Experience Osaka
Beyond the Guidebooks

This is one of the best tours we have had - Maria did an amazing job introducing us to the local foods around Osaka and introducing us to the culture and sites of the city. The food was fabulous! We highly recommend Maria!

Really good tour with guide Maria. Interesting insight into Osaka at my pace based on my interests. Maria contacted me in advance so she could plan my tour.

Maria was amazing. We had delicious food, saw some great hidden gems, and enjoyed the entire experience.

It was just before 3:00 p.m. when we met in front of an unassuming little shop and quickly fell into conversation. What struck me right away was how open-minded, friendly, and flexible my guide was, especially when I mentioned that I had already seen much of Osaka. After a short moment of consideration, we set off together. We first strolled through a small market area where everyday goods were being sold. I shared my fascination for Japanese knives and swords, and she immediately suggested visiting a local master knife maker and his shop. After finishing at the market, that’s exactly where we went. The knife shop was just a stone’s throw from Osaka Tower. From the outside it looked modest, but as soon as we stepped in, it became clear that this was a high-end specialty store with a beautiful selection of excellent pieces displayed in glass cases. I was warmly welcomed and received excellent advice. To my pleasant surprise, my guide knew the saleswoman personally, which instantly created a friendly and familiar atmosphere. As it turned out, I would return the next day to purchase one of these finely crafted kitchen knives as a souvenir to take back home to Germany :). After this stop, we took a short walk along the busy tourist street around the tower, where I had the chance to try one of Osaka’s local specialties. Soon after, we ended up in a cozy little bar where a group of locals was enjoying karaoke. My guide and I were quickly drawn into the fun and had a wonderful time singing and laughing together with them. A few small glasses of sake later, it was already time for the next highlight: a traditional Japanese seafood restaurant where the dishes were grilled live and then served with a paddle. We were lucky to get a seat at this very popular spot, and the food was simply outstanding. To conclude the tour, she took me to a small hidden shrine tucked away in the back alleys of Dōtonbori, where the local priest even invited us to take part in a ceremony. Finally, our paths parted in the lively pedestrian area of Dōtonbori. 5/5 stars! It was truly a wonderful afternoon and evening. Thank you so much! In my opinion, a real insider tip ;)

Khalid kindly met st our hotel to begin the tour that included explaining modern Osaka and buildings vs Japan history and formation at the Osaka Castle and grounds. Then trained to Abeno Harukas Tower to view the city from above (300m) and walked through Tennoji city parks, markets and food precincts ending at Dotonbori and Glico man.

Guide was brillant, very informative, helpful and fun.

Our guide was so kind for waiting for us when the shinkansen got delayed 2 hrs due to rain and help us during the process of changing trains, the tour was perfect and his insights of the country were really good, he has great personality and really kind

This tour was wonderful, our guide, Khalid, was extremely knowledgeable on both the history of the area and he was able to make fantastic recommendations on local food to eat and other attractions we were interested in seeing. I strongly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a great day in Osaka.

There was a lot fit into our 4 hour tour in Osaka. Taku showed us all the highlights and some extra small hidden gems that really added to the experience. A well rounded and balanced tour between history and culture.

It is 100% recommended, Taku is a very professional and pleasant person. Unforgettable market, really a good place to visit in Osaka.

Taku was a wonderful guide- we will request him again when we come back next year!

Amazing evening- great food, great company and we learnt loads!

We wanted to start our first day in Osaka with a guided tour to make sure we could get our bearings. We met up with Harhui at 10 am and had such an amazing time! She showed us the small out of the way places that had the most delightful foods and drinks. She also advised us on the best tea to purchase and helped us with finding different places we were told we must visit. Harhui was an amazing host and we would highly recommend her to anyone. Thank you, Harhui for being a part of our day today. ❤️

Haruhi listened to what we were interested in and planned out a wonderful 3 hour tour of Osaka. We highly recommend her as a tour guide.

Haruhi gave us a wonderful introduction to "Japan's Kitchen" on our recent trip to Osaka. Our afternoon was well planned offering us chances to sample several of Osaka's most interesting specialty flavors while enjoying the street scene that makes this city unique. Pace was perfectly casual.....and flexible enough for us to stop as we wished. Haruhi is an absolute delight to be with. Eat as much as or little as you like...and enjoy every morsel. We did!!!

