Private Tour Guide for Kobe/Nara

[Aussie Gal]

We will be docking in Kobe for nearly 24 hours in October when we are on the Diamond Princess.

 

I have been trying to find a Private Guide to take six of us around and have only found Tours by Locals which do charge quite a lot of money and need most of the payment upfront which is something we don't normally do or the Goodwill Guides which are great if you are only doing a city tour but if you need transport then it is a much harder option.

 

Can anyone recommend a good guide for Kobe?

 

Thanks.

 

Jennie

[K-Roo-Zers]

Hi Jennie,

 

Lovely to speak with you again. On last years cruise, we again used the services of Goodwill Guides for Kobe and had a fabulous guide, but I know what you mean about Nara.

 

If you are staying in Kobe, then use a Guide. It would also be worthwhile emailing them and seeing if there is a guide available for Nara.

 

We had a terrific day in Kobe - the gardens are lovely, the Ropeway was terrific and also daunting for me as I hate heights, so our guide found my "strange" behaviour funny, and we saw some terrific sights.

 

Would you consider travelling to Nara on your own, as a group?

 

I know you are cruising with Janelle and Phil who are lovely people.

 

Nicki

[Aussie Gal]

Nicki,

 

I have had a couple of quotes from guides but they are so expensive if we want to use a car and as we would like to see both Nara and Kobe, that is the way to go. One guide wants a huge down payment which I am not happy to do as we always use private guides and we have never had to pay upfront and in this case it is over $300AUD! I hoped that perhaps someone would know of a guide. I have been in touch with the lovely girl we used in Osaka/Kyoto last time and she has given us a quote which is reasonable but we have to use public transport or else organize the car ourselves which I am not willing to do.

 

Jennie

[sandyss]

Nicki,

 

I have had a couple of quotes from guides but they are so expensive if we want to use a car and as we would like to see both Nara and Kobe, that is the way to go. One guide wants a huge down payment which I am not happy to do as we always use private guides and we have never had to pay upfront and in this case it is over $300AUD! I hoped that perhaps someone would know of a guide. I have been in touch with the lovely girl we used in Osaka/Kyoto last time and she has given us a quote which is reasonable but we have to use public transport or else organize the car ourselves which I am not willing to do.

 

Jennie

 

Jennie. Could you please share the name and contact information of the girl that you used in Osaka/Kyoto last time. I am looking for a private tour guide for tours out of Osaka (public transportation is okay) for 2015 when our cruise ends in Osaka. Many thanks.

[68_cruizin]

Jennie, We just got off the Diamond Princess [Golden Week] and visited Kyoto using Chizuko Hamada. She was excellent. If you pm me I will send you her details.

[Tara Jane]

It is so easy to get around Japan by train. I would have no hesitation in going on your own. when you get to nara pop into the tourist information and they will have English students waiting there, eager to show you around Nara. It is a 2 way win win. they get to practice their English and you get a guide for the day. No charge, however we did pay for our guides lunch and drinks.

In other cities we have used the goodwill guides, however I do prefer the students, they seemed to be more relaxed about the day. I have used these guides in Nara on 3 separate trips always a success.

[Bowie MeMe]

Nicki,

 

I have had a couple of quotes from guides but they are so expensive if we want to use a car and as we would like to see both Nara and Kobe, that is the way to go. One guide wants a huge down payment which I am not happy to do as we always use private guides and we have never had to pay upfront and in this case it is over $300AUD! I hoped that perhaps someone would know of a guide. I have been in touch with the lovely girl we used in Osaka/Kyoto last time and she has given us a quote which is reasonable but we have to use public transport or else organize the car ourselves which I am not willing to do.

 

Jennie

 

Having just gotten a $12,000 post cruise quote for 7 days I guess we too are still in the looking stage.:eek: Could you give me the name of the guide you used in Osaka/Koyoto. We will be there March 4, 2015 leaving AZ Quest.

btrafton@verizon.net. Any other suggestions?

[Cornishpastyman1]

Nicki,

 

I have had a couple of quotes from guides but they are so expensive if we want to use a car and as we would like to see both Nara and Kobe, that is the way to go.

 

Jennie

Hi Jennie

Don't know how you're doing with your quest, but in case it's of interest I made this from a few hours at Nara

[YOUTUBE]GdwvsNiGjaM[/YOUTUBE]

 

We had a guide as part of our overall holiday but most of the time was spent looking around so if you can get there on your own you could do a very decent job armed with a good guide book. All the best, Tony

[DrFUN]

Hi Jennie

Don't know how you're doing with your quest, but in case it's of interest I made this from a few hours at Nara

[YOUTUBE]GdwvsNiGjaM[/YOUTUBE]

 

We had a guide as part of our overall holiday but most of the time was spent looking around so if you can get there on your own you could do a very decent job armed with a good guide book. All the best, Tony

 

Fabulous video! What month were you there? Will be there in April 2015… Thanks again for posting this beautiful visit!

 

Mary-Lou

[DrFUN]

Hi, Jennie!

