Private Osaka Tour: Local Highlights and Hidden Gems Tailored for You

Experience the true nature of Osaka on a private tour tailored to your interests. Discover hidden gems, indulge in local cuisine, and explore the vibrant streets of this enigmatic city.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Osaka Castle - One of Osaka’s primary landmarks, built in the 16th century, and the site of significant historical battles. It is a favored spot for cherry blossom viewing in spring (entrance ticket 600¥ NOT included).

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

  • Nakanoshima Park - This island oasis, featuring art museums, early 20th-century architecture, and a park, is perfect for a delightful late morning walk.

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

  • Grand Front Osaka - One of Osaka’s largest department stores, offering almost everything you could want (and things you didn’t know you needed). For a taste of Osaka’s famous underground shopping malls, explore the intricate White Umeda.

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

  • Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street - A vast shopping arcade over 600 meters long, filled with apparel shops, character goods, cafés, and restaurants. It’s a shopper’s paradise, perfect for picking up Osaka-approved souvenirs!

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

  • Namba Yasaka Shrine - Situated in Namba, Osaka’s vibrant entertainment district, this shrine houses the area’s guardian deity and is famous for its lion’s head entrance stage. The lion’s mouth is believed to devour evil spirits and bring good fortune.

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

  • Shitennoji - Established in 593, Shitennoji is Japan’s oldest official temple and introduced Buddhism to the country.

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

  • America-mura - Known for its abundance of cafes, galleries, and shops, Amerikamura has been the hub of American-inspired youth culture in Osaka for decades. With your host, you’ll explore this area filled with unique art, indie music, and hipster fashion, popular for thrift shopping.

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

  • Hozenji Yokocho - This narrow, stone-paved alleyway is home to over 60 small traditional Japanese restaurants and bars. Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, a stark contrast to the nearby bustling Dotonbori, while savoring Osaka’s culinary delights. Look for the moss-covered statue of Fudomyoo at Hozenji Buddhist temple, where visitors pour water over it for blessings.

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

  • Dotombori - The Dotombori Canal, lined with neon-lit buildings, is Osaka’s most iconic sight. The canal network offers a unique view of Dōtonbori, Osaka’s top entertainment district, before you explore hidden gems in the Dotombori arcade, filled with shops, restaurants, and eye-catching signs perfect for Instagram photos.

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and will be selected by your host based on your interests and preferences.

What's Included
  • 3, 4, 6 or 8 hours walking tour, exploring highlights and hidden gems
  • Hotel meet-up (available on request for central location)
  • Private and personalised walking tour with a passionate local
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Transportation (primarily a walking experience however public transport may be used)
  • Tickets to any attractions
  • Gratuities (optional)
Additional Information

Spend the day with one of our hosts to discover the true nature of Osaka - head’s up, it’s got a wild sense of humor and is obsessed with food. Explorer (not tourist) is what we’re aiming for here, and in that spirit, you could explore neighborhoods like the fashionable Shinsaibashi or crazy Dotonbori and maybe you’ll discover hidden gems like the smaller shrines and historic streets. Grab a quick bite to eat and see why Osaka is known as the ‘Nation’s Kitchen’ before continuing your adventure through the neon streets of this enigmatic port city.

Within 24 hours after booking you’ll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you’ll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You’ll also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do

