This is a sweets tour by a guide who loves sweets and lives currently in Kobe.
The tour takes you to the famous sightseeing spots around Kobe by a cab. Afterwards, we will take you to the Motomachi shopping district with rich history of Kobe Sweets.
A mouth-watering information about each store’s specialty awaits.
With the sweets shop tour, we can stop by at your favorite store on a request basis!
Enjoy Be Toraberu’s original souvenir perk and Fugetsudo special eat-in menu. Finally, the tour will take you to the B1F of Daimaru, where Kobe’s famous local sweets stores are located.
3:00PM
Meet near Sannomiya and go around Kobe’s famous sightseeing spots by chartered taxi.
Freundlieb, Kitano Ijinkan, Kitano Temple (Mosque, Synagogue, Jaina, etc.), Kobe Old Settlement, Meriken Park, Kobe Harborland, etc.
4:00PM
Stroll around Kobe Motomachi Shopping Street and stop by Kameido’s main branch.
4:30PM
Enjoy pancakes at Fugetsudo Café.
5:00PM
Kannonya, Hontaka, Sanwa Fruits Mixed Juice, Ichibankan (Chocolates from Around the World), Introduction of Königskrone.
5:30PM
Part ways in front of Daimaru (east side of Königskrone) where famous Kobe sweet stores are lined up.
Notes:
Comfortable attire and walking shoes are recommended.
It is said that the name of Kobe originates from the Ikuta Shrine.
We will visit each shrine after drawing a fortune “Mizu-mikuji” a famous item at the Ikuta Shrine.
We also take a taxi and visit some famous monuments in Kobe.
Let’s pray for good health and good luck by visiting eight shrines.
At the end of the tour, we will have a traditional Japanese lunch.
9:45
Meet at West Gate of Hankyu Sannomiya Station
10:00
Departing from the Ikuta Shrine
10:15
Ichinomiya Shrine → Ninomiya Shrine → Sannomiya Shrine → Yonomiya Shrine → Gonomiya Shrine → Rokunomiya Shrine & Hachinomiya Shrine → Shichinomiya Shrine
Bounding for Kitano-cho Area by Taxi
13:15
Lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant
※ Comfortable shoes and clothes for walking are recommended.
This is a chartered taxi and bus service that is convenient for sightseeing in Kobe and its suburbs.
The route can be decided by the customer, so you can go where you want to go in the order you want.
We offer plans that allow you to go sightseeing not only in Kobe but also outside the city, so you can take a short trip to Awaji Island etc…
Since the tour is completely private, you can enjoy sightseeing at your leisure without worrying about the time.
We can also arrange for a tour guide in English as an option.
※All fees related to the car (ex. vehicles, fuel expenses, parking fees, highway tolls) are included in this price.
※The vehicle you reserve that might look different from the one displayed in this image.
Options
English Speaking Driver
4 Hours 30,000 JPY / 8 Hours 30,000 JPY
This option is only offered for taxi, mini van, hiace van. It is not offered for buses.
Tour Guide
4 Hours 20,000 JPY / 8 Hours 33,000 JPY
A professional tour guide that is approved by the Japanese government.
English Staff
4 Hours 14,000 JPY / 8 Hours 25,000 JPY
English staff would not able to explain sightseeing spots, but can help communication with drivers.
Extension Fees
Please contact us for fees of extended hours.
Recommended Sightseeing Root
＜Inside Kobe City＞
４ Hours
Pick up at hotels within Kobe → Sannomiya Station(seeing from the bus) → The Former Foreign Settlement of Kobe → Nankin-machi → Meriken Park → Kobe Harbor Land(seeing from the bus) → Minatogawa Shrine(seeing from the bus) → Kitano Area → Nunobiki Herb Gardens
８ Hours
Pick up at hotels within Kobe → Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum → Nunobiki Herb Gardens → Lanch at Nankin-machi → Cruise at Kobe Port → Meriken Park → Back to Kobe
＜Kobe City & Surrounding Cities＞
Recommended sightseeing route for 8 hours
〜Bound for Himeji Area〜（about 6 hours)
Pick up at hotels within Kobe or Sannomiya Station → Otemae Street → Ote-mon Gate → Himeji Castle → KOKO-EN (Japanese Garden) → lunchtime → Mt.Shosha Ropeway → Shoshazan Engyoji Temple → souvenir shopping near Himeji Station → Kobe City (can also disband in Himeji)
〜Bound for Awaji area ～（about 6 hours)
Pick up at hotels within Kobe or Sannomiya Station → Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge (seeing from the bus or SA) → HELLO KITTY SMILE (seeing from the bus) → Hokudan Earthquake Memorial Park → Parche Aroma Museum (activity & lunch) → Sumoto Castle Ruins → Awaji World Park (seeing from the bus) → Fukimodoshi no Sato (seeing from the bus) → Awaji SA → Kobe City
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation fees shall be charged.
14-8 days before the date of departure ： 20% of the total cost
7-3 days before the date of departure ： 30% of the total cost
2-1 days before the date of departure ： 50% of the total cost
on the day of departure : 100% of the total cost
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
Meet up in front of the ticket gate of Ishiyagawa station on Hanshin Line.
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.
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)
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)
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)
Meet up at the main gate of Kobe China Town / Introduce to each other
11:15AM
Workshop about Kobe beef at the seminar room-.
*This part is served as presentation from my coworker with showing video/photos of cattle ranch or data.
11:45PM
Question Tournament
*Who answer all the questions correctly could get some special gifts?!
12:00PM
Move to our restaurant / cooking experience with iron plate
12:30PM
bon appétit! Enjoy set menu with Kobe beef and conversation