Must see places in short time…adapted to your interest and speed…quick and exploring… well guided…convient timing

My wife and I really enjoyed our 4-hour walking tour with our guide Max. He was punctual, knowledgeable, and pleasant, easy to talk to. He had a great path laid out for us and we got to see some of the exciting busier street with shops and supermarkets, as well as a walk to Osaka Castle and through the park. A very nice taste of Osaka. Max guided us through public transportation with ease, and gave excellent recommendations on where to sample local cuisine and even dropped us off at a Sukiyaki restaurant on request right inside Osaka station. Would recommend this tour and Max. We logged over 20,000 steps walking on our particular tour.

Max was an amazing guide and knowledgeable of the tour spots he set up for me!! Great mix of modern melle Dotinbori and temple culture. Loved my experience from a c9ntemporary point of view as well. Arigato so much!!

Max was fantastic—friendly, knowledgeable, and showed us both famous spots and hidden gems. They tailored the day to our interests and made everything easy and fun. A perfect way to experience Osaka. Highly recommend

Kanna was amazing, showed us everywhere we wanted to go and went above and beyond for our Tour! Would 100% come back and get another tour with her next time we visit Osaka. You have to choose this tour, it’s the best they offer in Osaka

We have the best tour guides all over Japan. They were all very friendly and all fabulous. Rei in Himeji was exceptional. Helpful. Planned and booked a fantastic lunch and had extra little videos to show us at assorted locations. She was perfection. She arranged our tour such that we would get to each of the different locations with less crowds, and in the least hot part of the day. She took us to locations that other people might’ve bypassed. Marie in Tokyo was SO COOL! She was knowledgeable and friendly and amazing! She had a lot of knowledge about the city and really got along with my daughter when they realize they shared an interest in the same music. We Have a great time with her. Eugene, and Kyoto was wonderful. We opted for the night tour, so even though a lot of the shrines were closed, we got to see them just not enter them, which was OK because we didn’t need to enter every single shrine in Kyoto. He told us all about Guyon and the history and the architecture And what they do to the cedar on the buildings. He told us the history of the place he told us some pop culture about the place. And he took us to an incredible Ramen place. He also took us in and around the different areas where there were less crowds, but more beauties than We even expected. In Osaka,, Kanna Took us on a food tour that was exceptional. She also managed to get us a tea room excursion after our event because a friend she had in town. Everything we tried to book was sold out, and she made one phone call and we were in by 4:30. she was incredibly funny, very helpful and oh my gosh, the food in Osaka! I can’t even. Our final Tori, Nora, with the peaceful, playful deer, ha ha, was really wonderful. Our tour guide, Eugene was fantastic. He took us first, up to the top of the building so we can see the whole city. He then took us in and around and through all of the most important parts of Nora. And he was wonderful to talk to you. Thank you so much for your incredible staff and all of your incredible tours.

Thank you so much!! We LOVED our tour guide and our tour! Kanna/Candy was utterly delightful! She knew so many great places and she even managed to get us into a last minute traditional tea ceremony!!

Kanna was excellent, friendly, and pleasant. I enjoyed my tour.

Thank you Alex! I had an excellent day touring Osaka with you. I loved the historical components and the sites we visited. It would’ve been fun to eat at a few more places but our time was still well spent. It was easy to meet Alex for the tour. He messaged me the day before which I found helpful and appreciate because I know I’d have a hard time planning that. Alex was very knowledgeable and engaged; he checked in with me often to personalize our tour and was very enthusiastic and energetic about sharing his unique knowledge and experiences on Japan. I could tell he was invested in me having the best experience possible which I so appreciate.

Tour was awesome and Alex was great. He took us to all the sights he had planned and we didn’t feel like we were rushed. Definitely our best tour yet.

Alex was fantastic. Very good with the kids and super flexible to their ever changing needs. Also had lots of knowledge of locations and culture which made for some great conversation for the Adults.

With a very indecisive 11yo and 1 super energetic 8yo, doing guided tours can be a challenge. Alex almost immediately put that at ease with his warm and welcoming personality. He was very accomodating of the children’s needs and had some great idea’s for things to do with them that they enjoyed very much. That alone was more than enough, however his knowledge of the area and its culture made for some very interesting conversation for the adults as well. It was an absolute pleasure and I highly recommend Alex as a guide.

