Seiko T.

4.98 / 5
(88 reviews)
 

Available Areas

Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji

 

Languages

English, Japanese (Native)

 

Response Time

1 day on average

 

Availability Updated

1 day ago

 

About Tour Guide Seiko T.

Hello! I am Seiko, National Licensed Guide since 2007.

I was born and raised in Kurashiki (Okayama pref.), spent my college days in Kyoto, lived in Osaka for more than 15 years and recently moved to a city near Nagano (guiding in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara etc during peak season).

I studied in Wisconsin, USA and worked as a translator/interpreter, market researcher, and executive assistant for global companies for many years where I enjoyed spending a precious time with people from different backgrounds and cultures and broaden my world and horizons.

I myself am a traveler for life, been to more than 30 countries and all the prefectures in Japan, and always excited to help my clients with their planning. I am also a hiker, kayaker, scuba diver, and snowboarder enjoying myself mostly outdoors in every season.

Besides city tours in Osaka and Kyoto, my tours can stretch to introducing local food and drinks, sake/beer brewery visit, visiting less-touristy areas, excursions to enjoy the nature such as walking/hiking tours, baseball games, tours for kids, onsen day-out, and more!

Let's have a fun time and unique experience with me!

Important Notes before booking:

1. Please check availability with me, even for open dates, before booking!

2. Transportation fee, entrance fee, and lunch/dinner for you and guide during the tour are NOT INCLUDED in the guide fee and to be paid at each site. Please bring enough cash to separately pay them during the tour. (Licensed guides get free admission at temples/shrines/castles and most tourist attractions, except for some facilities like aquarium, zoo, amusement parks, etc.)

3. Please let me know IN ADVANCE if anyone in your group has any physical challenge and/or food allergies.

Thank you!


Important

Please note below before booking and contact me first for availability:

1. My schedule on GoWithGuide site is open for the next 3-month only.

2. All my listed tours include hotel pick-up fee and guide fee. Please ask for quote for custom tours.

3. For tours in the peak season, I am currently prioritizing mult-day tour requests (at least two "full-day" tours per group) and accept one-day request between the booked tours etc.

***Excursions ***

I can guide you in Okayama (including Naoshima and Kurashiki), Hiroshima (Onomichi, Shimanami islands cycling, Miyajima, etc.) and Shikoku (Iya valley etc.) if you pay for my transportation.

The above areas can be visited from Osaka/Kyoto in one or two days.

Tours

Kyoto Essentials: Full-Day Private Tour

Kyoto
7 hours 30 min

Discover Kyoto's most popular & memorable sites! This is a semi-tailored tour so you can choose a few spots from my recommendations in addition to two must-see sites. You'll also learn how to use public transportation system in Kyoto and tips for other points of interest that you're looking at for the rest of your days in Japan. This tour is good for first timers in Kyoto on the first day! *PLEASE MESSAGE ME BEFORE BOOKING

FROM$261/ per group

Osaka 1-day Grand Tour

Osaka
7 hours

7-8 hour quick tour to cover "must-see" sites in Osaka! After learning a bit about the history of Osaka during Osaka castle visit, you will visit nostalgic street of Shinsekai, Japanese subculture mecca and gadget paradise of Nipponbashi street, gourmand street of Kuromon Market, and Dotonbori street with glittering signs. PLEASE MESSAGE ME BEFORE BOOKING

FROM$249/ per group

Nara & Osaka 1-day Tour

Nara
8 hours

Visit Nara and Osaka must-see sites in one day including Nara "deer" park, Great Buddha at Todaiji Temple, Osaka Castle, and Dotonbori for the evening. Tour itinerary is flexible so you can focus on one of the two areas. Good for those who have a limited time and start to feel you've seen too many shrines and temples in Kyoto.

FROM$261/ per group

Fushimi & Uji -Local Delicacy of Sake and Green Tea!

Kyoto
7 hours

While the tour covers the popular Fushimi Inari Shrine and Uji Byodoin Temple, we'll also spend some time in Fushimi sake district for sake tasting and local lunch at an old sake brewery. In Uji, the home of the best Japanese tea, we'll visit traditional tea houses and enjoy their special tea that many eminent Shoguns also appreciated. PLEASE MESSAGE ME BEFORE BOOKING

FROM$249/ per group

Osaka/Namba Evening Tour for Foodies

Osaka
3 hours 30 min

Backstreets in Namba offer lots of great little shops, restaurants and bars for the locals. I will take you to the area and ask you choose 2-3 spots and restaurants to visit. You'll start the tour from Nipponbashi (Osaka's sub-cultural mecca) or Doguyasuji (kitchen equipment street including potteries and knives) and end the tour in Dotonbori. Kuromon Market is optional.

