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
- 10:00am Marine Port Kagoshima→10:40am Sakurajima Ferry→11:00am Tsukiyomi Shrine→11:30am Yudaira Observatory→12:05pm Sakurajima Ferry→0:30pm Tenmonkan Ichiniisan (Black Pork Shabu-Shabu)→2:00pm Tea House @ Tenmonkan→2:30pm Sengan-en (Reverberatory Furnace Ruins→Palace→Viewpoint)→3:40pm Shiroyama Park→4:30pm Marine Port Terayama
Title: What Is a Private Kagoshima and Sakurajima Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
On the morning of the tour, another guide contacted me to say they had developed a fever and asked me to take over, so I ended up assisting this group. Because the other guide had reserved a restaurant at Sengan-en and I had reserved a restaurant in Tenmonkan, I explained to the guests that I would not be able to join them during lunch. The guests seemed unhappy that the guide who had originally been assigned was not riding in the car and was leading a separate private tour.
On the ferry heading to Sakurajima, I proposed taking them to Yunodaira Observatory instead of the Arimura Observatory they had hoped for. However, they did not seem happy about that either. After arriving at Sakurajima, we first visited Tsukiyomi Shrine. There, one of the guests told me that they were unhappy, because I had declined to take them to the Arimura Observatory they wanted and because I had not been riding in the car with them. I told them that I understood their dissatisfaction, and that they were welcome to cancel the guide service there if they wished. At that point, another of the guests persuaded the group to continue, and we resumed the tour.
When I asked about lunch, they said that the restaurant I had reserved in Tenmonkan would be fine, rather than the restaurant they had reserved at Sengan-en. Afterward, I called the Sengan-en restaurant to explain the cancellation. Because it was a same-day cancellation, I was told that the full cancellation fee of 22,000 yen would apply. When I informed the guests, they responded that they had not been the ones to request that reservation. I therefore decided that this cost would have to be covered by the guide side.
After that, at the observatory on Sakurajima, I took enjoyable photos of the guests, who seemed to be having a good time. We then took the ferry and headed to the restaurant in Tenmonkan. One of the guests could not eat kurobuta shabu-shabu and said they would go shopping instead, heading off somewhere, so I took the rest of the group to the kurobuta shabu-shabu restaurant. They seemed to enjoy the meal.
Afterward, I took them to Sengan-en. At the entrance, I explained about Sengan-en and its status as a World Cultural Heritage site, and then we walked through the garden and visited the residence. During that time, I went to the restaurant and paid the cancellation fee.
The tour then concluded, and we were about to head to Marine Port Kagoshima. However, the other group I had been assisting mentioned that someone had a burn and wanted to stop by a drugstore, so I parted ways with this group there.
In summary, because the originally assigned guide had fallen ill, the two groups ended up being guided at the same time despite it being a private tour, and the guests said they were not happy about this. I told them that they were free to cancel the tour if they wished. In the end, however, they did not cancel and completed the entire itinerary (the only place not visited was the Arimura Observatory). Based on this, I understand that they agreed to the payment.
Click here for more details: Kagoshima Shore Excursion: Custom Car Tour, Licensed Guide
I am a World Cultural Heritage Regional Interpreter Guide in Kagoshima Prefecture and live in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, so I can accommodate travel plans that include combinations of people visiting sightseeing spots in Tokyo and Kanagawa, and World Cultural Heritage Sites in Kyushu and Kagoshima.
***Strengths***
-I’m still nervous, but I will be certified as a Kagoshima Prefecture World Cultural Heritage Interpreter Guide in 2024!
-I love fishing and trekking in Amami and Yakushima. Amami had been staying in Setouchi Town for a long time due to my father’s work.
-Fukuoka is my hometown where I grew up until high school! I’ll even explain it in Fukuoka dialect!
-Since I worked at the Nagasaki Shipyard for nearly 20 years, I can also guide you on trips to visit Kagoshima and other sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.
-I have spent long periods of time working overseas in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Kuwait, Iceland, Pakistan, the United States, Chile, Kenya, and other countries, so I can work with people from any country.
-I have spent long periods of time in Kagoshima (Kirishima), Saga, Oita, Sendai, and Fukushima for domestic work, so I can also provide guidance.