Tour Itinerary
- 10:30 Meet at Osaka Port Tempozan Passenger Terminal
- 11:00 at Osaka Castle (exterior only)
- 12:45 at Shitennoji Temple
- 14:00 at Umeda Sky Building
- 15:15 at Umeda Water Clock
- 15:30 Disband at JR Osaka Station
Title: What Is a Private Walking Tour of Osaka Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Umeda Sky Building The guests were an elderly group who had done a nine-hour tour in Kyoto the previous day and seemed a little tired. Some of the guests were very strong walkers, while others moved at a much slower pace and needed to rest frequently. On top of that, the day was again unusually hot, which seemed to double their fatigue, and I was frequently asked, "How far do we have to walk to the next spot?" We visited the Umeda Sky Building, but there had been a slight misunderstanding about the "Floating Garden Observatory," as the guests seemed to have expected an ordinary park with lots of trees; some of the guests were also uncomfortable with heights. At the Umeda Sky Building, we took a rest at the guests' request. Because the pace was quite slow, we ran significantly over time, and the guests said it was fine to skip the final spot, the "Water Clock," and end the tour there. However, since this spot is located on the way to the taxi stand, we stopped by, and the guests were very pleased. Special note 1) Today, I, the guide, made a major mistake. The correct meeting time was a 10:00 start, but I had mistakenly understood it to be 10:30. As a result, I kept the guests waiting for about 30 minutes, which caused them great inconvenience, and I apologized sincerely and politely. The original confirmation document had stated 10:30, but it had been changed to 10:00 when the itinerary was confirmed, and I had failed to verify this change. The guests also seemed to have noticed that the guide had arrived at the meeting point 30 minutes early, and I believe they accepted my apology. Throughout the rest of the tour they remained smiling the entire time, for which I was grateful. Going forward, I will pay even closer attention when confirming itineraries so that this kind of thing does not happen again. Special note 2) As mentioned in your recent communication, I felt that the fact that this was a "walking tour" was not entirely understood by the guests. Again today there were many questions about how far we would walk and how long it would take. Although I carefully explained that this was strictly a walking tour and I believe they understood, there was also a comment that "we thought each spot would be right in front of the nearest station." Going forward, I would like to keep this point in mind when communicating with guests.
Click here for more details: Osaka Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Osaka Port～Morinomiya | 290JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Morinomiya～Tennoji | 170JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Shitennoji-mae Yuhigaoka～Higashi-Umeda | 240JPY |
| Total | 700JPY | ||
Dear my guests,
This is (Mr.) Yama, greeting from Kobe, Japan.
I would like to warmly welcome you to Japan this time. I am from the city of Kobe, which is of course, well-known for very tasty Kobe Beef . You can taste
real genuine Kobe Beef here. Kobe is also called “Home of Japanese Sake” with lots of Sake breweries, and I recommend you would visit those breweries
if you have any interest in Japanese Sake as well as one aspect of Japanese cultures. Of course, you can have tastings of various kinds of Sake there.
Whenever during the tour, I always try to make it safe, pleasant and comfortable for all of the guests, which is my first priority. I am very much confident
that you can have a pleasant and unforgettable experience in Japan. Just tell me about your preference; what you would like to like to see, have, know
and eat and so on. Particularly, I hold the license for cooking qualified by the government here and maybe, I can reply you for questions related to the
foods here. In this respect, I strongly recommend you would try not only famous Japanese cuisine such as Sushi, Tempura or Suki-yaki but some
Japanese traditional local foods, like Tako-yaki, Okonomi-yaki and Kushkatsu. They are sometimes called the soul foods of Japan. Here is the brief
explanation for these three foods.
1) Tako-yaki
Tako-yaki is a snack filled with pieces of octopus in a batter of flour , egg and soup stock. You can call them octopus dumplings or balls. “Tako” means
octopus and “yaki” means grilled or broiled.
2) Okonomi-yaki
This word Okonomi-yaki means “cook just as you like” and you can use whatever you like as toppings, such as beef, pork, shrimp, squid and octopus.
Okonomi-yaki is round shape and just like pancakes or pizza in shape mainly made from egg, flour and water.
3) Kushi-katsu
Kushi-katsu is skewered cutlet or deep-fried foods on a stick. “Kushi” means skewer and “katsu” means cutlet. Various kinds of foods are used for
ingredients such as beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, squid, octopus and lots of kinds of vegetables.
Actually, the western Japan including Osaka, Kobe and Himeji is called as “Home of such local soul foods”. You should give it a try and I am sure
that you like them very much.
I sincerely hope that I can be your tour guide this time in Kobe, Osaka and Himeji. If my guests said to me after the tour, “I have had a very good
and pleasant time with you today. I hope I can come here again and name you as our guide”, which is my great pleasure. Moreover, I would be
great honored if they say “I like Japan now thanks to you”.
Looking forward to meeting you soon here.
Doomo Arigato Gozaimasu!
Yama
Jul 25, 2026
Hdixjdixj
Tripadvisor review: Osaka Local Food & Culture Tour in 1 Day, Licensed Guide
Amazing Food Tour through Osaka
We were taken…
Jul 25, 2026
Hdixjdixj
Tripadvisor review: Osaka Local Food & Culture Tour in 1 Day, Licensed Guide
Amazing Food Tour through Osaka
We were taken care of by Yama-San. We had an amazing time and probably ate the best Tuna ever in our lives. Yama-san really knew where to take us and also gave us some historical backgrounds in general. We can only recommend this Tour as a 5 Star tour. All the places he took us too where amazing and the food so super delicious.
Jul 20, 2026
Eric_W
Viator review: Himeji Castle & Koko-en in 1 Day Tour with Licensed Guide
Castle journey worth your time!
Our tour with…
Jul 20, 2026
Eric_W
Viator review: Himeji Castle & Koko-en in 1 Day Tour with Licensed Guide
Castle journey worth your time!
Our tour with Mr. Yamashita was absolutely wonderful from start to finish! He was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and engaging and he shared so much fascinating history and information throughout the tour. His passion for Himeji Castle and the gardens really showed and he made the experience both educational and fun while taking the time to answer all of our questions. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Mr. Yamashita and would highly recommend his tour to anyone looking for a memorable and informative experience.
Jul 13, 2026
Diane_B
Viator review: Kobe Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Our tour guide Yama was amazing!!
Our tour guide…
Jul 13, 2026
Diane_B
Viator review: Kobe Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Our tour guide Yama was amazing!!
Our tour guide Yama was simply fantastic – knowledgeable, friendly, and provided impeccable service. Many weeks before our tour, Yama reached out to help us plan and customize our itinerary with him. He was easy to find at our agreed upon meeting location and seamlessly coordinated our transportation around Kobe. We had wonderful visits to Mt Rokko via the cable car, Nunobiki Herb Gardens (Shin-Kobe, using the ropeway), Kitano Ijinkan Street, and the Sannomiya area. At the end of the tour, we felt as if we were saying goodbye to a dear friend. I cannot recommend him highly enough!
Jul 4, 2026
Navigator661725
Tripadvisor review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A wonderful time!
We absolutely loved this tour. Yama was attentive, was…
Jul 4, 2026
Navigator661725
Tripadvisor review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A wonderful time!
We absolutely loved this tour. Yama was attentive, was filled with interesting facts, and he also took us a few areas that were not as full of tourists. He seemed to enjoy his work which made it really fun for us. Absolutely a kind and knowledgeable guide, I would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Osaka for the first time….