FROM$124/ per group

Himeji Castle & Kobe City Photogenic Tour (+ Hanshin Tigers game!)

Hyogo
8 hours

Visit the most famous and beautiful castle of Japan - Himeji Castle with 400 years of histoty In the afternoon, we'll visit Kobe, known as a cosmopolitan city located between the Rokko Mountain Range and Kobe Harbor, attracting many tourists with its amazing night view. You can choose to enjoy the view from the mountain, harbor or both sides. PLEASE MESSAGE ME BEFORE BOOKING

FROM$249/ per group

Reviews

A

Alison W.

5 / 5
Apr 8, 2024

Amazing, highly recommended!

Seiko, my family and I can't thank you enough for such an amazing, information Kyoto cultural experience. Our tour was above and beyond our expectations, with bonus hidden attractions on the day that we would never of seen without you. I wouldn't hesitate booking with you again and highly recommend you to anyone looking for a friendly knowledgeable guide. Thank you again.

Seiko T.

Thank you Alison for your kind words! It was the busiest week in Kyoto I've ever seen but thanks to your flexibility and willingness to walk extra miles to see hidden attractions, the tour went smoothly and most importantly, I am very happy that your whole family enjoyed the day in Kyoto! Hope you also had a great time in the other destinations of Japan. Seiko

K

Kim D.

5 / 5
Feb 22, 2024

Fantastic time in Fushimi and Uji with Seiko!

We had an outstanding experience with Seiko-san as our guide to visit Fushimi and Uji! She's such a fun and super friendly person to show you around the sights, and she's fluent in English since she lived in the U.S. We spent the whole day with her learning about matcha and sake, and she took us to a wonderful sake tasting bar in Fushimi that we would have never discovered on our own! We are sad we did not book her for more days while we were in the Osaka/Kyoto area. She's the best guide we had while visiting Japan! Sorry for forgetting to submit the review sooner, Seiko, but we will definitely call you when we come back to visit - hopefully this year! Kim, Gary, and Sandra

Seiko T.

Hi Kim! Super excited to hear from you about our tour in Fushimi and Uji as I also enjoyed the time with you guys so much! Glad to know it was not my one-way love, hahaha! I was also impressed how much planning you've done, which led to your having a great time in this special area. I also felt we didn't spend enough time together and have more to show, so hope to see you again in Japan! Seiko

V

Viktoria V.

5 / 5
Nov 30, 2023

Great day tril to Nara and Osaka

Had an amazing time with Seiko for a day trip to Nara and Osaka. We managed to see all the main attractions and didn’t feel rushed. Seiko was very responsive, helpful, knowledgable and caring. Highly recommend

Seiko T.

Thank you so much for your kind review. I had an amazing time with you as well! It was just so easy to go around with someone who loves to walk, see the nature, try to eat something new, and interact with the locals! Hope you'll have a great time for the rest of your trip in Japan. See you next time;) Seiko

R

Rick B.

5 / 5
May 30, 2023

Great 2 Days Touring Fushimi, Osaka & Kyoto!

We had the pleasure of having Seiko as our tour guide for 2 full-day tours in Japan. Seiko was very patient and helpful in creating a customized tour that included all of the places we were interested in visiting in Kyoto and Osaka. We exchanged several messages in in order to create our itinerary and her recommendations were spot on. Seiko was very flexible and patient with our questions while finalizing our agenda and in the end, it was perfect for us! She even sent us some restaurant recommendations so we could make reservations in advance. We learned a lot about the history and culture of the places we went to. We had an extremely pleasurable experience and would highly recommend Seiko to anyone looking for an English-speaking guide!

Seiko T.

Thanks for your review, Rick. Through the communications we had before the tour, I already felt that I finally met my friend from US when we met at the station. Your efforts and preperation must be the biggest contribution to your family having good time in Kyoto/Osaka. I especially enjoyed the day in Fushimi and Osaka with you all, thanks to your trust in my recommendations. Glad to be able to show you how and what the locals eat and drink, and enjoy their life in different ways. I appreciate this "Ichigo-Ichie" - once-in-a-lifetime chance of having you and your family for 2 days! Thanks again! Seiko