Where does this Hyogo tour start and finish?

The guide met the guests at JR Himeji Station at 11:15, and the tour finished at JR Himeji Station at 15:30.

How long does the tour last?

About 4 hours and 15 minutes in total, from 11:15 to 15:30.

Which places does this itinerary cover?

This tour visited Castle View, Himeji Castle, Kokoen Garden and Egret Himeji.

Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?

Nao is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.

Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?

Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Hyogo itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.

Hyogo in Half a Day: Castle View & Egret Himeji — Guide Nao

November, 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

11:15 Meet at JR Himeji Station
11:30 Castle View
12:00 Himeji Castle
14:00 Kokoen Garden
15:00 Egret Himeji
15:30 Disband at JR Himeji Station

Tour Itinerary in Detail

Meeting at JR Himeji Station at 11:15, the group explored Hyogo until the tour ended at 15:30. The day ran to 4 hours and 15 minutes from start to finish.

The itinerary covered Castle View at 11:30, Himeji Castle at 12:00, Kokoen Garden at 14:00 and Egret Himeji at 15:00.

Title: What Is a Private Guided Tour of a Historic Japanese Castle Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from North America. They were very knowledgeable about Japan and were already familiar with historical figures such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, which made explanations easy. They took their time at each spot, viewing everything carefully and attentively. They were impressed that a castle built 400 years ago is still beautifully preserved today.

The weather was fine, and since it was a weekday it was not very crowded, so the guests seemed very satisfied.

They had enjoyed a candy they were given and ate in Japan and wished to buy some, so we searched for it, but unfortunately could not find it. They said they would keep looking during the rest of their trip. Tonight they plan to travel to Kobe and enjoy Kobe beef.

Click here for more details: Himeji Castle Half-Day Customized Tour with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Nao

Hello ! I’m Nao, guiding in Kansai, West Japan. I was born and raised in Himeji, near Himeji castle. I love music, and of course taking a trip. I stayed in the US for three years, and took a trip to Hawaii, Canada and Indonesia. Those experiences are good sweet memories for me. Visiting places you don’t know much & touching new culture are exciting and refreshing.
Wear Kimono in Kyoto, eat Takoyaki in Oosaka, feed cute deer in Nara, meet SAMURAI(fake one though, I’m aftaid there’s no real SAMURAI in Japan now) and eat Kobe beef and drink Sake in Kobe.
Let’ s make good memories together in Japan. I’m looking forward to seeing you. Nao

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