We open the door to the unknown aspects of Himeji beyond just visiting the castle, and promote deep interactions between locals and travelers.
What is Adventure Tourism Himeji?
Adventure Tourism Himeji – 365 Castle Challenge” invites you to discover the hidden gems of Himeji, centered around the majestic Himeji Castle. Immerse yourself in breathtaking nature, explore rich cultural heritage, and enjoy unforgettable experiences. From ancient architecture to traditional crafts, and heartwarming interactions with locals, every day offers a new adventure. Experience the magic of Himeji beyond the castle walls!
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Aki-san is such a compassionate tour guide. Not only was he able to accommodate our last minute schedule, but he also arranged for a series of super fun events that were all well planned. We had such a great time in Himeji, getting to learn a lot about traditional Japanese culture. Aki-san was very knowledgeable about the Himeji castle, too. We will definitely be back for another memorable tour with Aki-san.
dafne escartin
2025-08-30
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Today we went on a tour with Aki to the Himeji castle, the garden, a tea ceremony, a drive along the coast line and even a Bonsai spot. Everything was amazing, Aki is incredibly kind, warm, very approachable and overall a great guide and person.
My family and I highly recommend to choose this agency if you’re visiting Japan and Himeji.
Daniel Nguyen
2025-08-27
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Booked last minute tour for Himeji Castle and still got a 5 star treatment and tour with Aki the next day. Full of interesting facts about Japan as well as Himeji and the castle itself. A very enjoyable and educational experience. Aki was well mannered and fluent in English and showed us around Himeji. We were driven in a private van with a lovely driver as the summer day was a hot day. We had ample time to take in the atmosphere and take photos and were never rushed. He even booked a dinner reservation in Kobe for us when we returned! Thank you so much. Highly highly recommended and great value for money. 5 stars from Mr and Ms Daniel :)
Linda Clark
2025-08-18
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Book. This. Now. AMAZING Day in Himenji. No detail overlooked. 5 stars!
This was the absolute best tour we have ever taken. Let me tell you why, and hopefully after reading this you will book your trip with Aki, without hesitation.
As background, we were a group of 5 (2 adults, 3 teenagers) and were in Japan for two weeks. Our trip overall was put together by a high-end travel agency, but they were unable to work in a visit to Himenji, so we started looking on our own. We are so lucky and grateful to have found Adventure Tourism Himenji and its founder, Aki. From start to finish, everything was perfect - from his expert knowledge of Himenji, to his ability to arrange our visit to a master swordsmith (and even participate at the workshop), to his flawless English. It is also important to point out that Aki was the one and only tour guide the entire time we were in Japan who had thought of every detail and made sure we were completely looked after. We were picked up in a totally clean, air-conditioned mini van, Aki had arranged a special lunch for us that took into account our many requests (vegetarian, shellfish allergy, no seafood? Aki has you covered!) and was absolutely delicious.
For all the moms out there planning a family trip, booking with Aki is the gift you are giving yourself. It will be the one day of the trip where you can completely relax and immerse yourself in the adventure (extra points if you arrange for him to pick you up at your hotel instead of taking the train to Himenji).
From the cold drinks he had waiting for us to the special Japanese snacks he had on hand for the kids, no detail was overlooked. Thank you, Aki - we had an amazing time.
MSheekey
2025-08-10
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Aki was a fantastic host and very knowledgeable about Himeji Castle. He researched and found an amazing vegetarian restaurant for lunch. I also had a lovely tour around the Gardens and finished with a wonderful tour up Mount Shisha seeing the temples. Was an unforgettable day out to Himeji. We were expertly chaffeured everywhere as well. Higly recommend when you go to Himeji, Aki is the best!
R L
2025-07-22
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Aki is the best guide you could ever wish for. His English is perfect, his knowledge of Japanese culture and history are extensive. He is most passionate about sharing his love of the beautiful Himeiji city with others, he knows everyone in the city too! We had a wonderful tour with him and would strongly recommend him to others.
Diana Ramos
2025-07-21
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Excelente service, really nice people
John Conroy
2025-07-09
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What a great tour! Super informative and fun. I not only learned about Himeji, but Japanese history and culture too.
Elvin Alemán
2025-07-07
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Aki was our guide, and we had a great time learning about Japanese history while visiting Himeji Castle. We first met at the hotel lobby and traveled with him in his car. Be ready to walk many stair steps inside the castle, but it's well worth it to see and learn about the architectural design, which is based on the imagination of a possible attack. Very impressive! We finished by having lunch with the best Ramen we've ever had. Aki did a wonderful job, and we highly recommend this tour. I wish we had more time to visit more places in Himeji with Aki. He is very knowledgeable about the history of the city. We had a great time.
