Hyogo prefecture is about 150km long in north-south direction. There are many sight seeing spots, not only Kobe, Himeji but also Izush-Toyooka, Tanba-Sasayama Awaji island. So Hyogo government decleared "Hyogo Golden Route" as recommended tours. I would like to guide those areas where tourists do not know well. Each area is one day tour. You can have a different experience from Kyoto or Osaka.
Your hotel in Kobe
We will go over the bridge by bus.
Your hotel in Kobe
Awaji island is a counryside whose industories are agriculture(rise ,lettuce and onion!) and marine product(Japanese conger, octopus, dried young sardines and so on). But according to japanese myth(Kojiki or Nihonshoki), Awaji Island is the first island in Japan which was built by Gods(Izanagi and Izamami). This area has long history and so many historical places from ancient period. You can have a distinct local exerience which has different atmospher from Osaka or Kyoto.
On the other hand, there is the most advanced bridge between Awaji Island and Honshu(main island in Japan) or wind power turbines
And you can enjoy Awaji Beef and fresh vegetables and seafoods catched in/around this island.
Guide fee,
Hotel pick up fee.
Transportation fee of guide between guide's house and your hotel in Kobe.
Admission fee(you and guide)
Awaji-Ningyouza 1600yen for adult
Transportation fee in this tour
About 8000yen for each
Lunch, Dinner, drinks
I can guide you from Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Nara if you pay the pick up fee.
Please ask the fee.
1) Awaji Island is located about 100km from JR Osaka station and a few public transportation. So to stay longer there to see sight seeing places, you had better to start this tour early morning.
2) You can start this tour in Osaka. Please ask me the tour fee.
We departed Osaka in the morning of this tour, and Yoshi kindly adapted the tour’s schedule to include him guiding us to the correct station for travelling to Kyoto. This was our third consecutive day spent with Yoshi as our guide, and he was just as friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. It was a particularly hot day, so he allowed us plenty of breaks in the shade with cold drinks. We saw the golden pavilion, bamboo forest, thousand-shrine gate and Gion geisha district. All were really enjoyable despite the oppressive heat, and adapted our tour to finish a little early at our request because of our long hot day. He also went out of his way to arrange a delicious vegetarian monk set lunch at the temple in the bamboo forest area, which was in a Michelin-star tatami-mat floor room. Our time with Yoshi was overall superb. He is a wonderful guide for first-time visitors who my family and I couldn’t recommend more.
Dear Tom Actually, I was super-suprised for not only the value of the tip but also the paper wrapping the tip up. It was very famous temple's paper. The temple is famous for the origin of "Manga" comics in Japan. There were famous pictures on the paper! Anyway, thank you for your evaluation and tip. And I hope you will have good trip and return home safely. Yours sincerely, Yoshi
Yoshi guided us to the sights of Nara including shrines, a giant bronze buddha and Nara park. He always put our preferences and wishes first, especially with the hot September sun. He is kind and considerate, and overall great company to travel with. He is really helpful on public transport by clearly informing us where our stops are and where to go, always checking back to make sure we are all accounted for and well.
Dear Tom Thank you for your evaluation and your tip Y(^^)Y. The tour day was very hot but there were few tourists. So we were easy to visit those destinations.(Every cloud has silver lining?) I am very happy to hear you are satisfied with the tour. Yours sincerely, Yoshi
Yoshi was very friendly and guided us around to explore Osaka including Dotonbori and street markets. He helped us acquire an Osaka underground ICOCA card to use for all kinds of public transport. Such a friendly and keen guide who kept an eye out for us every step of the way whilst teaching us about each area!
Dear Tom Thank you for your evaluation and your tip Y(^^)Y. Stations in Osaka are busy and very complicated. So I was keen not to make customers loose the way. By the way, you can use ICOCA card in some vending machines, for instance to buy coke. Please check the machine having "ICOCA" mark.I guess you can use all value of ICOCA before leaving Japan by drinking a lot of coke (^^). Yours sincerely, Yoshi
I had the luck and pleasure of spending a day exploring Osaka with Yoshi, and he is an absolute legend. From the moment we met (exactly on time), Yoshi impressed me with his preparation. He provided a document he made, containing all the information about our daily tour as well as historical and cultural insights about Japan. Yoshi's knowledge of the area is exceptional, and he's incredibly adaptable, tailoring the tour to match personal interests. As a fellow engineer with a passion for technology, I was thrilled that Yoshi shared this enthusiasm. He guided me to amazing hidden gems like local component stores and geek shops, making the experience even more special. Despite the scorching heat and long day, Yoshi showed remarkable endurance, even though it was clearly challenging for the both of us. His dedication and professionalism are truly commendable. Yoshi is one of the most likable, polite, and kind people I've ever met. I'm honored to have had the chance to spend time with him and benefit from his expertise. For anyone visiting Osaka, especially those with a passion for technology, the Yoshi guiding experience is a must. Everyone should try it at least once in a lifetime! Yoshi is the funniest, kindest and overall best guide in Osaka.
Dear Marco Thank you for your evaluation. I am happy to hear you enjoyed the tour. The area used to be for warehouses of electronics and electric appliance. But some old style electronics shops are remained, even vacuum tube shop. Next time you visit in Osaka, I guess you should bring a big suitcase to put many parts in. (^-^) Anyway thank you! Yours sincerely, Yoshi