  • Meeting Point
  • Your meeting point is flexible, and to be agreed with your Local Host. Meet-up at your hotel or accommodation can be requested, or your Local Host will meet you at a convenient location close to the start of your experience.
  • After booking, you will receive a short questionnaire, so you’ll be able to tell us more about your interests and preferences. Based on your responses you’ll be matched with a like-minded Local Host
Location
DAISO
(The host will be waiting in front of the shop) After booking, you can adjust the meeting point to fit your preferences with the help of our Experience Planners.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(387 Ratings)
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684hayleighd
Aug 8, 2024
Best tour we booked in Japan! - We were a family of 8 travelling from Aus with 2 young kids - Kieran was the best tour guide we had during our entire trip! He was very knowledgeable, created the perfect itinerary and so so so kind and friendly! He gave us some great restaurant recommendations and took us to places we otherwise never would have known about. Thank you Kieran!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Atumma
Aug 7, 2024
Osaka, love shopping and the guide! - Osaka is so lovely and vibrant, also people here are super nice and friendly, the city is incredibly full of places to visit! Specially is you want to shop! But overall, having the opportunity of being guided by a person like Maria is a plus, she knows every place and is knowledgeable of everything!!! She made our trip to Japan much enjoyable!
Review provided by Viator
Pscarver
Jul 30, 2024
Great foodie tour of Osaka - We had an excellent customized foodie tour for our family of 4 (2 teens, 2 adults). Our guide navigated thru the crowded market to pick the best stalls to try a wide variety of Osakan foods. We enjoyed every bite!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shandycluvstravel
Jul 29, 2024
Amazing guide made our trip! - This was one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had in years of local guides. She did her homework in advance, customized a tour for us (not the normal touristy things), she was on-time, spoke perfect English and was so in tune to our needs. I wanted to do a tea ceremony and she set that up last minute for me, she moved at our pace (fast), we covered so much ground in 4 hours (5 miles). She took great photos, told us about the history, made sure our needs were always met and ended with a great meal at a local place. Cannot reccomend highly enough, book with Kanna!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexanderrx8631ds
Jul 24, 2024
Great tour to dive into the city life and get deeper insights. - Our guided tour with host Maria lead us to a lot of interesting and bustling places in the vicinities of Dotonbori and Shinsekai districts. Our guide was able to provide a lot of background info, e.g. on the meaning of the "Billiken" statuettes, the hidden Hozen-Ji temple and the reason why there is a sign on Ebisubashi bridge prohibiting diving. We were taken to well-known places, like the Kuromon fish market, but also to places we'd never have entered or even found on our own, like a tiny Karaoke pub (where they sold snake-flavoured booze), a Pachinko salon (a slot-machine hell, just for watching), a house with lots of awkward theme pubs (like one where you attend a funeral while eating) and a very nice conveyor sushi restaurant. We've enjoyed the tour a lot, Maria is a very sympathetic and well-informed guide, fluent in both Japanese and English. She planned the tour from the outset, but also took our interests into account while we were on the road. The only downer was the huge number of people, but that's part and parcel of this place, and it was Saturday. But since we were lead through side alleys where possible (with even more hidden gems inside), we could circumvent them here and there, which is a bonus of a tour given by a local. In a nutshell: Great tour, great guide, highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donaldsonfamily
Jul 24, 2024
Fun Filled Family Day in Osaka with Maria - We had a fantastic time with Maria in Osaka as a family of four with two kids aged 5 and 14 coming in for a day trip from Kyoto. Maria tailored our trip to exactly what we wanted to see and do - eat delicious food, see the Osaka castle and a few kids activities. We had a blast eating some street food in Dotonbori, playing in the arcades, eating at the Cinnamoroll Cafe that Maria got us a reservation for and checking out the Osaka castle. Maria helped us navigate the subways, always kept our kids engaged and made us feel like locals. Would highly recommend Maria for a great day in Osaka!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
105lorsxm
Jul 24, 2024
Amazing city tour with a great guide! - Our family had a great tour with Kieran. He was so friendly and knowledgeable about the city and life in Japan in general. He made the tour fun and interesting not just for my husband and myself, but also two teenage boys (which is difficult to do!). He customized the tour to our needs, interest, and timeline which we also appreciated. While we are very seasoned travelers around the globe, I am so glad we booked this tour because honestly, unless you have an unlimited amount of time on your hands, these tours are most efficient way to get to know a city. I felt like we were able to see more in Osaka than we would have if we tried to do all this ourselves. Great tour and a really affordable cost.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katycinhk
Jul 20, 2024
A fun tour of Osaka - Our family had a fantastic time taking in key highlights of Osaka. Maria was warm and welcoming and picked out interesting things for our teenagers to see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ec1v4lzmr
Jul 20, 2024
Great intro to Osaka cuisine - Perfect tour when you come to Osaka for the first time. You get a splendid intro to some of Osaka’s typical dishes in the most lively and crazy area of Osaka. Plus Aoi did a brilliant job in guiding us through the Minami jungle and into some secret places we would not have found on our own
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyager649989
Jul 20, 2024
Great Memories - Our tour guide did a wonderful job. I came with myself and my 15yr old son. The tour guide spent lots of time via messages on WhatsApp to be sure he created the perfect trip for us. And it was a wonderful time. It began with old history, castles, and temples. And ended with a great modern version of Osaka. He was very informed and had lots of wonderful knowledge and tidbits of information. He arrived early and spent more time than the 4hours. I absolutely recommend him for anyone else.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 8 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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