capital cities.
The entire area of old Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara has been a Metropolitan area centered on the Imperial Palace, and the actual location of the Palace has changed 15 times since the 7th century. This area has many historical spots and hidden attractions in different times and places: the townscape, temples, shrines, landscaped gardens, and historical drama locations (SAMURAI drama).
I will create your favorite tour using my list, and guide you leisurely. I look forward to hearing from you.
Important
>I can work only during the day, from about 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.
> If you want a customized tour, please message me in advance. I will confirm facility availability in the itinerary dates: opening dates/hours, need a reservation or not.
>Please note that my tours are leisurely, on foot and by public transport
Tours
All tours can be customized for you. Send me a message with your requests!
Categories
Highlights
Art, Culture, & Historical
Nature & Outdoor
Kids & Family Friendly
Spiritual Tour in Temple Town, Osaka
Osaka
5 hours 30 min
Visit an image of paradise in this world and the afterlife. Osaka began around the 7th century when the Imperial Palace and the Temple were built on the hill. In the Middle Ages, aristocrats believed that the paradise (Pure Land of Buddha) of the afterlife was beyond the setting sun, and built hermitages for Sunset Meditation. Time passed, and merchants enjoyed the performing arts in a paradise-like entertainment zone below the hill. Movie Palace was also built, and the slopes became locations.
FROM$186/ per group
Mixed Scenery with Towns and Temples, Nara
Nara
5 hours 30 min
Enjoy the beauty of the temples in rural scenery and old townscapes. Ikaruga is Japan's oldest temple town, dating back to the 7th century. Even today, the pagodas from that time rise and create a beautiful rural landscape surrounded by mountains. Naramachi is within the grounds of a temple built near the Imperial Palace in the 8th century. Commercial and industrial houses lined its grounds from the Middle Ages, and the temples blended into the traditional townscape.
FROM$206/ per group
Short Hike in a Peaceful Temple and Forest in Eastern Kyoto
Kyoto
5 hours 30 min
Experience the charm of tranquility in a mountain temple. Seikanji is a temple in Mt. Kiyomizu (242m high), which enables us to look down a fan-shaped view of the Kyoto area from the temple grounds covered with green moss. The temple retains such anecdotes as the emperor’s tragic love and the Waka poem composed by the incarnation of Buddha. We hike along a path at the mountain's edge from the less crowded tiny Seikanji temple to the heavily crowded huge Kiyomizu-Dera temple.
FROM$206/ per group
Experience the Birth and Growth of Osaka
Osaka
5 hours 30 min
Visit the temple and castle on the hill. Osaka began around the 7th century when the Shitennoji Temple was built on the hill. In the Middle Ages, aristocrats believed that the paradise (Pure Land of Buddha) of the afterlife was beyond the setting sun, and Shitennoji Temple was regarded as the east gate of the paradise. Osaka Castle and large-scale Castletown were built 1000 years later. Osaka Castle and Castle Park with cherry blossoms have been popular with locals and tourists.
FROM$186/ per group
Film Tour with Matcha in Cine City, Kyoto
Kyoto
5 hours 30 min
Aesthetic Sense and Matcha at a garden villa designed by a SAMURAI star. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Uzumasa/Arashiyama area had about 10 film studios (2 and a theme park still alive), and outdoor filming took place on temple grounds and riverbanks. A star (Ohkouchi Denjirou) built a garden villa to represent the aesthetic sense that he had. This tour takes you on the tram that runs through the center of the area, tracing the history of film production in the glory days.
FROM$206/ per group
Half-Day Tour of the Way of Thinking about Creative Person in Osaka
Osaka
5 hours 30 min
Visit the birthplace of Cup noodles and Manga and practice making them. An entrepreneur constructed the 25km-long new railway line with the Revue Hall and the Department Store at both ends over 100 years ago. North St. Terminal, a student nurtured his manga impulse. Intermediate Sta., an inventor struggled to produce the world’s first Instant Raman/Cup noodle. South Sta. Terminal, video game characters from Nintendo attract attention from international visitors.
FROM$150/ per group
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