Hyogo, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Osaka (Living), Wakayama, Kobe, Himeji
English (Native), Japanese
5 hours on average
1 day ago
I have been an Interpretive Tour Guide for over 20 years. I have lived in Japan for nearly that amount of time broken up by a 12 years stint in Hawaii for 12 years. Still came over every month bringing tours though. I provide private, interpretive guiding services for English-speaking visitors in the Kansai region of Japan. I am a Shrine and Temple professional.
As an ex-Executive Assistant Food and Beverage Manager/Director, I know food and I know Japanese Sake and I want to show you how fun and interesting Japanese food and sake can be! My minimum is eight hours and I do not do half day tours. I promise your time with me in-depth and informative, but we will make some amazing memories while we are at it.
I also do KYOTO, NARA, ISE, as well as OSAKA.
For our recent corporate team activity we did Richards virtual traditional Japanese tea ceremony experience. Our team is split across Australia, Japan and Singapore.. Richard did a phenomenal job of making our virtual experience unique that for the 1 hour we were with him it felt like we were all together in the heart of Osaka in this beautiful tea shop! Richard went the extra mile and had all the tea ceremony items shipped to us in advance and we were able to learn how to pour our own tea the traditional Japanese way and all from the comfort of our homes. 100% would recommend, Richard is a great communicator and a pleasure to work with.
Melissa, I cannot express how happy that makes me feel. In the times that we are in right now, to be able to take any aspect of Japanese culture and be able to communicate it and share it like we did, and make it not only enjoyable, but memorable, it's something that I strive for. Thank you for all of your questions and interests in Japanese culture and if there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to put me to the test. Kind regards, Richard
Richard took us on a 3 hour virtual tour as we “walked with him” through places or worship, spiritual sites, the historical district and more. He was engaging, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and fun. His ability to enable us to experience Kyoto like we were there was wonderful. The cultural insights fabulous. He surpassed our expectations of a virtual tour by a huge margin.
Ambika You're very kind and it was enjoyable for me too, to be able to show you parts of the beautiful city of Kyoto. It was kind of weird for me because usually the places that we went are packed with visitors. It was very nice to see open streets but not to see the closed businesses. Please shoot me any questions you may have and if there's ever anything else I can do for you, please let me know. Kind regards Richard
Our day with Richard was so outstanding that we are already planning a return trip to Japan, but only if he tags along for the whole trip. His knowledge of history is very impressive, his musings about Budhism are enlightening and his easy conversation with the locals makes anyone feel welcome in the hidden spots that no ordinary tourist would be able to reach; his disposition for a full day of local cuisine and sakê makes your time with him worth every minute. We cannot emphasize how fun and friendly he is, and hope everyone has as good a time with his as we did. Thank you Richard, we hope to see you again soon!
Catarina Thank you very much for your kind words. As I have not had a tour in weeks it is nice to remember that I actually do a good job when I am out there. I hope you guys are safe in this time of craziness and I really hope that you guys get the chance to come back to Japan and allow me to take you deeper into the local realm!! LOL Kind regards Richard
We had a very fun experience touring around Osaka with Richard. It was really cool to go and see where the locals eat and drink. Richard was every knowledge about food, culture and history of the area. Before you know it your knee deep in the local vibe. We took our kids and Richard was very fun and engaging with our boys. Before the night was over we were all laughing with the locals about our boys light colored hair and Richard’s astonishment at my 10 pounds of lose change in yen I was carrying around in a bag. Very fun and would recommend if your in Osaka or Kyoto to book Richard.
Thanks guys! I am so happy you had a good time. I hope the boys were full and to too traumatized by the crazy locals! Hope you have a safe trip home. Make sure you bring a bigger money bag for those coins next time. If you have time to write on TripAdvisor also and let folks know you found me on TripleLights I would sure appreciate it also! Take care and tell Jackson and Max I said hello! Kind regards, Richard