 

I'd be grateful to hear anything that you learn about private tour guides – as DH Dave and I will be spending a week in Tokyo and a week in Kyoto before our April 2015 cruise from Kobe to Vancouver.

 

Thanks,

Mary-Lou

[Bowie MeMe]

Hello again. We just agreed to hire Takakazu Machi for March 4-6, 2015 for tours of Osaka, Kyoto, Nara etc. Because Taka has both a chauffer's license and a guide license he can provide guided tours and the car. Japan has very strict laws on this and that is why almost all guides use public transportation. I know they say traffic but still we thought that a car would be worth the price for seeing as much as we can in 3 days. His basic price is 5580 JPY/hour. No deposit. tolls and admissions not covered. To pick us up and drop us off at Osaka port is 10,000 JPY per leg. I found this man on Trip Advisor and maybe here on CC and his reviews on Trip Advisor are perfect. We have 3 in party and this actually comes out cheaper than the bus tour of Koyoto/Nara X3 and I think we will see more.

 

Good luck in your search. It seems a bit difficult because of the no car options for most guides. I see that many folks like the free guides but I just wonder if they have the experience/language/ and ability to lead a good tour. I had a Japanese exchange student in my home for 4 months and at the beginning it was really pretty rough to communicate -- just took a bit of patience and looking at her/gestures to figure out what she wanted to say. With only 3 days in Japan I don't want to have much time wasted in communication issues. My student was 18 and between our HS and college level and an English major beginning college student. Practicing English is great but I will not be back to Japan and I don't want to waste a second of my time.

[couple from Hungary]

We will be docking in Kobe for nearly 24 hours in October when we are on the Diamond Princess.

 

I have been trying to find a Private Guide to take six of us around and have only found Tours by Locals which do charge quite a lot of money and need most of the payment upfront which is something we don't normally do or the Goodwill Guides which are great if you are only doing a city tour but if you need transport then it is a much harder option.

 

Can anyone recommend a good guide for Kobe?

 

Thanks.

 

Jennie

 

Dear Jennie,

We will be docking in Kobe with the Quantum and looking for possibilities for privat tour. Could you please help us with some advices? How was yours?

have a good day

Maria

[couple from Hungary]

Hello again. We just agreed to hire Takakazu Machi for March 4-6, 2015 for tours of Osaka, Kyoto, Nara etc. Because Taka has both a chauffer's license and a guide license he can provide guided tours and the car. Japan has very strict laws on this and that is why almost all guides use public transportation. I know they say traffic but still we thought that a car would be worth the price for seeing as much as we can in 3 days. His basic price is 5580 JPY/hour. No deposit. tolls and admissions not covered. To pick us up and drop us off at Osaka port is 10,000 JPY per leg. I found this man on Trip Advisor and maybe here on CC and his reviews on Trip Advisor are perfect. We have 3 in party and this actually comes out cheaper than the bus tour of Koyoto/Nara X3 and I think we will see more.

 

Good luck in your search. It seems a bit difficult because of the no car options for most guides. I see that many folks like the free guides but I just wonder if they have the experience/language/ and ability to lead a good tour. I had a Japanese exchange student in my home for 4 months and at the beginning it was really pretty rough to communicate -- just took a bit of patience and looking at her/gestures to figure out what she wanted to say. With only 3 days in Japan I don't want to have much time wasted in communication issues. My student was 18 and between our HS and college level and an English major beginning college student. Practicing English is great but I will not be back to Japan and I don't want to waste a second of my time.

 

Dear Barbara and Walter,

 

We will be docking in Kobe with the Quantum and looking for possibilities for privat tour. Could you please help us with some advices? How was yours?

have a good day

Maria

[4774Papa]

Nara and Kyoto are wonderful.

 

We used JTB Sunrise for our tours, but the tour to Nara and Kyoto was a package deal out of Tokyo (pre-cruise).

 

In fact, we booked the tour from Viator on-line. You might check Viator to see if they have tours from Kobe.

 

When we were in Kobe, we did a great DIY trip to Hymeji Castle by train.

[WNcruiser]

Nara and Kyoto are wonderful.

 

We used JTB Sunrise for our tours, but the tour to Nara and Kyoto was a package deal out of Tokyo (pre-cruise).

 

In fact, we booked the tour from Viator on-line. You might check Viator to see if they have tours from Kobe.

 

When we were in Kobe, we did a great DIY trip to Hymeji Castle by train.

 

We are planning on doing the same in April. Do you mind giving some details on how you got to the train station from the dock, which stop to get off at and how long the walk is to the castle from the train station?

 

Anything you can provide would be appreciated.

 

Steve

[sandyss]

We are planning on doing the same in April. Do you mind giving some details on how you got to the train station from the dock, which stop to get off at and how long the walk is to the castle from the train station?

 

Anything you can provide would be appreciated.

 

Steve

 

Hi Steve. We are planning to DIY Himeji from Kobe Port in September. The directions that I have are:

 

Take the Kobe Port Liner from the cruise port to the Sannomiya Train Station. At Sannomiya Station, take the escalator or stairs to the connected JR Sannomiya Station Central gate. Purchase tickets for Himeji at the ticket office - “Midori no Madoguchi”. Then take the JR Kobe Special Rapid Railway (Kosoku) to Himeji.

