Kurashiki Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Sam

What Is a Private Kurashiki Bikan District Walking Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from North America. They mentioned that they had chosen their destinations for this trip in Japan based on the advice of a neighbor who had been a professor at a research institute at a well-known university, and I was truly grateful that they included Kurashiki. The guests had a modest and refined manner. We started from the Kurashiki-kan, a former government building, and looked out over the Bikan Historical Quarter from above to reconfirm our route. The Meiji-era spinning mill building at Kurashiki Ivy Square was built in the English style, and the guests were deeply moved that its brickwork resembled the area where they live. Here, they thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition hall of masking tape, the product that made Kurashiki famous all at once. Since our route passed near Achi Shrine, we climbed up to the shrine and enjoyed the fully bloomed wisteria, said to be about 400 years old and the finest in Japan. We were also fortunate to see carp streamers decorated and swimming high in the sky. After that, we took our time exploring the Ohashi House, a residence boasting 230 years of history. The guests reflected on how life must have been in those days and asked questions from many angles. We then went to the Ohara Museum of Art, but since the interior could only be viewed after 2:00 p.m., we looked around the museum building, garden, and sculptures from outside. One of the guests had studied art during their student years and had studied abroad at a university in Europe, and I was able to benefit from their deep knowledge. That knowledge was at a level capable of explaining the works inside the museum, and I was overwhelmed. We then walked around the adjacent Japanese garden, Shinkeien, where we were even able to see a wedding taking place. Thus the first part concluded, and the guests planned to have lunch and then visit the Ohara Museum of Art again to appreciate the works at leisure. Given their expertise, they wanted to secure at least two hours. It was a short time, but they conducted the tour with keen insight, and I too was greatly enlightened.

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Tour Report by Sam

My name is Susumu Hiramatsu. I am a national government licensed guide interpreter. I became a guide interpreter in 1992. My educational background started with a BA in law, then an MA in English language education, and completed a doctoral course without a degree in English language teaching. My occupational career began with a bank officer, then shifted to a translation and interpretation company, finally became a freelance translator, interpreter, and college teacher. I handle conference interpretation, namely simultaneous interpretation. As for the guide interpreter, my interest covers wide areas including politics and business, but I deem cultural aspects to be fundamental. I am always encouraging myself to be filled with Japanese hospitality.