Osaka Private Tour: Explore Vibrant City with Licensed Guide

Experience the vibrant city of Osaka on a private tour with licensed guides. Explore iconic landmarks, indulge in local cuisine, and immerse yourself in the unique culture of Osaka!

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Dotombori District - We will take a walk through Dotonbori street with its huge billboards, hundreds of restaurants and food stalls selling local foods including the famous Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki.
  • Shinsekai - Shinsekai , the New World, with it’s Tsutenkaku, the Osaka Eiffel tower, kushikatsu and Billiken , the God of wealth and money. Shinsekai is also home to Spa World, a huge bath complex with a large number of pools on a European themed floor and an Asian themed floor (enjoyed naked and gender separated).
  • Osaka Castle - Osaka Castle is certainly one of the most famous landmarks in Japan, and for good reason. This five-story castle is one of the most visually spectacular creations in the country, with a history that dates back almost 450 years!
  • Minami (Namba) - Located around Namba Station, Minami (南, “South”) is one of Osaka’s two major city centers. It is the city’s most famous entertainment district and offers abundant dining and shopping choices. The district is easily accessible as it is served by three train companies as well as three subway lines and a highway bus terminal. The other major city center is Kita (北, “North”) which is located around Osaka and Umeda Stations.
  • Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine - Osaka’s Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社, “Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine”) is one of Japan’s oldest shrines. Founded in the 3rd century before the introduction of Buddhism, it displays a unique style of shrine architecture, called Sumiyoshi-zukuri, that is free of influence from the Asian mainland. Only two other shrine architecture styles are also considered purely Japanese: Shinmei-zukuri as seen at the Ise Shrines and Taisha-zukuri as seen at Izumo Taisha.
  • Shitennoji - Shitennoji (四天王寺, Shitennōji) is one of Japan’s oldest temples and the first ever to be built by the state. It was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku, who supported the introduction of Buddhism into Japan. Although the temple’s buildings burned down several times throughout the centuries, they were always carefully reconstructed to reflect the original 6th century design.

The outer temple grounds are free to enter, but admission to the inner precinct, the Gokuraku-jodo Garden and the treasure house is paid. In the pebble covered courtyard of the inner precinct stand a five-storied pagoda that can be entered and ascended and the Main Hall (Kondo) in which Prince Shotoku is enshrined as a statue of Kannon.

  • Umeda Sky Building - The Umeda Sky Building (梅田スカイビル) is a spectacular high rise building in the Kita district of Osaka, near Osaka and Umeda Stations. It is also known as the “New Umeda City”.

The 173 meter tall building consists of two towers that are connected with each other by the “Floating Garden Observatory” on the 39th floor. The observatory offers great views of the city through its windows and from its open-air deck. In the basement, there is a restaurant floor that replicates a town of the early Showa Period, while offices occupy most other floors.

  • Kuromon Market - Kuromon Market (黒門市場, Kuromon Ichiba) is a covered public market that stretches around 600 meters parallel to Sakaisujidori Street in the Minami area of Osaka. The market has about 150 shops that predominantly sell fish, meat and produce, with other shops also purveying traditional sweets and low priced clothes and homeware. The market dates back to the Edo Period, and today makes for an atmospheric place to stroll around, shop and eat a variety of different street foods.
  • The National Museum of Art, Osaka - The National Museum of Art, Osaka (also known as NMAO) is an underground museum housing a major art collection on the island of Nakanoshima in central Osaka.
What's Included
  • Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Osaka
  • Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
  • Customizable Tour of your choice of 2-3 sites from ‘What to expect’ list
What's Not Included
  • Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
  • Private transportation
  • You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
  • Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.
Additional Information

Join us for an in-depth walking journey through the lively city of Osaka, led by our seasoned English-speaking guides who are also government-certified! We’ll check out Osaka’s stunning castle, sample iconic Takoyaki in the famed Dotonbori District and embrace the old-school atmosphere of the Shinsekai District, known for its oversized blowfish lantern. During your day, the myriad spirited and alive attractions of Osaka will captivate you. Worked up an appetite from all the sightseeing? Osaka, dubbed as the ‘Kitchen of Japan’, is ready to tantalize you with its plethora of rich local dishes. Secure your tour with us in Osaka for the best okonomiyaki dining spots!

