Joined 2015
Tetsuji Y.
Available Areas
Aichi, Gifu (Living), Nagoya, Takayama, Shirakawago
Languages
Japanese (Native), English
Response Time
2 hours on average
Availability Updated
2 days ago
About Tour Guide Tetsuji Y.
Hello everyone. I am Tetsuji. I worked as a public servant in the local government for 35 years. I belonged to the department of Redevelopment, Town-Landscaping, Preserving historical areas and Architectural Guidance. (I have a national 1st-class architect license.) I devoted myself to revitalizing the city by making plans and improving infrastructure for citizens.
Gifu is located in central Japan near Nagoya. As just being the crossroads of the West and the East, there are many unique attractions that are hard to discover in hectic big cities like Tokyo or Kyoto. I had a hand in restoring and preserving some of them throughout my career and want to introduce them to tourists from abroad. That’s why I became a guide-interpreter in Gifu.
I also enjoyed traveling around the world. My favorite part of each trip was walking around the city and talking with local residents. Traveling has taught me lots of things during my lifetime. Now, I would like to help others have similar experience in Japan. Shall we enjoy fantastic journey in Gifu?
Important
I can guide in Kyoto in case you support transportation fee.
Tours
All tours can be customized for you. Send me a message with your requests!
Categories
Discover Authentic Japan in Tsumago & Magome, Nakasendo
You hike an old highway Nakasendo strolling through two post-towns. Magome & Tsumago. Strolling around well-preserved popular post towns takes you back to nostalgic Japan. The moment you enter these towns, you will feel as if you are in a time warp back in the Edo period, where local people spend their daily lives as well as welcoming tourists, preserving buildings and the landscape. You also enjoy hiking an old trekking route through mountains.
One-day-tour of Shirakawa-go
Shirakawa-go is a mountain settlement that is famous for uniquely designed Gassyo-style buildings and registered as one of the World Cultural Heritage sites. In Ogi-machi, over sixty Gassyo-style buildings will welcome visitors. Enjoying the whole landscape of the village from the hill, you will stroll around the village visiting some traditional Gasho-style buildings such as Wada House, Nagase House and Myozenji Temple Museum.
Best Choice for one-day Takayama tour
Takayama is a small city in a mountainous area. The tour includes some healing spots in addition to popular highlights like Miyagawa Morning Market, Higashiyama Walking, Old Town and Hida-Furukawa. I'm sure you’ll be able to see why Takayama mesmerizes tourists so much through this tour.
Cormorant fishing viewing on the Nagaragawa River
Gifu Castle standing on the Mt.Kinka provides visitors with nice panoramic views day and night. You also enjoy watching a traditional unique event Cormorant Fishing on the Nagara River while eating dinner in a viewing boat. Sir Charlie Chaplin visited Gifu twice to enjoy this unique traditional event. Besides, a photogenic street Kawara-machi and the Great Buddha statue in Shoboji-temple move you so much.
Handmade paper Mino-Washi and traditional swords of SEKI
You enjoy two distinctive fields of Japanese culture by visiting two small towns in one day trip. The one is Mino which is famous for Japanese hand-made paper Washi. Another one is Seki famous for Japanese-swordsmith. Strolling around two towns, you will learn some of secrets of cool Japan.
Monet's Pond, Knife‒city Seki & Washi‒hometown Mino
In a small pond called 'Monet's Pond', many fancy Japanese carps 'KOI' are swimming through water-lilies and algae to make you feel relaxed. After having Unagi‒lunch at Seki and visiting the Traditional Swordsmith Museum, you move to Mino where you stroll around well-preserved traditional housing streets visiting old Washi merchant houses, paper museums and souvenir shops.
Reviews
Sherry W.
“The most wonderful day!”
