Hyogo in One Day: Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden — Guide Tracy

Title: What Is a 6-Hour Private Walking Tour of Kobe Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

9:15 Met the guests at Kobe Port Terminal. Since we had agreed on the meeting spot in advance, we were able to start a little earlier than the scheduled 9:20. 9:33 Boarded from Kobe Port Terminal Station. 9:40 Boarded from Sannomiya Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway. 9:50 Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden. Blessed with clear weather and colorful flowers, the guests were delighted and took many photos. 11:13 Visited the Kitano Ijinkan (former foreign residences) area and toured the Moegi House. The guests were very interested in the furnishings, period, and style of the rooms and asked many questions. When I explained that the current owner is the president of a Kobe railway company and that the mansion, along with its furniture, is now leased to the City of Kobe, they were satisfied. 11:30 Kitano-zaka. There was an event called Kitano Infiorata going on, in which tulip petals are laid out on Kitano-zaka to create pictures, and the guests enjoyed that as well. 12:00 Kitano NOSTA. A light lunch at a cafe. At the guests' request, we had a light lunch of muffins and cafe latte. It was more crowded than usual, but since Kitano NOSTA itself is a relatively new venue and was comfortable, the guests were pleased and said it was "a nice lunch." 12:45 Kobe Sorakuen Garden. Although this place is not part of the original 6-hour Kobe plan, I had heard in advance that the guests wanted to "walk a lot," and since the azaleas were in full bloom right then with an azalea festival taking place, I took them there. They were delighted to come across a bride in a pure-white wedding kimono. 13:20 Chinatown. This place was far more crowded than expected, so packed that it was hard even to walk. Worried that they might feel unwell, I decided on the spot to take a break with some window shopping at Daimaru. 13:30 Kobe Daimaru. There happened to be a display of May dolls, koinobori carp streamers, and school backpacks. When I explained that "the family often buys these for the couple after they marry," the guests were surprised at how expensive they were, saying, "We couldn't buy something this costly." 14:20 Ikuta Shrine. I explained how to pray in the Shinto way and we worshipped together. 14:40 Sannomiya Station (Port Liner). 13:00 Port Terminal Station (Port Liner). 13:05 Ended at Kobe Port Terminal.

When explaining the day's itinerary at the meeting point, I told them in advance that, since it was right in the middle of the spring holidays, it would surely be very crowded, and we started the tour after they understood this. Looking back, the only places that were really crowded were the entrance to the Herb Garden and the throngs of Chinatown, and elsewhere it was not so bad, which was fortunate. Since I had heard that the guests "like walking," we made a full loop around central Kobe on foot. By the end, my pedometer read 19,000 steps, but indeed the guests did not appear tired at all. They said it was their first time in Japan, that Kobe was a very beautiful and pleasant place to spend time, and that they were glad they had chosen this tour. When I sent them the photos taken during the day via a messaging app, they replied, "Thank you also for making it a memorable day in Kobe. We really appreciate the program you designed for us," which made me very happy. This time, compared with how the city streetscape lacks variety (discount shops, drugstores, and monotonous clothing only), the department store offers seasonal features and lets me introduce culture, and I once again recognized that it is useful for a guide. For next time, I thought I would scout out places where one can buy "room-temperature-stable Kobe beef-related souvenirs."

Click here for more details: Kobe Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by TRACY

Hello, my name is Toshiko Kanoh, and my nick name is Tracy in English and Jiana in Chinese. I love Japanese culture, history and art, and I feel appreciated that I can assist your Japanese tour as your guide. I want to take you not only to the very famous spots but also to the very attractive places where only the local people knows. I work as a tour guide in spring and fall, but usually I support the university students as the counselor, as I want to contribute myself to the next generation. Added. I am interested in linguistics, so I have studied English, Chinese, Burmese and Italian, and I love cooking and eating. In Japan, you can enjoy various kind of food, very delicious and fair price.I am eagerly waiting for your visit to Japan. See you soon,!!!