Himeji

The meeting point was easy to find. There was a list of registered participants posted on the door of the meeting place, so we could confirm our bus number and check in with the tour guide who was holding the list of tourists on-site. Tour guide Xiao Bi was excellent at time management, very attentive, patient, enthusiastic, and friendly, making us feel at ease. Of the three attractions, Himeji Castle was the most worthwhile for a long stay. Just climbing through the castle takes at least 1-2 hours (depending on the number of visitors). Below the castle, there's an exciting shopping street where I really wanted to shop around. The overall 4-hour stay was quite sufficient. My friend and I didn't include lunch. We started touring the castle around 10:30 AM and left at 12:30 PM. Afterward, we quickly ate lunch and briefly explored the shopping street. We walked through Koko-en in about 10-20 minutes. Arima Onsen is quite famous, but the mountain road up was winding and made me a bit carsick. The footbath area was packed with people, so we ended up choosing to soak our feet in the cold stream water, which was also very comfortable. The hot spring town felt a bit like Jiufen Old Street, great for browsing and shopping! The observation deck at Mount Rokko was very pleasant. We were lucky to have good weather and could clearly see Kobe and Osaka from Mount Rokko. We returned to Osaka around 6:30 PM, still having some time to explore the Namba commercial district. Overall, it was a very economical and worthwhile trip.

Recommended. Convenient. These places are far apart. Using their service really eases the trouble of public transport.

We went on February 8th, two families in a minivan. It happened to be snowing that day, and we saw Himeji Castle in the snow, which was beautiful. After arriving at Arima Onsen, the snow gradually intensified, and some roads were closed, so we couldn't go up Mount Rokko. However, the driver also accommodated our schedule by departing early to return to the city, preventing us from being stranded on the mountain.

Great tour with Nancy Sue. The rain added to the atmosphere of the castle and kept tourists away, meaning wait times were quick. (Note: transfer not applicable as we met guide at the castle). Recommend.

Our recent day trip to Himeji Castle turned out to be one of the highlights of our time in Japan. The “White Heron ” absolutely lives up to its reputation, with its bright white walls and layered roofs rising above the city like something out of a painting

I am so glad I booked this tour. Huahua is a very good tour guide. He really did his best to assist us. The tour started on time and we returned to Osaka early and safely. It’s just unfortunate that there was not enough time for the Himeji Castle

This tour was worth it and such a great deal for what you pay for. They have door to door service. Shirakawago, Takayama and the Hida No Sato museum was beautiful and a great look into the Japanese history and culture of that area. My guide, Moazzam, was super nice, informative, a good driver and didn't rush me. The experience is much better than being in a big tour group and it's around the same price. If you're in the area and thinking about booking this, do it. I would definitely book it again and would recommend others to do so.

This tour was thorough and interesting. Our guide, Marielle, was delightful. She spoke English and Japanese fluently, and was very knowledgeable about the subject matter. Although the weather was foggy and rainy, that only added to the mystique of the castle and temple. Several scenes from the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai were filmed on the temple grounds. Be prepared to walk a LOT and climb a little. Highly recommended!

Having a guide through Himeji Castle is a wonderful experience. I don't think we would have appreciated it as much as we did if we had just done it ourselves. We are history buffs and we loved it. The sake factory was also interesting, and their products are great. Different from other sake, processed manually not by machine, in a traditional style, it shows in the taste. Overall, so worth it.