After you’ve placed your booking, a guide will follow up to discuss your customized tour. Nominate 2 to 3 locations you’re keen to explore and your guide will design a personalized route. If you’re unsure of where to go, allow the guide to propose their curated itinerary based on your preferences.
We invite you to discover the distinctive culture of Osaka with us! Or, as per the colloquial Osaka language, ‘Maido’!

  • This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot.
Location
Dotombori District
Chuo-ku,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(219 Ratings)
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Wwmaui
Oct 7, 2024
Great Guide in Osaka Japan - We had a terrific time with Yama our guide today. He made visiting Osaka very enjoyable and fun. His knowledge of all the sites we visited coupled with his great personality and sense of humor made our day in Osaka so memorable. Thank you Yama for all the great photos you took that we will treasure always. We would highly recommend you as a guide to anyone.. Thank you again for a great day and we wish you all the best.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rionac2015
Oct 3, 2024
Awesome tour with Yuko Kishihara - We had Yuko Kishihara as our guide and she did a wonderful job. She took my mother in law to Osaka castle, Shitenno-ji and Umeda sky building. She was knowledgeable and patiently helped us with the Osaka amazing pass (which she recommended ahead of time). She also picked up and dropped off my MIL at her hotel. We highly recommend Yuko as a guide for anyone’s first time to Osaka! Thank you again for a great day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Coastal43639767092
Oct 2, 2024
Great tour guide for Osaka - Yama San was a knowledgeable and informative guide, who knows much about Osaka, its history, food and sights. He provided exactly what I needed for this tour--a great overview of the town and what makes it exciting. I'd highly recommend that you book with Yama! A side note: You should be prepared to walk a lot. Not for people who can not walk too much.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meander13020260057
Oct 1, 2024
Basic tour in Osaka - Very good experience, recommended for basic knowledge of Osaka. Everything was very well organized and our Yuji Guide was excellent, friendly and patient. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessica_g
Sep 30, 2024
Great tour - Yama was the best tour guide! So knowledgeable and showed us great places to eat. We had a nice time with him
Review provided by Viator
Go43947418113
Sep 29, 2024
Totally worth it! - Our guide YUKA was great. She was very accommodating and knowledgeable. She jammed a heap of spots in for us. Helped us get IC cards as well
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janicee535
Sep 28, 2024
Osaka made easy - Good tour of Osaka, we were on a tight schedule and it was easier to have a knowledgeable guide show us the main point of interest. We recommend :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annie
Sep 27, 2024
Osaka tour guide - We had a wonderful day with our tour Guide Yuko Kishahara experiancing the sights of Osaka and eating great food! I would highly recommend Yuko as a guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Global14633210824
Sep 24, 2024
Amazing Osaka tour with Sachiko!! - Our tour guide Sachiko was amazing! She was there right we got off the bullet train, and bought us to all the places we requested plus a few extra. She also pointed out many historical landmarks and went into depth about he history and meaning behind the landmarks. Sachiko was very accomdating also gave good recommendations on where to shop and eat.Sachiko also took a lot of great pictures for us. At the end of the tour, she even helped us get on our next train to Kobe, which she didn't have to, but she did and it was so greatly appreciated. I would recommend Sachiko to anyone going on a tour in Osaka!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thomas_w
Sep 27, 2024
Not very flexible - Our guide met us near the cruise terminal with our name on a sign and we were half hour early! He seemed knowledgeable about our stops but I always hope for insights about current culture along the way. What is the education system? Public/private? Employment base for young people starting out etc. I believe our guide was hard of hearing which makes it a bit tough and rather one sided conversation. He walked so fast there was no room for conversation along the way. After the first stop we told the guide I didn't do UP stairs well. We took a taxi to the castle and had to traverse a fair number of stairs to get in. Paid for the tickets and saw the elevators were not working and there were 8 floors! Maybe it's an unrealistic hope that guide would have known ahead OR realized at the time and substituted another place. It all depends on the guide you get. Ours was ok but could have been better.
Review provided by Viator
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1 Adult
October 2024
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