 

After exiting at Himeji Station, you should see the huge castle at the end of the street less than a mile away. You can walk to the castle or take the Sightseeing Loop Bus from Himeji Station - with stops near the castle, garden, and museums.

[4774Papa]

Hi Steve. We are planning to DIY Himeji from Kobe Port in September. The directions that I have are:

 

Take the Kobe Port Liner from the cruise port to the Sannomiya Train Station. At Sannomiya Station, take the escalator or stairs to the connected JR Sannomiya Station Central gate. Purchase tickets for Himeji at the ticket office - “Midori no Madoguchi”. Then take the JR Kobe Special Rapid Railway (Kosoku) to Himeji.

 

After exiting at Himeji Station, you should see the huge castle at the end of the street less than a mile away. You can walk to the castle or take the Sightseeing Loop Bus from Himeji Station - with stops near the castle, garden, and museums.

 

Sandy,

Thanks for answering Steve's question. You spelled it out very well. One more thing. Look at the railroad schedule for your trip. Japan has three types of trains, as I remember. The slower trains stop more frequently and the express trains less. Try to catch an express train. Also, when returning from Himeji, double check which train you catch by asking someone at the ticket window for an express train.

[WNcruiser]

Thank you both for the information:) Sandy would love to hear your experience when you return (and any pointers).

 

Steve

[sandyss]

Sandy,

Thanks for answering Steve's question. You spelled it out very well. One more thing. Look at the railroad schedule for your trip. Japan has three types of trains, as I remember. The slower trains stop more frequently and the express trains less. Try to catch an express train. Also, when returning from Himeji, double check which train you catch by asking someone at the ticket window for an express train.

 

I believe that "Special Rapid" is the name for the Express Trains. My understanding is that there is only one intermediate stop at Akashi before reaching Himeji Station.

[Bowie MeMe]

Hello again. We just agreed to hire Takakazu Machi for March 4-6, 2015 for tours of Osaka, Kyoto, Nara etc. Because Taka has both a chauffer's license and a guide license he can provide guided tours and the car. Japan has very strict laws on this and that is why almost all guides use public transportation. I know they say traffic but still we thought that a car would be worth the price for seeing as much as we can in 3 days. His basic price is 5580 JPY/hour. No deposit. tolls and admissions not covered. To pick us up and drop us off at Osaka port is 10,000 JPY per leg. I found this man on Trip Advisor and maybe here on CC and his reviews on Trip Advisor are perfect. We have 3 in party and this actually comes out cheaper than the bus tour of Koyoto/Nara X3 and I think we will see more.

 

Good luck in your search. It seems a bit difficult because of the no car options for most guides. I see that many folks like the free guides but I just wonder if they have the experience/language/ and ability to lead a good tour. I had a Japanese exchange student in my home for 4 months and at the beginning it was really pretty rough to communicate -- just took a bit of patience and looking at her/gestures to figure out what she wanted to say. With only 3 days in Japan I don't want to have much time wasted in communication issues. My student was 18 and between our HS and college level and an English major beginning college student. Practicing English is great but I will not be back to Japan and I don't want to waste a second of my time.

 

This is my posting before the trip to Japan. We did use Taka and he was absolutely wonderful. A kind, humble man who has very good English skills. His car was a comfortable sedan and comfortable for 3 but maybe not more. He had good plans for us which we had discussed by email but he was really great to change plans or expand on something we enjoyed. I highly recommend him and perhaps he could arrange for larger vehicle. In Japan, the license for guide is a professional test and the transportation part is that to drive you around must have chauffer's license by law. VERY important to have the transportation -- the sites are not walkable close (at least not for me) and Taka put so much more in -- neighborhood walks, school visit, bamboo forest and agricultural area, buying bullet train tickets to Tokyo and the ever important 7/11 which has the only ATM that takes US credit cards! Car meant we could go where we wanted and he parked close so no long hikes.

[Bowie MeMe]

Go for the train! I was so worried about going from Kyoto to Tokyo but wanted to do the train. Our guide helped us buy the ticket the day before and explained how to validate the ticket and to go up the stairs to the train track where there are large and accurate signs to help you. Note many trains and your ticket only is good for specific train. Express is good!! People were very friendly and helpful. Just use my trick of looking confused (very easy for me) and someone helps. For luggage choose the last row of seats -- there is about 10 inches of space behind the seat which a suitcase does fit in. Not much luggage space at all. A wonderful teen girl chatted with us after exchanging smiles. She kindly walked us to the nearest door of Tokyo main station where there are cabs. Just be aware that the station is a huge place with thousands of stores/entrances/exits/ boarding doors etc. Scary but wonderful. I had a great guide in Tokyo if you need one. He had a comfortable van for 8. He also was a travel agent and could arrange tours in many areas. AFS student in US for senior year of HS. Like talking to your neighbor -- funny smart and happy type neighbor.