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Private Car Full Day Tour of Osaka Temples, Gardens and Kofun Tombs

5 reviews

Private Car Full Day Tour of Osaka Temples, Gardens and Kofun Tombs

from £386.29

Osaka is a bustling city chock full of "big city" things to do, but there's another side to it as well. This tour takes you from your hotel to notable temples, a historic entertainment quarter, gardens, and the famous "kofun" tombs in Osaka and south to Sakai City, all in a private, luxury vehicle. Your native or equivalent English-speaking driver/guide will ensure the trip is light and fun, while also keeping it intellectually stimulating and informative in a well-rounded, accessible way.

As this is a private tour, discussions about changes to the itinerary are welcome! Depending on your request, additional charges may apply.

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE: As members of ABTA and ATAS we are 100% financially bonded. You can book your day trip with us in absolute confidence, no matter where in the world you are.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently not taking new bookings for day tours.

In Brief

Location:

Osaka, Japan

Country:

Japan

Duration:

8 hours

Operates:

Daily

Highlights:

Private guide for a more personalized experience

Enjoy a day away from the hustle and bustle of the city

Free hotel pickup and drop-off included

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Osaka Castle, 1-1 Osakajo, Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0002 Osaka Prefecture

We walk the grounds right up to the castle, but do not enter the building itself (we find it rather disappointing inside, but the outside is great!). The stronghold of Osaka, this imposing structure and lovely surrounding grounds are must-see for any visitor to Osaka.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: 1-11-18 Shitennoji, Tennoji, Osaka 543-0051 Osaka Prefecture

Said to be Japan's oldest Buddhist temple, the buildings, grounds, and stories will engage and impress. When open (they are a bit fickle), we also check out their lovely Japanese garden (300 yen per adult extra).

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Shinsekai, 1 Ebisuhigashi, Naniwaku, Osaka 556-0002 Osaka Prefecture

A blast of an older entertainment quarter, we see some of Osaka's most emblematic sights on our walkabout.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, 2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-0045 Osaka Prefecture

Making for a great contrast with Shitennoji Temple, this Shinto shrine beautifully unfolds across ancient and hallowed grounds. Come breathe in 1500 years of history.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Sakai City Hall Observatory Flour, 3-1 Minamikawaramachi, Sakai-ku, Sakai 590-0078 Osaka Prefecture

Take in a spectacular view of Osaka to the north, the mountains demarcating Nara to the east, and the coast to the west and south.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Daisen Park, 2-204 Mozusekiun-cho, Sakai 590-0802 Osaka Prefecture

A very lightly touristed, beautiful Japanese garden just a bit south of Osaka proper, Daisen Park's garden will delight as you stroll around its pond and deeper along its lovely landscaped stream. Admission is 200 yen. While here, we also gaze out across one of the largest tomb sites in the world, that of Emperor Nintoku from around the 5th century.

Duration: 1 hour

Inclusions

Local guide
Transport by private vehicle
Central Osaka hotel pickup

Exclusions

Entrance fees (500 yen/person total)
Food and drinks
Osaka port area pickup and drop off adds 2,500 yen each way. Shin-Osaka adds 1,000 yen each way.
Child seat: 1,000 yen payable on day of tour.
Entry/Admission - Daisen Park

Departure Time

8:30 AM

Departure Point

Traveler pickup is offered
Please do let us know where to pick you up. Locations outside of central Osaka (defined as the JR Loop Line) incur an additional fee.

Ports

Osaka (Tempozan)

Additional Information

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
A moderate amount of walking is involved.
Please note that the Japanese gardens at Daisen Park are closed on Mondays (unless Monday is a holiday, in which case they are closed on Tuesday). If Daisen Park's Japanese Garden is closed on the day of your tour, you can spend time shopping, touring other locations by car, or something else to your liking.
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Gratuities are uncommon in Japan, however if you really enjoyed your time and want to show your guide how much you appreciate them, they’ll be extremely happy!
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Booking Information

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Cancellation Terms

Once booked, this trip is fully non-refundable

Booking Terms and Conditions

When you book this trip, you need to read and accept the terms and conditions for booking our day trips in excursions.

Hotel Pickup

When you book, we will ask you to select a hotel to be picked up from. Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you a confirmation voucher with full contact information (phone number, email address) for our local operator in case you need to update or change your hotel pick-up details.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about hotel pickup:

What if my hotel is not listed?
That's okay. When you book you can select an hotel from our list and make your way there on the day of departure; or you can contact our local operator directly to make alternate pick-up arrangements.

What if I have not yet booked a hotel?
Once your hotel arrangements are finalised, you can contact our local operator directly with your hotel details.

What if I live locally, am staying with friends or relatives, and/or don't require pick-up?
Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you complete details and directions to the tour/activity departure point.

Scoring an average traveller rating of 5 out of 5 based on the last 5 recent reviews

“

We had Kevin as our guide who picked us up at our AirBnb. We spent a whole day exploring various shrines and gardens. Kevin is very knowledgable and interesting! It's one thing to visit shrines and temples alone but having a guide enhances the experience and you get so much more out of it! Highly recommended and request Kevin if you are able!”

Lisa C • Submitted 26 Aug 2019

“

Since we travelled with seniors and kids, we opted to to a private tour of Osaka so we are not stressed. Kevin was knowledgeable and also was able to guide us on where to pass to avoid most tourists going to Osaka Castle. Most importantly, he was very patient with us even though our pace was slow. The restaurant where we had our lunch offered a variety of Japanese food and was delicious. I highly recommend this tour!”

Belinda S • Submitted 06 Jun 2018

“

Kevin was amazing. He has lived here for many years, knows the language and customs well. We learned more about the Japanese culture in one day than our previous 9 day bus tour of Tokyo and Kyoto. This was an excellent conclusion of a 2 week vacation.”

William C • Submitted 21 Mar 2018

“

This was an excellent tour, with our guide Kevin, who was the owner of the company. He picked us up at the port, and specifically tailored our tour to take in the sites that were interesting to us without any feeling of rushing to get back to the ship. We felt like we had a better understanding of the differences between Shinto and Buddhist temples and shrines, and experienced the gardens without hoards of other tourists.”

sjokeefe • Submitted 23 May 2017

“

The places that Kevin took us to were nice changes after all the crowded tourist spots. They were beautiful and serene. Kevin even customized the tour to include a special detour to a knife shop in Sakai. He was fantastic.”

Laura M • Submitted 09 Jan 2017