4-Hour Multicultural Kobe Walking Tour with Genuine Kobe Beef

Today we had the best tour of our holiday. From start to finish it couldn’t have been any better. Our guide had a much knowledge of the area ( Kobe) it’s definitely much more than just steak ! We visited, shrine, church synagogue and the mosque. We learned so much about Japanese life and culture whilst exploring the area. We experienced the real Kobe steak 🥩 cooked to perfection. We continued our day by visiting the herb garden cable car, it was absolutely beautiful. We would highly recommend our guide for anything related to the surrounding area.

The tour I had already booked 2 years ago and on another visit with family it was even worth it a second time. Sumile-San gives interesting insights into Japanese culture and leads through Kobe with a lot of charm and wit. Also this time the lunch was very good with perfect service.

Our guide, Yama was delightful, engaging and very informative. We all thoroughly enjoyed our tour with him. We highly recommend him for any tour in Kobe.

So unbelievably kind and helpful! One of the best tours I’ve taken across traveling 54 different countries.

Our guide Kaori was fantastic. She treated us like family. We enjoyed riding the train and the bus. It gave us more of a local feel. We also got to see a lot more of the city than we ever anticipated. The Kobe beef lunch was incredible! We highly recommend this tour to anyone who is traveling to Japan.

Such a wonderful day! I so enjoyed learning more about Kobe, history, traditions, etc. Kaori is an excellent tour guide and made me feel so welcome and comfortable.

We had a great time with Sumile! We ended up with a private tour with her. She picked us up right at the cruise terminal and guided us via train, walking, taxi, and local bus/trolley throughout the city. Good walking shoes and plenty of water were a must. The Kobe beef lunch was the perfect ending after working up an appetite walking and seeing the sites. We had great conversations with Sumile and even had the opportunity to chat with a 29th generation Shinto priest who heard us discussing the religion. Quite the memorable adventure!

Sumile is an awesome tour guide with a beautiful smile. She also has a good command of the English language. She was so friendly and eager to share the city of Kobe with us. She took us to a shrine, a mosque, a synagogue, and a Catholic church. They were all within walking distance in a lovely neighborhood. We stopped at a modern local bar for some beef jerky and craft beer. Our last stop was at a bonafide Kobe beef restaurant. It was fascinating to watch the Chef grill the meat & vegetables right in front of us. Everything was absolutely delicious. If we had not toured with Sumile we would never have found that special place. Highly recommend her as an experienced and knowledgable guide.

We had a great time with Sumile on our tour in Kobe. She met us in the terminal and took us on a quick train ride to the heart of Kobe. We walked through so many interesting neighborhoods and visited several historical and religious sites before our Kobe beef lunch. She got us to our bus stop and gave us all options for continuing our visit. She was very friendly, knowledgeable, and went out of her way to meet all of our needs. We would gladly recommend her as a guide. I would point out one thing. This turned out to be our most expensive tour of our month in Japan. My personal experience with Kobe beef was disappointing, for the price. But Sumile was great!

We thoroughly enjoyed this Kobe walking tour with our guide, Kaori. She spoke English well and was an absolute delight. She met us in the cruise terminal when we got off our ship, and escorted our little group seamlessly around Kobe for some planned (and unplanned) stops. Sometimes the "unplanned" parts of a tour end up being great moments. On this tour, as we visited the catholic church we stumbled upon a group of Japanese ladies in kimono doing a traditional tea ceremony in the church courtyard under a blossoming cherry tree. They invited our group to take part. This impromptu tea ceremony was a highlight of our entire trip to Japan, and we so appreciate that Kaori was flexible with her timing and allowed our group to participate. This overall tour would have received 5 stars from us, but the only disappointment was the Kobe beef itself. The restaurant was charming and the chef was excellent, but the Kobe beef that was served was a lower grade. It was chewy and a bit tough. We have eaten grade A5 (the highest grade) Japanese wagyu beef before, and this beef was a disappointment. It did a disservice to the reputation of Kobe beef. People who sign up for this tour are expecting a truly memorable taste of beef -- the melt-in-your-mouth experience of grade A5. Instead, we all came away saying "Eh. It wasn't that impressive. What's all the hype about Kobe beef?" Our suggestion to the operators of this tour: we know grade A5 is incredibly expensive. Maybe give guests the option for A5 beef, at an additional cost if they choose that. Or serve everyone a small sample of the A5, and the rest of the meal can be lower grade. Show people how truly incredible top-grade Kobe beef is. A bite is all you need to realize that.