Kobe Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Yumiko
June, 2024
This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 1. 9:20-9:30 Meet with the customer at the Port Terminal, confirm the destination
- 2. Travel (Port Liner, JR, Rokko Liner)
- 3. 10:40-11:20 Kikumasamune Sake Brewery Museum
- 4. Travel (Rokko Liner, JR)
- 5. 12:00-12:30 Ikuta Shrine
- 6. Travel (on foot, JR)
- 7. 13:00 Motomachi Shopping Street (Daiso)
- 8. 13:10 Nankinmachi (eat Kobe beef standing)
- 9. 13:40 Disband at the free shuttle bus stop in front of Daimaru
Title: What's a Private Kobe Tour Like for a Large Group? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were a large multi-generational group visiting from North America and Europe. I had initially understood there would be six guests, but it turned out that they had booked two separate six-guest tours at the same time and wished to be guided together, so I suddenly guided a group of twelve.
Until just before the tour, there were no replies at all by email or messaging app, so I was anxious about whether we would be able to meet. However, just before the meeting time I received a short reply on the messaging app saying "Got it, see you soon," and we were able to meet without any trouble.
At the Kikumasamune Sake Brewery Museum, the guests enjoyed sampling and buying Japanese sake. A staff member at the museum gave me a gentle reminder that they would like advance notice for groups of more than ten people, so I intend to always give advance notice in the future.
After that, we went to Ikuta Shrine, where by good fortune we came across a bride and groom having wedding photos taken, which delighted the guests. They also tried one of the water fortune slips, which they found interesting.
Since the guests had also expressed interest in a 100-yen shop, Nankinmachi, and Kobe beef, we stopped briefly at a 100-yen shop in the Motomachi shopping street, and then enjoyed Kobe beef in Nankinmachi.
Moving around with twelve people took a considerable amount of time just for buying tickets and getting on and off trains, and at times the guests looked a little tired from the travel, but I believe they enjoyed themselves. (According to a station attendant, when buying tickets for eleven or more people, purchasing a booklet of tickets allows you to buy eleven at once, which saves time.)
Guiding such a large group was a very valuable experience. Going forward, I will continue to improve so that I can handle unexpected situations like this with more composure. Thank you very much for this opportunity.
Click here for more details: Kobe Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Port Terminal～Sannomiya | 210JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Sannomiya～Sumiyoshi | 190JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Sumiyoshi～Minami-Uozaki | 210JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Minami-Uozaki～Sumiyoshi | 210JPY |
| Section 5 | Train | Sumiyoshi～Sannomiya | 190JPY |
| Section 6 | Train | Sannomiya～Motomachi | 140JPY |
| Total | 1,150JPY | ||
Welcome to Japan! I’m Yumiko. I’ll be your guide.
I’m from Kakogawa, a small city located in Hyogo Prefecture. Since it’s located near Himeji and my grandparents used to live in Himeji, I like showing my guests around places in Himeji, especially Himeji Castle and Mt. Shosha – Engyoji Temple. I’ve also lived in Osaka for about 10 years, so Osaka is also my favorite place. I’m familiar with Kobe as well, so it’s also a great pleasure to show you around these areas. I like traveling, reading, and of course, tour guiding. It’s great to see people from all over the place while living in Japan. I’d love to share Japanese history, culture, and food with you. I’m also looking forward to learning about your country – about your culture, history, and food. I’m looking forward to seeing you in Japan!
Apr 7, 2025
VHerzberg
A wonderful Himeji castle tour with Yumiko
Tripadvisor review: Himeji Half-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
The Himeji castle tour was…
Apr 7, 2025
VHerzberg
A wonderful Himeji castle tour with Yumiko
Tripadvisor review: Himeji Half-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
The Himeji castle tour was one of the highlights of our stay in Japan.
It is a beautiful castle and we were lucky to visit it during the peak of the sakura blossoms.
Yumiko was a wonderful guide and we enjoyed her tour very much. She also was very flexible when we asked for a last minute change.
Apr 1, 2025
Sightseer39112583641
Yumiko is the best
Tripadvisor review: Himeji Half-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Yumiko was such an amazing and sweet guide!!…
Apr 1, 2025
Sightseer39112583641
Yumiko is the best
Tripadvisor review: Himeji Half-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Yumiko was such an amazing and sweet guide!! She was so insightful and managed to find
the best spot to eat (my friend has a seafood allergy including fish broth which makes it a
bit more of a challenge to find food places)!!
Jul 12, 2024
jennarD7008EA
A MUST DO in Kobe!!! Amazing Sake Tour and Kobe Beef Lunch with Yumiko
Tripadvisor review: Exploring Nada Sake Breweries Kobe…
Jul 12, 2024
jennarD7008EA
A MUST DO in Kobe!!! Amazing Sake Tour and Kobe Beef Lunch with Yumiko
Tripadvisor review: Exploring Nada Sake Breweries Kobe Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
This tour was amazing! We visited a mix of traditional and more modern sake breweries and the mix was perfect. We learned so much about the sake making process and the history behind it, it made us appreciate the process and the product even more! Yumiko was our guide and she was absolutely incredible. She was kind, professional, knowledgeable, and fun! She had an incredible knowledge of the sake history as well as Kobe beef history. She had incredible recommendations on the route of our tour and where to have our Kobe beef lunch. The Kobe beef lunch was INCREDIBLE. The beef was prepared impeccably and the accompaniments were amazingly delicious. The chef at the restaurant was top notch and provided the best service to our family, even accommodating vegetarian/pescatarian diets. I cannot stress enough how amazing this meal was! If you are wanting to have a truly authentic Kobe beef experience, this is your place! Our group was made up of 4 adults and 2 children (6 & 8 y.o.) and this tour was perfect for children to be included. They enjoyed the sake tours and the Kobe beef lunch just as much as us adults! Kid friendly tours might be hard to come by, so it was a relief that this tour was kid friendly. I can’t recommend this experience enough. BOOK IT!!! And ask for Yumiko because she was absolutely amazing!! This was one of the best days we had in Japan, most definitely. We love you, Yumiko!