Kobe Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
November, 2025
Tour Itinerary
- 09:00 Meet at Kobe Port Terminal
- 09:30 at Nunobiki Herb Garden
- 11:15 at Kitano Ijinkan-gai (Moegi House)
- 12:45 at Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum
- 13:45 Disband at Nankinmachi Chinatown
Title: What's a Private Kobe Cruise-Port Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report The guests were visitors from North America who moved at a slower pace, so the day was unhurried. Both listened attentively to the guide's explanations. From the observation deck at Nunobiki Herb Garden, the guests were delighted to be able to see the cruise ship they were using. At the Herb Garden they also enjoyed the beautifully arranged Christmas decorations, and they purchased many souvenirs at the shop. In the Kitano Ijinkan district of former foreign residences, they viewed the "Moegi House," an early 20th-century former consular residence. At a nearby shop they enjoyed soft-serve ice cream said to have been selected as one of the best in Japan. At "Hakutsuru" they took great interest in the traditional sake-brewing process of the period and experienced a tasting. I presented the guests with a handmade drawstring pouch, which pleased them. Before returning to the cruise ship, the guests wished to try "Kobe beef," so I guided them to a restaurant in Nankinmachi (Chinatown), where we parted. Incidentally, the guests were pleased to learn that the shuttle bus to the cruise ship departs from right in front of the Nankinmachi gate, which is very convenient. Because I matched the walking pace of the guests today, the tour ran considerably over the scheduled time.
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Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Port Terminal～Sannomiya (Kobe New Transit) | 210JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Sannomiya (Kobe Municipal)～Shin-Kobe | 210JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Kobe-Sannomiya (Hanshin)～Sumiyoshi (Hyogo Pref. / Hanshin Line) | 200JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Sumiyoshi (Hyogo Pref. / Hanshin Line)～Motomachi (Hyogo Pref.) | 200JPY |
| Total | 820JPY | ||
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
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