Tour Itinerary
- Meet at 11:30 @ JR Himeji Station
- 11:45 @ Egret Himeji Rooftop
- 12:00 @ Himeji Castle
- 14:30 @ Kokoen Garden
- 15:30 @ Food Court inside JR Himeji Station
Title: What Is a Private Himeji Castle and Koko-en Garden Tour Like on a Rainy Day? A Licensed Guide's Report The guests were visiting from Oceania, and the tour proceeded smoothly. Although the weather was unfortunately poor with quite heavy rain, this meant that both Himeji Castle and Koko-en Garden had fewer tourists than usual, allowing us to sightsee slowly and comfortably. Before visiting Himeji Castle, we stopped at the rooftop of Egret Himeji, which offered a wonderful panoramic view of the castle, and the guests seemed very pleased. Himeji Castle in this weather also conveyed a grandeur of a different kind. The guests listened attentively to the guide's explanations at Himeji Castle. As they were heading to Osaka after the tour and wished to have a light meal beforehand, I recommended the famous "eki soba" (Chinese-style noodles with Japanese dashi broth) inside Himeji Station, and we parted ways there. The tour was arranged through a [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) assignment. I had exchanged messages with the guests nearly ten times by email and messaging app but rarely received replies, so I was quite anxious about whether we would be able to meet on the day; however, we met without any problem. This time, the intermediary local travel agency in charge asked me to refrain from contacting the guests directly until the day itself and to communicate through the agency until then, which made communication somewhat less smooth. I also contacted [Japan Guide Agency](https://www.j-g-a.org/), and since the name of the bullet train was noted in the contact information from the guests, I was advised to wait at Himeji Station. Responses vary depending on the local travel agency, and some seem to present difficulties.
Click here for more details: Himeji Castle Half-Day Customized Tour with Licensed Guide
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
Sep 27, 2026
Ross_W
Fun with Hidden Gems
Viator review: Osaka Hidden Gems Off the Beaten Path Tour, Licensed Guide
Our guide Yama was so…
Sep 27, 2026
Ross_W
Fun with Hidden Gems
Viator review: Osaka Hidden Gems Off the Beaten Path Tour, Licensed Guide
Our guide Yama was so friendly and greeted us in our hotel lobby and guided us from there to the areas we wished to experience. While we were really needing to find gifts for us and friends, he made it very interesting along the way pointing out special places and landmarks. We went to the culinary shopping and visited a number of shops and he helped translate, which we needed. We went to an area for animae and it was eye opening. We then went to the black gate market, Kuromon, for a lunch experience and wow that was so much fun, I only wish I could have tried more food items, but we were full! Last we expended the shopping area. All I can say is it is busy and lots of stores. We finished on the base of a department store, enjoyed with are great guide.
Aug 10, 2026
Sez042
Tripadvisor review: Osaka Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Great experience
Yama was great, he showed us around and explained…
Aug 10, 2026
Sez042
Tripadvisor review: Osaka Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Great experience
Yama was great, he showed us around and explained everything very well. Highly recommend, very knowledgeable
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.
