Osaka Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Kazu

What's a Private Day Trip from Kyoto to Osaka's Namba and Dotonbori Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from Oceania. At their request, the main highlight of the day was Namba (Dotonbori and the anime district). This was not their first time in Japan, and some of the guests wanted to buy anime and video games, while others were interested in history and had Kyoto sightseeing as their goal. Today they came for a day trip from Kyoto by Shinkansen. The meeting point was a hotel near Shin-Osaka Station, chosen as a quick and convenient spot. When they mentioned they would take the 6:00 p.m. Shinkansen back to Kyoto, I insisted that this was no good — that they absolutely had to stay in the Dotonbori area after 6:00 p.m. to enjoy ramen, okonomiyaki, or the pork buns from 551 Horai before heading back. I told them passionately that seeing Dotonbori at dinnertime would show them the true energy of Osaka Minami and Dotonbori, known as "the nation's kitchen"! "Oh, we'll do that!" some of the guests replied. As you may know, in Namba there is a small bridge famous for the Glico sign, called Ebisu Bridge, spanning the Dotonbori River. It is commonly known as "Hikkake Bridge." When the Hanshin Tigers win the championship, young people jump from this bridge into the river, and it has long been a well-known spot where young people strike up conversations. It is a curious place that has stayed the same for ages, and my explanation of it went over very well. One of the guests was studying Japanese and had mastered hiragana. We spoke a little in Japanese, though it did not quite get through. As usual, I taught them "ookini," which was a hit and made for a fun and enjoyable day.

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Tour Report by Kazu

Hello, this is Kazu Akiyama, your tour guide. Nice to meet you and welcome to Japan. Thank you for joining me on the tour. Now I am a retired salaried worker, living in Osaka. I have been very much interested in not only learning Japanese history, culture, religion myself, but also talking about them (sometimes going off topics) in English with tourists from all over the world as well. I am so excited being with you as your guide on coming day! I am very much looking forward to you enjoying with me visiting the must-see places and some of the hidden gems. See you soon. Thank you – Kazu Akiyama