Osaka Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Yuka

Title: What Is a Private Osaka Food Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Kuromon Market and Dotonbori

The guests wished only to eat seafood at Kuromon Market and to have takoyaki in Dotonbori. After explaining that meeting up at Shin-Osaka Station can be surprisingly difficult, I had asked for the train number and car number, but before that I suddenly received a message saying, "We managed to catch an earlier train." Without knowing the train number, the guests said only that they were on a "Hikari," so I waited on the Hikari platform indicated on the electronic board, and then received a message via a messaging app saying, "We've arrived." In the end, it was a Hikari that terminated at Shin-Osaka and was not shown on the electronic board, and after receiving a message saying, "We're on platform 24," I was finally able to meet the guests. When we met, we all burst out laughing, saying, "We finally found each other!" It made for a wonderful icebreaker.

At Kuromon Market, the guests began enjoying seafood the moment they entered, and in Dotonbori they eagerly bit into piping-hot takoyaki. Despite my repeated warnings that "the inside is very hot, so please be careful," one guest popped a whole piece into their mouth, and with watering eyes and a startled expression, ate it while it was still scalding. As the surroundings gradually grew darker, the guests were moved by the beauty of the neon lights, so I took them to the Umekita area, which has been illuminated starting this year. Being a Sunday, it was extremely crowded, but I guided them to a small-animal shop and took care to ensure they did not get too tired. The guests seemed to really enjoy Osaka, remarking that it was completely different from Kyoto and full of energy.

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Tour Report by YUKA

Hi! My name is YUKA. I’ve got the government license in 2018 and joined a half year traning to do the guide. But a half year later I started my carreer, Covid came. I should have given up guiding. During the Covid, I’ve read many books and made my own materials to explain Japanese culture, history, etc. I love guiding because the guests expand my horizon all the time and let me know their own country and culture, etc. It is really important for us all to know each other and respect each other to make this world peace. Thank you for coming to Japan! Let’s enjoy Japan together!