Tag Archives: Kobe
This is a private charter tour of “Kobe, Shioya Tour – a quaint fishing town”.
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!
Schedule
- 10:00AM
- Pick up at Kobe city center
- 15-minutes walk to the next stop.
- 10:15AM
- Seaweed Factory
- 10:45AM
- 15-minutes walk to the next stop.
- 10:30AM
- Guggenheim House
The Western-style house, offers stunning sea views. The name originates from an American trader’s family who once lived in Kobe from Meiji to Taisho eras. Today, the building is often used as an event venue and a filming location for movies. It remains a beloved spot for visitors and locals alike. - 11:30AM
- 15-minutes walk to the next stop.
- 11:45AM
- Shioya shopping street
Restaurants, shops, local markets—this street is the main shopping hub of the area. There’re steep slopes and winding road -like a maze alleys are lined with a wide variety of stores, making it a favorite among locals. - 1:45PM
- Drop-off at Kobe city center
Pick-up and Drop-off Location
Kobe City Center（Shin-Kobe・Sannomiya Station・Hotels in Chuo Ward・Kobe Port）
*For other areas, additional fees may be charged. Please contact us.
Vehicle Type
Van and sedan type vehicles are available.
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)
This is a private charter tour of “Sake Tasting Tour at local breweries in Kobe”.
What you’ll do
As the proverb says “Nada (Kobe) sake for men, Fushimi (Kyoto) sake for women”, Nada’s sake is influenced by mineral rich water and it is characterized by its dry taste. We will enjoy more than 20 varieties of sake in 3.5 hours. The guide will be familiar with Nada area and sake, and will provide a friendly atmosphere. You will be informed about the history of sake, customs, brewing methods and how to enjoy snacks that go well with the alcohol. Enjoy different types of sakes depending on the season you visit. Let’s learn and go on an adventure deep into the sake world.
Schedule
- 12:00PM
- Pick up at Kobe city center
- 12:30PM
- 1st brewery
Established in 1751, the liquor store owner is a 13th generation. There is a full-fledged and rich variety of Japanese sake, including “Junmai Ginjo” that was served 5 times at the Nobel Prize banquet. In the souvenir corner, there are abundant items such as snacks, deep-fried rice, and soup. We recommend that you purchase souvenirs to bring home to your loved ones. Optionally, there is a paid tasting counter, and you can enjoy popular sake 300 yen per cup and the highest class drip-pressed sake for about 1,500 yen per 45ml cup. - 1:30PM
- 2nd brewery
With a 250 year old history, this is one of the smallest brewery in Nada area. The production volume is as small as 40,000 bottles of 1.8 L each per year. They are a high-quality brand that is famous all over Japan, even though the production scale is small. We will taste unpasteurized-sake, which can only enjoyed in Japan.*Please note that this brewery is closed on weekends, but we will arrange to visit another brewery.
- 2:00PM
- 3rd brewery
The biggest brewery in Japan! You will walk along huge sake tank, and get into sake museum. Let’s wear happi, half size Japanese cloth, take photo for memory. - 3:00PM
- 4th brewery
With 63 years of experience, the final and last brewery that we will visit features a sake master who’s become a symbol to this brewery. While making traditional, high quality sake, it’s also taking a new innovative and creative route. For example, they produce sake using Whiskey production methods, by utilizing American Oak. Using Sherry wine barrels imported from France, this brewery ages the sake with it. They also came up with the idea of mixing sake and Chardonnay, giving this new beverage a very refreshing twist. It will change the way you see sake. This is also optional, there is a paid tasting counter where you can enjoy small cheese platter from top dairy cattle raised in Mt. Rokko.*Please note that this brewery is closed on Mondays, but we will arrange to visit another brewery.
- 3:30PM
- Finish at Uozaki station on Hanshin Line.
Pick-up and Drop-off Location
Kobe City Center（Shin-Kobe・Sannomiya Station・Hotels in Chuo Ward・Kobe Port）
*For other areas, additional fees may be charged. Please contact us.
Vehicle Type
Van and sedan type vehicles are available.
Location
Reviews
★★★★★
Truly Amazing !! Seigo is the Best!!!
“Our tour guide Seigo was extraordinary, he was very compassionate, considerate, kind and such a sweet soul. He enlightened us with not only his kindness but the history of Kyoto throughout our tour, took us to many beautiful scenery’s and guided us to indulge in many different forms and flavors of sake. We walked away so thrilled by this experience and would have to say it was one of the best, thank you so much for a wonderful time and highly recommend everyone do this tour!
You do have to pay at the last location if you choose to do the extra 18 Sake tasting, which we did and do not regret at all, HIGHLY WORTH IT!”
jacinda a (August 13, 2023)
★★★★★
Great sake tour and guide Seigo
“Our tour guide Seigo, was absolutely lovely. He was knowledgeable and interesting to listen to. He was personable and made the tour fun. So did the sake.”
Yvonne (August 3, 2023)
★★★★★
Fantastic, Memorable, Recommended
This is a fantastic experience for me. I have learned a lot from Seigo, and become more interested in Sake. The most amazing part is the last stop where I tried the sherry cask brewed Sake. As a whisky lover, I really enjoyed it. BTW the little Tofu shop was lovely and the taste was original and traditional.
Vivian Wang (August 2, 2023)
