Hyogo prefecture is about 150km long in north-south direction. There are many sight seeing spots, not only Kobe, Himeji but also Izush-Toyooka, Tanba-Sasayama Awaji island. So Hyogo government decleared "Hyogo Golden Route" as recommended tours. I would like to guide those areas where tourists do not know well. Each area is one day tour. You can have a different experience from Kyoto or Osaka.
At the lobby of your hotel in Osaka or Kobe
Akashi Strait Bridge is the 2nd longest suspension bridge in the world. There is a walking path under the bridge road whose height is 47m above the sea.
Sake brewing method is different from other alcoholic beverage's method.
Japanese carpentry tools has more than 1500 years and it is different from Western.
This shrine is a kind of origin of Kobe and symbol of re-genesis of Kobe.
Your hotel in Osaka or Kobe
As you may know Kobe is a porttown and something exotic. But the name Kobe comes from "Kan Be" which means people who serve for their shrine. It is very Japanese! Kobe used to be small village serving for Ikuta shrine. But after opening the country about 160 years ago, Kobe became one of the port which was open to outside of Japan. Then Kobe has westernized rapidly and become bigger. So Kobe has exotic parts and Japanese parts. In this tour we are going to visit a kind of Japanese parts like Ikuta shrine, Sake brewer, Japanese traditional techical museum. I believe you can feel another side of Kobe, Japanese side.
Guide fee,
Transportation fee between guide's house and start place of this tour for guide,
Hotel pick up fee in Kobe or Osaka.
Admission fee (you and guide)
500yen/person for Takenaka carpenter tool museun)
300yen/person for Akashi Strait Bridge
Lunch, Dinner, drinks,
Transportation fee during this tour(around 2000yen).
I can guide you from Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Nara if you pay the pick up fee.
Please ask the fee.
We will walk 5 or more kilometers. You should wear shoes which is suitable for walking.
We departed Osaka in the morning of this tour, and Yoshi kindly adapted the tour’s schedule to include him guiding us to the correct station for travelling to Kyoto. This was our third consecutive day spent with Yoshi as our guide, and he was just as friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. It was a particularly hot day, so he allowed us plenty of breaks in the shade with cold drinks. We saw the golden pavilion, bamboo forest, thousand-shrine gate and Gion geisha district. All were really enjoyable despite the oppressive heat, and adapted our tour to finish a little early at our request because of our long hot day. He also went out of his way to arrange a delicious vegetarian monk set lunch at the temple in the bamboo forest area, which was in a Michelin-star tatami-mat floor room. Our time with Yoshi was overall superb. He is a wonderful guide for first-time visitors who my family and I couldn’t recommend more.
Dear Tom Actually, I was super-suprised for not only the value of the tip but also the paper wrapping the tip up. It was very famous temple's paper. The temple is famous for the origin of "Manga" comics in Japan. There were famous pictures on the paper! Anyway, thank you for your evaluation and tip. And I hope you will have good trip and return home safely. Yours sincerely, Yoshi
Yoshi guided us to the sights of Nara including shrines, a giant bronze buddha and Nara park. He always put our preferences and wishes first, especially with the hot September sun. He is kind and considerate, and overall great company to travel with. He is really helpful on public transport by clearly informing us where our stops are and where to go, always checking back to make sure we are all accounted for and well.
Dear Tom Thank you for your evaluation and your tip Y(^^)Y. The tour day was very hot but there were few tourists. So we were easy to visit those destinations.(Every cloud has silver lining?) I am very happy to hear you are satisfied with the tour. Yours sincerely, Yoshi
Yoshi was very friendly and guided us around to explore Osaka including Dotonbori and street markets. He helped us acquire an Osaka underground ICOCA card to use for all kinds of public transport. Such a friendly and keen guide who kept an eye out for us every step of the way whilst teaching us about each area!
Dear Tom Thank you for your evaluation and your tip Y(^^)Y. Stations in Osaka are busy and very complicated. So I was keen not to make customers loose the way. By the way, you can use ICOCA card in some vending machines, for instance to buy coke. Please check the machine having "ICOCA" mark.I guess you can use all value of ICOCA before leaving Japan by drinking a lot of coke (^^). Yours sincerely, Yoshi
I had the luck and pleasure of spending a day exploring Osaka with Yoshi, and he is an absolute legend. From the moment we met (exactly on time), Yoshi impressed me with his preparation. He provided a document he made, containing all the information about our daily tour as well as historical and cultural insights about Japan. Yoshi's knowledge of the area is exceptional, and he's incredibly adaptable, tailoring the tour to match personal interests. As a fellow engineer with a passion for technology, I was thrilled that Yoshi shared this enthusiasm. He guided me to amazing hidden gems like local component stores and geek shops, making the experience even more special. Despite the scorching heat and long day, Yoshi showed remarkable endurance, even though it was clearly challenging for the both of us. His dedication and professionalism are truly commendable. Yoshi is one of the most likable, polite, and kind people I've ever met. I'm honored to have had the chance to spend time with him and benefit from his expertise. For anyone visiting Osaka, especially those with a passion for technology, the Yoshi guiding experience is a must. Everyone should try it at least once in a lifetime! Yoshi is the funniest, kindest and overall best guide in Osaka.
Dear Marco Thank you for your evaluation. I am happy to hear you enjoyed the tour. The area used to be for warehouses of electronics and electric appliance. But some old style electronics shops are remained, even vacuum tube shop. Next time you visit in Osaka, I guess you should bring a big suitcase to put many parts in. (^-^) Anyway thank you! Yours sincerely, Yoshi