Interesting tour of local spots and food with great explanations of the history behind what we saw. Thanks Kieran for a lovely informative afternoon!

Kieran was able to answer all question we had about history and current topics such as the economy and various other more present day topics. We never stopped talking. We very much enjoyed our time together.

He was a great guide. Knew his stuff, and was fun and friendly!

Kieran is an exceptional tour guide. I have been on many tours around the world and this was the best one I have been on. There was a mixup on where we were supposed to meet and he made the effort to go out of his way about 25 minutes to find me. We then spent almost 8 hours together, and I learned so much about the history and culture of both Osaka and Japan. Kieran is Canadian so the conversation in English was easy and understandable. He is also a foodie which helped make our day enjoyable. He is really a nice enjoyable guy.

Great tour. Miki was very pleasant and entertaining. She did a great job of taking us around. We had some rain and wind and she adjusted to make the best of things!

Hello! My husband and I enjoyed our time with Miki in Osaka. She met us at the cruise ship and we started our day riding the subway to the Osaka station and visited the castle. We did a lot of walking that day and the day flew by. Miki is very responsive ahead of the tour, she’s extremely personable & provided us with a nice overview of Osaka, where she has lived her entire life. We got hungry so Miki took us to the Dotonburi area where we found a great place to eat. The rest of our time was spent having lunch and then Miki took us to the correct train and stayed with us until ours came. We didn’t get to see much but that was probably mostly our fault because we chose to walk our way to the castle instead of catching the little train and the walk took up a lot of our time. Something to note - be sure to bring enough money to pay for Miki’s transportation expense over the course of the day. I was not aware that we had to do that because I didn’t see it noted on the tour description. I didn’t mind - it was less than 1,000¥ - and I was glad I had the cash with me. Just sharing so you know in advance! We recommend and think you will enjoy your time with Miki!

Hello! My husband and I enjoyed our time with Miki in Osaka. She met us at the cruise ship and we started our day riding the subway to the Osaka station and visited the castle. We did a lot of walking that day and the day flew by. Miki is very responsive ahead of the tour, she’s extremely personable & provided us with a nice overview of Osaka, where she has lived her entire life. We got hungry so Miki took us to the Dotonburi area where we found a great place to eat. The rest of our time was spent having lunch and then Miki took us to the correct train and stayed with us until ours came. We didn’t get to see much but that was probably mostly our fault because we chose to walk our way to the castle instead of catching the little train and the walk took up a lot of our time. A few things to note - be sure to bring enough money to pay for Miki’s transportation expense over the course of the day. I was not aware that we had to do that because I didn’t see it noted on the tour description. I didn’t mind - it was less than 1,000¥ - and I was glad I had the cash with me. Just sharing so you know in advance! We recommend and think you will enjoy your time with Miki!

Our guide, Miki, is from Osaka where our tour was. She showed us some areas and shared what she loves about her city. She makes friends wherever she goes. We felt like we were connected to the people and the sites we seen. Thank you for a great day.

Hiroki was a great guide. Friendly and a pleasure to spend the day with.

Hiroki took us on a food tour through the highlights is Osakas most famous treats. We had a wonderful evening enjoying the sites and sounds of Osaka while also experiencing the great food it had to offer.

So much fun, Tiaga was a wonderful guide, we tried some of Osaka snacks and walked the streets of Shinsekai and saw the tower, we also went right up to the top to some beautiful views of the city. We tried our luck at shooting at a game to win some lollies and tried our had and archery. We had a 4 hour tour and wished it was longer !!!

Excellent food with a very flexible tour guide. It really is a cheated experience that left me completely satisfied. You won't be disappointed!

So happy we did it got to see bits of Osaka and get a bit of history as well as some tasty food . Our guide Taiga was so friendly and full of knowledge . Thank you!

