Aki

Apr 28, 2026
apsco17
Tripadvisor review: Kobe 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Custom Kobe Tour
We booked this tour for the two of us and had a very interesting and enjoyable tour. Aki, our professional guide, sent us several options for our tour ahead of time and we selected the one that appealed to us.

We went to the Herb Garden via a 10 minute gondola ride up the steep mountain side. The ride gave us a great view of Kobe and with the clear weather, we could even see Osaka. The Gardens were a mix of European style and Japanese but were as immaculate as a garden area could be, very well landscaped and maintained. We wander down the mountain with different herb gardens along just off the wide boulevards. Very impressive, even if you don't have a great interest in gardens and herbs.

Our next stop was to the European section of town to walk through and see the older buildings that had survived the war. Other than the roof tiles, they were very familiar to us as they looked a lot like home. Still, very interesting to see the blend of styles.

Walking through the neighbour led us to the Chinatown section, one of the three largest in Japan. We happened to be walking through the main street around lunch time and were stopped by some high school girls. Aki explained that they were on a scavenger hunt and had to bring back a photo with a foreign person and they wanted to know if they could get a picture with us. Unusual, to say the least, but we obliged and Aki took the photo for them. I hope they got a top score!

Finally, she took us to the main shopping street nearby where the street was roofed over in frosted glass. Lots of different shops including a 100 Yen store/dollar store which was fun to poke around in. She took us to the spot where the free shuttle to the port terminal did the pickups which happened to be next to the Daimaru department store. She suggested going down to the basement floor to see the food that the locals routinely buy. We did and were surprised to see that it was much more than a grocery store. There were many sections with sweets and chocolates for sale as well as take way meals. The decor by itself was impressive, and the displays of chocolates etc were almost works of art. Yes, we bought some as gifts, they were too pretty not to.

Final point to discuss was getting around. We used the local public transport, purchasing tickets with Aki's help. It is important to know that the only digital payment available seems to be prepaid metro cards, so cash is required. Aki let us know ahead of time what we would need to budget and it was more than enough. Admission to the Herb Garden was payable by credit card as well as purchases at the department store, but the shops in Chinatown and the shopping street were cash only.

We had a very enjoyable tour and a great guide, Aki made sure we had brought what we needed for cash to get around and gave us a private tailored tour that we loved. Highly recommend this tour and especially Aki who made it a bespoke day out.

Oct 6, 2024
richbronstein
Aki was great!
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Aki was great, very informative English was good, very efficient and well planned tour! Good
for family! We’ll def use her again next time in Japan!

Jul 17, 2024
Stewart_F
Visit to Kyoto
Viator review: Kyoto Full Day Tour from Osaka with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Our tour guide Akiko Okada had planned and then delivered an excellent itinerary. Osaka Port to Nijo Castle then lunch at a restaurant specialising in Okonomiyaki pancakes near Nishiki market. From there to Nanzenji Temple, then Heian Shrine, then Gion Shirakawa, then Fushimi Inari Shrine then back to Osaka Port.
Akiko spoke good English and was very knowledgeable on the history of Japan and of course all the places visited. Very comfortable taxi for our party of 6. Great day out.