Tyrone Taylor
2025-07-01
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We had a rainy port day. But with Aki it didn't feel like it. First off, I recently tore my meniscus. I was worried about the Castle and was thinking of canceling that portion. After all you've seen one Castle you've seen them all. NOPE! Well worth it. Aki TOLD ME to take break. 😆🤣. He constantly reminded me to take my time and I never felt pressured. While the Castle does have guides. They were not Aki. I was comparing what those guides were telling the visitors I was thinking wow their just giving the overview. The Castle and Garden was the only tourist thing we did. The ma and pa sushi restaurant of 60 years, sake tasting, the boat town museum of rich town home centuries old and scenic beach and these places were 40 min out the normal tourist traps. As far as capturing the moments. Put your camera away Aki has you. Videos also. Arigatō Aki. Until next time. You made us feel right we home!
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HappyMomof3kids
2025-08-31
Verified
Wonderful tour and excellent guide
Aki was an excellent and prepared tour guide. He communicated with us beforehand to find out what we would like to do and what type of food we like to eat. He had interesting knowledge about the Himeji castle. He took us to a little pottery making village where we made pottery and met the artists. We enjoyed a lunch made in front of us on a large griddle by a sweet woman. We were able to participate in a tea ceremony inside a beautiful garden. Highly recommend this tour if visiting Himeji!
ATWTraveler118
2025-07-26
Verified
Book. This. Now. AMAZING Day in Himenji. No detail overlooked. 5 stars!
This was the absolute best tour we have ever taken. Let me tell you why, and hopefully after reading this you will book your trip with Aki, without hesitation. As background, we were a group of 5 (2 adults, 3 teenagers) and were in Japan for two weeks. Our trip overall was put together by a high-end travel agency, but they were unable to work in a visit to Himenji, so we started looking on our own. We are so lucky and grateful to have found Adventure Tourism Himenji and its founder, Aki. From start to finish, everything was perfect - from his expert knowledge of Himenji, to his ability to arrange our visit to a master swordsmith (and even participate at the workshop), to his flawless English. It is also important to point out that Aki was the one and only tour guide the entire time we were in Japan who had thought of every detail and made sure we were completely looked after. We were picked up in a totally clean, air-conditioned mini van, Aki had arranged a special lunch for us that took into account our many requests (vegetarian, shellfish allergy, no seafood? Aki has you covered!) and was absolutely delicious. For all the moms out there planning a family trip, booking with Aki is the gift you are giving yourself. It will be the one day of the trip where you can completely relax and immerse yourself in the adventure (extra points if you arrange for him to pick you up at your hotel instead of taking the train to Himenji). From the cold drinks he had waiting for us to the special Japanese snacks he had on hand for the kids, no detail was overlooked. Thank you, Aki - we had an amazing time.
John
2025-07-10
Verified
Excellent historical and cultural tour!
We had a fantastic experience touring Himeji. Aki was so warm and easygoing, very organized, and led a tour that was as informative about the castle as it was about Japanese history and culture. Afterward we loved getting to learn about lacquer restoration, and he picked a super sushi restaurant for lunch! Highly recommend his tour!
Michael B
2025-06-19
Verified
Deeply knowledgeable and personable!
I had a very rewarding experience with Aki. As a fellow teacher, he and I spoke in depth about Himeji Castle, its history, geographic importance and of the city’s layout. I learned a lot from Aki and am going to deeply cherish the time I spent learning from and being guided by him. I hope to be able to return to Himeji and spend more time learning about this city’s history and hopefully another tour with Aki.
paul r
2025-06-12
Verified
An fantastic way to experience Himeji
Hi Akihiko,Thanks very much for an amazing day. You really made my trip to Japan go from good to an unforgettable experience. Thank you so much for making it so memorable & happy to have a great friend in Japan. I hope your tourism journey lasts and you make many, many friends from around the globe. If you are ever in the Toronto area hit me up & we both can have good food & sake together!
DayTrip95466
2025-06-01
Verified
Great day!
Amazing! Great guide, very knowledgeable, super friendly and helpful, very good English speaker. Only to be highly commended and recommended.
TheFullNelson
2025-05-22
Verified
Amazing private tour of Himeji Castle and Himeji! Above and beyond personal service and knowledge of the area!
My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon tour of Himeji Castle, Koko-en Gardens and other local sights with Akihiko Yabuuchi! Akihiko owns the company and is a lifelong resident of Himeji and a former teacher. All of those qualities really showed in his attention to personal service and his knowledge of the Castle, Gardens and Himeji itself. The whole tour was enjoyable and he answered all our questions in impeccable English. If it had only been a tour of the Castle, which was amazing, it would have been worth twice the price, but that was only half our time with Akihito. He also helped translate a phone call when we had a dispute with our hotel which was immensely helpful. He filled our afternoon with suggestions of things to do in Himeji and was extremely pleasant to spend the day with. The price cannot be beat for a private guided tour. All in all, we would highly recommend Adventure Tourism Himeji and Akihiko Yabuuchi to anyone visiting Himeji. You won’t regret it!
