Kobe Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
September, 2025
Tour Itinerary
- 10:00 Meet @ JR Sannomiya Station
- 10:30 @ Nunobiki Herb Garden
- 12:00 @ Nankinmachi (Chinatown)
- 13:00 @ Daimaru Department Store
- 13:30 @ Sannomiya Center Street (Onitsuka Tiger Store)
- 14:00 Disband @ JR Sannomiya Station
Title: What's a Private Day Tour of Kobe Like from Osaka? A Licensed Guide's Report The guests were the same group as on the 3rd of this month. The tour was originally scheduled for the previous day, but due to the possible approach of a typhoon, the guests requested to change it to this day. Although the weather was clear today, we still moved around in quite severe heat. Except for the first spot, the destinations were chosen according to the guests' wishes for the day, and I believe the guests were very satisfied. In Nankinmachi (Kobe's Chinatown), the guests enjoyed authentic Kobe beef and the pork buns from "Roshoki," said to be the birthplace and originator of pork buns in Japan, and they were very pleased. Later, at the basement food floor of the Daimaru department store, the same "Roshoki" had a shop, and the guests purchased them again there. In Nankinmachi, the guests also greatly enjoyed taking photos in front of the animal representing their own zodiac sign. At the "Onitsuka Tiger" store in the shopping arcade on the way to Sannomiya Station, the guests purchased matching sneakers and were very satisfied, saying they were "not available in North America." Incidentally, Onitsuka Tiger is a manufacturer that originated in Kobe. As the guests were returning to Osaka, we parted ways at Sannomiya Station.
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Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Sannomiya (Kobe Municipal)～Shin-Kobe | 210JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Shin-Kobe～Sannomiya (Kobe Municipal) | 210JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Sannomiya～Motomachi (Hyogo) | 150JPY |
| Total | 570JPY | ||
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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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!
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