This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan.
Tour Itinerary
- 10:00 Meet @ Port Terminal Ship name: AZAMARA PURSUIT
- Travel by taxi
- 10:30-11:30 Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
- Travel by taxi
- 11:40-12:30 Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution
- Travel by taxi
- 13:00〜13:50 Lunch @ Toromugi
- 14:00 Disband @ In front of Blumer HAT Kobe (put only the customers in the taxi)
Tour Itinerary in Detail
This private tour of Hyogo began at 10:00, when the guide met the guests at @ Port Terminal Ship name: AZAMARA PURSUIT, and finished at 14:00. The day ran to 4 hours from start to finish. It included lunch @ Toromugi at 13:00.
From there the group visited Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum at 10:30 and Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution at 11:40.
Title: What Is a Rainy-Day Private Kobe Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
I guided a group visiting Japan from North America. One of the guests used a walking aid, but as we had not received this information beforehand, arrangements were made on-site on the day of the tour. Due to poor weather, we canceled the planned visit to the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and instead visited the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum and the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution. The guests viewed the exhibits at both facilities with great interest. Afterward, they enjoyed lunch and shopping at Blumer Kobe. It was raining heavily at the start, but the weather gradually improved. At the end, they kindly told me, "It was different from what we had expected, but we had a great time," which made me very happy.
Click here for more details: Kobe Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Hello! I am Andy Murao. I love this job as I can visit various destinations with the people from all over the world. I am always thinking that I could help you know more about Japan and understand the attractiveness of Japan.
I would like to provide a tour in accordance with your request and preference. Please let me know what you want to see, eat, experience, etc. and then I will propose a schedule based on them.
There is one point to note. I like walking very much, so I might be a guide who forces you to take long walks.
I look forward to attending you in Japan.
Best regards,
Andy Murao
Sep 20, 2026
Bobby_B
A great Kyoto guide.
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Andy was very nice and…
Sep 20, 2026
Bobby_B
A great Kyoto guide.
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Andy was very nice and knowledgeable. He helped customize the tour to our needs. He helped us find a local Udon restaurant for lunch. There is so much to see in Kyoto, it’s important to have a guide to move across town to different venues. We highly recommend him.
Jul 13, 2026
webstere2025
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Excellent
Andy(Atsushi) was great and communicated with us beforehand about our…
Jul 13, 2026
webstere2025
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Excellent
Andy(Atsushi) was great and communicated with us beforehand about our itinerary. He was flexible with changes we requested. Andy was very informative during the tour. He also was willing to take our family’s pictures. We were able to stop and check out shops as we pleased along the way. He also accommodated lunch requests(as our daughter has food allergies).
One thing I wish we realized was that there is quite a bit of walking. We were fine but for people who are perhaps older or with young children you may want to consider taking a cab between different sites.
Jun 21, 2026
Catherine_D
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
First time in Osaka
Andy was great . On time and patience…
Jun 21, 2026
Catherine_D
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
First time in Osaka
Andy was great . On time and patience with our walking tour since we had a 14 yr old with
us. Very informative and picked us up and dropped us off our hotel. Thank you Andy for
showing us Osaka
Jun 6, 2026
eyeessess
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Early Morning Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour!
Andy Murao was an amazing and wonderful tour guide.…
Jun 6, 2026
eyeessess
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Early Morning Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour!
Andy Murao was an amazing and wonderful tour guide. He reached out to us with some ideas for our private tour. He worked with us as we made the tour perfectly suited to our needs. He met us on time. He navigated the crowds and the sites perfectly. He was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. He even put together a nice photo collection of photos he emailed us after. Highly recommend.