Author Archives: kL-tours
What you’ll do
SHIOYA is my small hometown, a quaint peaceful fishing village nestled in a valley. It takes about 15 minutes from Kobe, 40min from Osaka and 70min from Kyoto by JR train. It’s surrounded by beautiful mountains and the sea, its historical and has a lovely quaint market street.
On meeting at JR SHIOYA station, I’d like to give your own Japanese name card to you. It would be useful for communication with friendly local people.
First, let’s go to the harbour. Enjoy a photogenic view of the area. You can see Mt Rokko, Awaji island, the pearl bridge, etc. Also, my fisherman friend waits for you. You can sample Nori (seaweed) if you like.
Then through the tunnel, we’ll go into SHIOYA town. I’d like you to know about real Japanese daily life by walking through a temple, a shrine, a cemetery, etc.
Also, enjoy the narrow market street and I want to share my local vision with you, visiting a barber shop which has over 100 years history, a tatami factory, and our beautiful heritage, the Guggenheim house when they are open.
Let’s enjoy more than 8 different yummy Japanese snacks & drinks.
Have fun talking with local people & a super smiley environment !
Other things to note
Comfortable shoes and clothes for walking are recommended.
Children, non-English speakers and people who study Japanese are welcome.
We can use gestures!
Location
We’ll meet at the gate of JR SHIOYA station. ( It takes about 15 min from JR Kobe station.)
First, we’ll go to the harbour.
Then go into SHIOYA town and walk around a temple, a shrine, markets, shops, the Guggenheim house and so on, while enjoying various snacks at a croquette shop, restaurants, fishmonger, a tofu shop, a bakery, a cake shop, and fresh fruits and vegitable shops etc.
Let’s enjoy communication with local people & belong Shioya!
Reviews
★★★★★
Shioya, Japan Walking Tour
“Konnichiwa! Sumire, thank you for your message, so good to hear from you. And thank you and Yurina so much for the pictures. We have had a really great time here in beautiful Shioya, Japan. I wish to say our most memorable time was having you as our best tour guide ever and all the wonderful Shioya people we were privileged to meet during our tour. We will never forget you, Yurina, and Shizuko-san, who was so kind and generous and served us refreshing and cool drinks. Please tell her I will always cherish her gift to me that will always remind me of her and the warm and beautiful heart of Shioya, Japan. Sumire, you made this unique and memorable visit to Shioya all happen because of your genuineness and sincerity in allowing me, Rosemary, and Mia, to experience the uniqueness and beauty of Shioya and take you and some of Shioya with us in our minds and hearts. I certainly want to keep in touch with you and hope to revisit with you and Shioya very soon again. Take care and good health to you and your family. This walking tour was simply the best!”
JESSE R (June 24, 2023)
★★★★★
Meet the Locals
“It was a unique experience we enjoyed on this day. Sumire picked us up from the cruise ship and traveled with us by train to a village outside Kobe. She showed us around her hometown, visiting a school, barber shop and much more. We interacted with local people and had a tea break. I can highly recommend to everybody who would like to do something outside the normal tourist attractions.”
widi (June 20, 2023)
What you’ll do
Enjoy the internationally famous “melt-in -your-mouth” marbled Kobe Beef in Kobe town!
First, I’ll show you Kitano area.
In the small town of Kitano, Kobe (it takes about 20min from Osaka and 50min from Kyoto by JR train), there are a lot of different religious buildings—including a mosque, a synagogue, churches, and Indian and Buddhist temples—where the international residents go to pray in their daily lives.
For almost 150 years, these residents have lived happily and peacefully together with different nationalities and religions, like one ethnic people.
For this experience, we will begin at the Ikuta Shrine, the oldest shrine in Kobe, with its beautiful gate. I’d like to show you how religions relate to Japanese life. We’ll also do a small meditation at a sanctuary grove in the morning fresh air.
We’ll then go into the town of Kitano, and I’ll show you a lot of different cultures and religious buildings. (When closed, we’ll visit only the outside.)
I’ll take you to Kitano Square, a famous place near an antique western house, where we’ll enjoy the popular and beautiful panoramic views.
We’ll also sample the sweets and sake that Kobe is famous for.
Afterwards, I’ll take you to the most popular Kobe beef restaurant, where you’ll enjoy tender Kobe steak and a live performance by the chef!
Other things to note
I recommend wearing comfortable shoes.
This is A FAMILY FRIENDLY tour.
I am a two children’s moter and non native English speaker.
Children, non-English speakers and people who study Japanese are all welcome. Though l could guide you in English and in Japanese, we can also use gestures!
Location
We’ll meet in front of the DELI CAFE, close to JR SANNOMIYA Station, central gate then go first to the Ikuta Shrine and feel relax with meditation in the sanctuary grove.
Reviews
★★★★★
Best overall tour experience we had in Japan
“Out of all the tours we had in Japan, this one with Sumire felt the most authentic. We could see that she really loved her city and country, but without coming off as some patriotic drone with a fake smile. We learned a lot and saw a side of Japan and Kobe that I think foreigners don’t always get to experience. The sites we visited were great and we were able to customize and work around the intense heat. Would highly recommend the tour based on this alone, but then once you factor in the incredible lunch (included with a proper free drink too) and that Sumire even made sure we would catch our train on time and got us a taxi, this is a 7/5 experience.”
Alex I (August 20, 2023)
★★★★★
This is probably the best tour of Kobe.
“Sumire was the perfect tour guide to Kobe. She embodied the life of the old city, all the places of worship plus lots more. She passion both showing us neat things and learning things we know. This was worlds better than a group tour being just my girlfriend and myself. I’ve been on dozens and dozens of tours and Sumire was just the best.
BTW- The Kobe beef lunch is from an excellent grade 5 Kobe Beef Tepanyaki restaurant. They will show you their gold statue proving it. The taste is like nothing you’ve ever tasted.
I’m sure that this would be the best and cheapest way of getting a wonderful tour and a Kobe beef lunch from a restaurant that’s been vetted as one of the best.
After two weeks in Japan, I can’t recommend Sumire’s tour more highly. You’ll have a great time, have a great lunch, and make a new friend.“
David W (May 23, 2023)
★★★★★
BEST TOUR OF ENTIRE TRIP
“SUMIRE was the absolute best tour guide! She took us to several places of worship and explained the history in detail.. She didn’t rush the tour, walking at a leisurely pace and stopping for us to take photos and she also took photos of us in front of the sights. We ended the tour in Chinatown for some real Kobe beef. We were told the history and requirements for the “Kobe Beef”designation and truly enjoyed the meal. The Chef answered all our questions. It was the best tour of the 2 weeks we spent in Japan! Sumire said she can also do personalized tours in Osaka and Kyoto – wish we knew that a few days ago! We have great memories of this tour and highly recommend Sumire!”
reginaahvogel (June 20, 2023)