Tetsuji-san the kindest, most thorough tour guide I think I have ever had the pleasure to know. His pre-trip questions and planning for a personal level of interest led to showcasing his wide range of knowledge for the Gifu area and more than completely fulfilling my requests for things to see. It was a day neither I nor my family will ever forget. Tetsuji-san knew where to go for the local beauty of the blooming cherry blossoms, introducing us to the Kagamigahara area away from the usual crush of visitors. There were many local festivals, the impressive Kinpozan Shoboji Temple with the beautifullly preserved indoor Buddha, the hilltop Gifu Castle via the tramway and steep steps that gave a fabulous view of the entire region, the heritage Minatomaci street that maintains the architectural history of the Endo (?) era ( but includes some wonderful shops with locally made artistic items, and more. Thank you so much, Tetsuji-san! ( my photos don’t seem to be loading up here… but you will have plenty to take on your own if you choose this wonder guide)
Tetsuji Y.
I appreciate that you gave me a chance to organize a fantastic tour. The moment you set a pebble on the corner of the site, I felt IKIGAI (生き甲斐) in my mind. I truly thought that I might have been born to share unforgettable moment with you. I surely think this 'Nostalgic tour' is an epoch-making commemorative event through my guiding career.
Aiko O.
“Great time with a knowledgeable guide, Tetsuji-san.”
Our Samurai Road trekking tour with Tetsuji-san was a highlight of our trip to Japan. He thoughtfully brought our national flag to the meeting point to make it easy to spot him, and he adjusted the tour schedule flexibly since we had to drive to Ishikawa afterward. It was truly one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had. We highly recommend Tetsuji-san’s tour to anyone! Thank you!
Tetsuji Y.
I feel very honored to have walked through Nakasendo with an experienced couple of traveling Japan. I have immediately noticed that both of you are deeply interested in Japanese culture. Lots of inquiry about Japan inspired me to make an effort to broaden my knowledge and refine guide skills. Thak you for having happy times of life with you. I hopefully meet you and guide other places.
Sachina I.
“Beautiful Snowy Shirakawa-go”
I traveled to Shirakawa-go with my elderly parents during the snowy season, so our pace was a bit slower — but Tetsuji was flexible and adjusted to our needs throughout the day, which made the experience very comfortable. Tetsuji was very knowledgeable about the unique attributes of beautiful Shirakawa-go, especially the famed gassho houses. Even as someone living in Japan, I learned a lot and appreciated the insights shared during the tour. He had also arranged lunch at a popular, delicious local restaurant, which was a nice touch given how crowded the area can get. I highly recommend Tetsuji as a guide to Shirakawa-go!
Tetsuji Y.
Thank you for so much applauding words to me. I am very happy that you are satisfied with my tour. I was a little afraid of deep snow might prevent your parents moving comfortably in the village, but both of them were so tough that I completed the tour as planned. I hope that I could welcome all of you in other tourist destinations.
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Hello! My name is Akiko from Gifu prefecture. I am a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter. I like going out with my family, talking with my friends over coffee at a cozy cafe, reading books, baking bread and cake when I have time. I passed the national tour guide test in 2017 and have worked as a guide since then. I have guided in Gifu city, Seki city, Takayama city, Shirakawago , Mino city and Nagoya city. I have lived in Gifu for more than forty years. Gifu prefecture is rich in nature so you can enjoy the rural atmosphere. Gifu city has a beautiful river 'Nagara river' and Mt.Kinka which has Gifu castle on the top. You can go up the mountain on foot or use a ropeway. The view from Gifu castle is so fantastic. At the foot of the mountain , there are many places to visit such as parks, a temple having a big image of Buddha, and a street preserving the historic atmosphere. At Nagara River, you can enjoy seeing a traditional way of fishing ‘cormorant fishing’ which is thought to have started 1300 years ago. Many cafes have unique service called 'morning service' in Gifu along with Aichi In the morning (until about ten thirty or eleven) when you order a cup of tea or coffee, they serve toast and salad ! Near Gifu park , you can find a nice Japanese style cafe where you enjoy good coffee and seeing a Japanese style garden. Seki city is a small city but so famous for its cutlery. At Japanese sword museum in Seki, you can see authentic Japanese swords! Mino city next to Seki city is well known for its hand made Japanese paper 'Hon minoshi' designated as intangible cultural asset by UNESCO . Until recently it was not easy to guide guests because of COVID-19 pandemic; however the situation is getting better. Some strict rules about COVID-19 have been lifted. Please visit Gifu. I am looking forward to seeing you. Please feel free to ask me when you need information about Gifu. Thank you for reading my introduction.
