Published on Sep, 2024

My wife, our son, and I visited the city of Kobe with Sumile for my wife’s birthday, and the three of us have wonderful memories of that experience. It was a fabulous experience alongside a friendly and enthusiastic guide! Later on, we also joined her for a tour of Shioya. This charming little village with its fishing port is truly worth the visit. For a few hours, you leave the noise of the city behind and find yourself wandering through quaint streets full of authenticity. Meeting friendly locals, learning interesting anecdotes about the town, and strolling along the port at the end of the day all contributed to making it a beautiful family day. Shioya is a pleasant, small, and peaceful place where the locals are incredibly welcoming. Once again, Sumile made our day in Shioya a special one for the three of us, and for that, we thank her warmly. It’s an experience I highly recommend if you’re traveling to Osaka or Kobe and want to discover an authentic and refreshing village.

Published on Jul, 2024

I had the most amazing morning and lunch with Sumile on my tour. She is a local and knows this lovely fishing village like no other. The best part was when we went to a traditional café. I loved meeting and talking with the locals! It was such an authentic experience. If you wish to see what real, day-to-day Japanese life looks like, I strongly encourage you to do this tour!

Published on May, 2024

Sumile is a very personable guide and I loved meeting Shioya and the people there. The history of the town is very interesting!

Published on May, 2024

We truly appreciated the personalized tour that we received. Our tour guide even managed to get the owner of the seaweed processing plant to give us a tour of her impeccable clean operation. Our lunch at the local little coffee shop was a delight. We loved meeting the locals and the food was absolutely delicious. We absolutely loved this tour!

Published on Apr, 2024

For as long as we have done our river and ocean cruises , we have booked private tours. The two tours we did with Sumire Takemoto rank in the top five of all time greats. Her planning is excellent. Her ability to connect with her clients and figure out exactly the right thing to do is outstanding. The pacing of her tours is just right. She is knowledgeable, makes excellent use of local transportation options (which saves a lot), has an awesome sense of humor, and shares interesting anecdotes about local life. Truly one of the best. We did a half-day tour with her to the top of Mount Rokko with a walk-through of a lovely herb garden and a stop in the shopping district at popular café. The following day we visited her hometown coastal village of Shioyacho, where we learned about production of Nori and met a number of engaging local business people who warmly welcomed us. Then it was back to Kobe for lunch at an Izakaya. (look it up - they are really terrific.) That afternoon we headed to the sake district of Kobe for tastings at two breweries and a visit to a very well done sake museum at one of them that covered traditional and current production methods. Book with her early. She is very in demand.