Hyogo: @ Nunobiki Herb Garden — Guide Yama

What Is a Private Kobe Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Nunobiki Herb Garden, Kitano, and Nankinmachi

The guests were a group visiting from North America. Although heavy rain hit us during the day (a heavy rain warning was issued in the early afternoon), we were able to move smoothly. Since the group gathered earlier than the original meeting time, we started 15 minutes ahead of schedule. At Nunobiki Herb Garden, the bad weather meant there was no view at all from either the ropeway or the observation deck, but on the way back the sky cleared a little, and from inside the ropeway the group was able to see the passenger ship they had arrived on, which they seemed very pleased about.

Afterwards, we visited the Kitano Ijinkan foreign residences district, but the "Moegi House," the former U.S. consul's residence, was unfortunately closed until today, so we could only see it from the outside. On short notice, I guided them to the nearby "Kitano Tenmangu Shrine." For lunch, at a restaurant I had recommended and which the guests had reserved in advance, "Mouriya," they enjoyed authentic Kobe beef and were very satisfied.

Next, at the guests' request, we visited a "Sanrio shop," where they did a lot of shopping. Afterwards, at "Kobe Harborland," based on information from the driver, there was also a "Sanrio shop," so we visited and they shopped again. There is also an official standing statue of "Elvis Presley," said to be one of only three in the world, and one of the guests, being a big fan, was delighted. Finally, at "Nankinmachi," the guests sampled "butaman" (steamed pork buns) at "Roushouki," said to be the shop where butaman originated. They complimented us on what a fun tour it had been, and we parted ways. One of the guests told me it was the most fun tour they had ever had, which I was grateful for. This time as well, the driver's attitude and driving were very courteous, and they were very knowledgeable about the information for each spot.

Special note: I felt very sorry to the guests that the "Moegi House" in the Kitano Ijinkan district was closed today, which I consider to be due to my insufficient prior research. However, even searching the website again, I could not find that information. Upon investigation, it was posted on the website of the "Tourism Bureau," an affiliated organization of Kobe City. When I asked the person in charge why such related information was not posted on the website of the "Ijinkan district" itself, they said, "We are not the organization that directly manages the Ijinkan, but indeed our response was insufficient, so we would like to consider this going forward." I got a slight impression of bureaucratic red tape.

Click here for more details: Kobe Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Yama

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