Osaka Customized Full-Day Private Tour — Guide Kazu
October, 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.
Tour Itinerary
- 9:00 Hotel meetup 9:45 Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine 11:15 Shinsekai・Tsutenkaku 11:45 Shitennoji Temple 12:50 Namba・Dotonbori Lunch (Okonomiyaki) 14:20 Kuromon Market 15:20 Umeda Sky Building 16:45 Osaka Castle (viewing from outside only) 17:15 Return to hotel, tour ends
What Is a Private Osaka Day Tour Like With Limited Walking? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests came to Japan from North America. Since one of the guests had reduced walking speed, we had discussed the tour content in advance. I had recommended using taxis, but the deadline for arranging this before the tour had already passed, so we carried out the tour using a combination of street taxis and public transportation. As a result, things took too long along the way, and we did not make it to Osaka Castle, the final planned destination, before its entry time closed. Since Osaka Castle is very close to the hotel, it would have been better to visit it first. In addition, the plan for traveling from Kuromon Market to Umeda had originally been to use the subway, but because I was concerned that a member of the group was tired, we took a taxi from Kuromon Market to the Umeda Sky Building. This taxi ride took much longer than expected, which was the main cause of the delay. The guests kindly said, "Osaka Castle is close to the hotel, so we can just walk there another day, no problem," but the itinerary itself had been unrealistic. I had packed in too many destinations. Kuromon Market could have been skipped. If we had not gone to Kuromon, we could have taken the subway to Umeda and arrived at the Sky Building a little earlier. I also reflected that destinations with limited entry times should not have been scheduled last. The photo was taken at Sumiyoshi Taisha, but it came out blurry due to too much sunlight. I should have retaken this photo somewhere else, but there was no time to spare due to the schedule. It became a tour with many lessons and areas for reflection.
Click here for more details: Osaka Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Other | Hotel (Double Tree Hilton Osaka Castle)～JR Kyobashi | 0JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Kyobashi～Shin-Imamiya | 190JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Shin-Imamiya～Sumiyoshi Taisha | 240JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Sumiyoshi Taisha～Shin-Imamiya | 240JPY |
| Section 5 | Other | Shin-Imamiya～Shinsekai | 0JPY |
| Section 6 | Other | Shinsekai～Shitennoji Temple | 0JPY |
| Section 7 | Other | Shitennoji Temple～Tennoji Station | 0JPY |
| Section 8 | Subway | Tennoji～Namba | 240JPY |
| Section 9 | Other | Kuromon Market～Umeda Sky Building | 0JPY |
| Section 10 | Train | Osaka～Kyobashi | 170JPY |
| Section 11 | Other | Kyobashi～Osaka Castle Kyobashiguchi | 0JPY |
| Total | 1,080JPY | ||
I was born and grew up in Kyoto and now live near Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. I used to be a schoolteacher of English and welcome a lot of students from foreign countries. I really enjoyed showing them around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima. I have been a professional tour guide for about 8 years. I always try to let my guests learn Japanese traditional and modern culture. Since I was born in Kyoto, I know a lot about its culture and people. I myself enjoyed several sports, such as soccer, judo, and marathon when I was young. I’m much interested in baseball and sumo. My motto as a tour guide is to let my guests learn about our tradition and culture precisely and really enjoy themselves. I strongly hope you will enjoy the tour in Japan with me.
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo.…
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo. He had such insightful knowledge of each area we wanted to visit and had all the best spots to take photos and was very patient with us.
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi…
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi was excellent. We had a wonderful time, learned a lot of new things about Japanese culture and history, practiced navigating transport, enjoyed a perfect lunch. Kazuo-San even facilitated a purchase of a UV blocking umbrella, which was much needed on that sunny day.
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour…
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour with Kazuo, our guide. Days before arrival he communicated directly with me to set up the tour according to sites we wanted to see and he made good suggestions. Besides listening to his Kyoto detailed knowledge, we enjoyed the local walking of streets, taking buses and trains between sites. Kazuo has excellent English and has travelled himself so being with him for the day was a pleasure. I highly recommend using him as your guide
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had…
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had a wonderful experience during our Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide. Our guide, Kazuo, was truly outstanding from start to finish. He shared an impressive amount of knowledge about Kyoto’s history, culture, temples, and daily life. You can feel how passionate he is about his city, and he explains everything with the calm, precision and kindness so typical of Japanese guides. His English was clear and easy to follow, which made the whole day even more enjoyable. Kazuo was also extremely friendly, attentive and careful. He always made sure we were comfortable, took the time to answer all our questions, adapted the pace of the tour, and anticipated our needs without us even asking. Travelling by car made the experience smooth and relaxing, allowing us to see more places without rushing. We felt very well taken care of throughout the day, and we learned so much thanks to him. We highly recommend Kazuo to anyone looking for a personalized, insightful and stress‑free discovery of Kyoto.