Taiga was very friendly and patient . It was extremely hot today . But made sure we were comfortable . Took us to the places we were interested in. Answered our questions for us. Will keep him in mind for the next time we travel to Japan . Hopefully . Thankyou

We had an amazing first-time experience in Osaka with Mayura as our guide! She was very friendly and knowledgeable, showing us not only the highlights but also hidden spots we never would have found on our own. What made the tour truly special was the cultural insight — not just the history, but also learning about the current culture and everyday life in Osaka. Places like Osaka Castle felt much more alive after hearing Mayura’s stories compared to just reading about them in a guidebook. This tour gave us a deeper appreciation of the city, both past and present. Highly recommend!

Guide was helpful and informative

Mayura was a great communicator and guide! She arranged for us to rent kimonos. Then she took my family and I to see the temples. She showed us some sights around Kyoto. We had a lovely day taking beautiful & memorable family photos. I would highly recommend!

Our guide, Mayura, was absolutely wonderful. She showed us so many stunning places throughout Osaka and made us feel like family. I am so grateful to have met her as she made this tour the highlight of our trip so far. Highly recommend!

We enjoyed this tour although we ran out of time to go to the castle. Ryan was a very friendly and informative tour guide. Highly recommend!

Our guide Ryan was American and very friendly had a lot of knowledge about Osaka and the area took us on subway.

EXCELENT VERY NICE GUY PERFECT ENGLISH GAVE US MANY INSITES. No stingy on time. Tour was beyond expectations. Well worth value for your money.

We had a great experience with Timea touring some of Osaka. She took us through Dotonbori and Kuromon markets sharing some of her favorite foods to try. We enjoyed shopping for souvenirs and gifts for friends and family. Timea also took us to Hozen-Ji Temple, which was a lovely experience and our son even received a great blessing. Timea was very knowledgeable about the history of Osaka and navigating us through the area. We can’t wait to visit Osaka again.

Timea was very helpful with her suggestions of places and restaurants. Her class on how to use the train in Osaka was great.

La atención de Timea, fue paciente, agradable, atenta. Tenía referencias interesantes sobre los lugares que visitamos y sus recomendaciones fueron de mucha utilidad para disfrutar de este paseo y saber más sobre Japón. Timea's attention was patient, pleasant, attentive. Had interesting references about The places we visited, and their recommendations were very useful to enjoy. of this walk and know more about Japan.

Exactly the evening I was looking for!!

We recently completed a half-day walking tour of Osaka with our guide, Shingo, and it truly exceeded our expectations. The tour was jam-packed from start to finish, allowing us to see an incredible variety of sights, including a stunning castle, beautiful temples, and shrines, as well as two vibrant city markets. Shingo was a wealth of knowledge, sharing fascinating insights about each location we visited. He had a remarkable way of engaging with everyone in our group, which included our kids, making the tour enjoyable for all ages. His sense of humor added an extra layer of fun to the experience, turning what could have been a simple sightseeing tour into a memorable adventure. This tour was an excellent way to get a real feel for Osaka, its culture, and its history. Shingo’s enthusiasm for the city was contagious, and we left feeling like we had not only seen the sights but also gained a deeper understanding of the local way of life. If you're looking for a fantastic way to explore Osaka, I highly recommend this walking tour with Shingo. It’s perfect for families and anyone wanting to experience the city in a fun and engaging manner!

SHINGO is The Man ! we had a fantastic time, or guide was very informative, attentive and knowledgeable. would highly recommend this tour for first timers or repeat travellers.

From the start this tour was amazing. Shingo was very communicative from the start, asking what we wanted to see and go. He planned it according to what we wanted. He was flexible with the itinerary, made suggestions and kept lines of communication open from the moment I booked the tour. Being from Osaka he’s very knowledgeable in the history of Osaka and Japan in general. He’s the kind of guide that you’d love to have through out your stay in Japan. We had such a fun time with him, we asked him to join us for dinner to celebrate my husband’s birthday. We would definitely book him again the next time we return to Japan.

We had a spectacular visit to the Shitennouji Buddhist temple where we witnessed and participated in a chanting ceremony led by the head monk. This was quite serendipitous and a lovely experience. Shingo introduced us to a fantastic knife store in the Douguyasuji arcade where we bought five beautiful additions to our kitchen collection. We had lunch in the Green Earth vegan restaurant and saw gorgeous cherry blossoms in the grounds of the Osaka castle. Altogether a very lovely day. Thank you Shingo.