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Joined 2025
Charley S.
Available Areas
Nagoya (Living), Aichi, Gifu, Kyoto, Nara
Languages
English (Native), Japanese
Response Time
15 hours on average
Availability Updated
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About Tour Guide Charley S.
Konnichiwa - - - Charley here. Originally, I grew up in Los Angeles and San Diego for the first quarter century of my life. In 2000, I moved to Aichi Prefecture, Japan. One of my main goals was to play music with Japanese musicians, particularly in the underground music scene, which I've been a part of throughout my life. Also, I wanted to enjoy and explore the beauty of living in a foreign country. I've been living here for 25 years, and can gladly say that I have been engaged thoroughly in both of those goals. Since the beginning of moving to Japan, I've always chosen to hang out and engage with Japanese people as opposed to other foreigners. I often find myself in izakaiyas and concert events where I am the only foreigner, but fortunately I am on good terms with the staff and other customers. So if you are looking to see the less touristy aspects of Japan, please feel free to get in touch with me and I would love to share what I have come to appreciate about Japan. Cheers !
Important
Currently, I am playing music in three different bands, so sometimes we have gigs on Saturdays or Sundays. Therefore, I am not always available on weekends.
Tours
All tours can be customized for you. Send me a message with your requests!
Categories
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Eat, drink, and discern like a local !
Nagoya city is well known for it's tasty local dishes. Red miso is the go to flavor for many dishes like miso katsu, doteni and doteyaki, miso nikomi udon, and of course, miso soup. Also, there are many local izakaiyas and yakitori (grilled chicken) shops all over the city. Personally, I am most familiar with the Osu-Kannon and Nagoya station areas. Not a fan of large chain shops, so I will show you the truly local shops.
Eat, drink, and discern like a local !
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A Bit of Technology, Nature and History in a Day
Let's check out a technology museum, natural gardens and a beautiful castle throughout the day. Near Nagoya station is the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology. We can explore old-fashioned textile technology to robot assembly lines. After that, we can move on to Nagoya Castle, while passing the tranquil Noritake Gardens. Nagoya Castle has been called a masterpiece of Edo-period architecture. After the castle, we'll pass through Endo-Ji shopping arcade, established in 1612.
A Bit of Technology, Nature and History in a Day
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Mixture of Cultural Heritage and Colorful Peculiarities
This tour will take us through the Kakuozan and Motoyama neighborhoods of Nagoya. They are right next to each other. First, we'll check out the Nittaiji Temple, which is the house of ashes of the Buddha. Next, we'll move on to the nearby sanctum of Yokiso Garden, which is a splendid Japanese garden. After that, we can enjoy some food from one of the local restaurants, and possibly some colorful cupcakes. Finally, we'll check out the not so well known but very impressive giant green Buddha.
Mixture of Cultural Heritage and Colorful Peculiarities
Reviews
Brian M.
“Tell 'em Charlie sent ya.”
This was a good overview of several parts of Nagoya with some stops at tasty izakayas (居酒屋.
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Charley S.
Thanks for the kind review. It was a pleasure showing your group around various bits of Nagoya. Glad you had a good time. Hope the rest of your trip was enjoyable.
Other Popular Tour Guides in Nagoya
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Serge R.
Hi lovely travelers, I'm Serge, originally from the Netherlands, and Japan has been my home for over three decades now. What brought me here initially was love, and that love has kept me rooted in this beautiful country ever since. Along the way, I discovered another love: Japan itself. Following my stint as a radio jockey and TV presenter, where I co-hosted a dedicated program for the Nagoya Grampus soccer team, I transitioned to a behind-the-scenes role as a media fixer for international media outlets. Though my job as media fixer, I've been traveling and working throughout all of Japan, exploring unique places and meeting lots of very interesting people. I would love to share and make you, my dear traveler, experience these places as well. Visiting and getting a tour at Japan's oldest traditional vinegar maker, or experience and taste at a traditional "katsuo bushi" bonito flake maker, or do you prefer to visit some old local shrines or temples. with no-one around you, except for the crickets and trees. Maybe you just want a friend to bring you to your desired locations and interpret and be at your beck and call 24 hours (like I do for the media). If you're looking for flexibility (time, places. transport), you won't find a better match than me. My work as a fixer taught me a valuable lesson: the key to traveling together successfully, lies in a blend of humor, professionalism, and adaptability.
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Maki T.
Hello, my name is Maki. I’m a licensed English-speaking tour guide based in Nagoya. Having lived in Poland, I understand what it feels like to enter a new culture and want to grasp the deeper meaning behind what you see. In my tours, I focus on how Japan’s samurai era continues to influence modern life — from the way people think and work to the sense of order, humility, and attention to detail seen across the country. I also connect these values to Nagoya’s history, craftsmanship, and industry — from the Tokugawa legacy and samurai heritage, to Toyota’s engineering culture and local food traditions such as miso and sake. If you want to understand Japan not only through famous sites, but through the mindset and culture behind them, I would be honored to guide you. I’ll make sure your time here will be unforgettable and full of “wow” moments.
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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?
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