December 21, 2016 issue
Newsletter from Guided Private Tours around Nagoya

Information

Need a SIM card in Japan?

Many tourists visiting Japan like to post their photos on SNS by their smart phone. We are often asked about the availability of SIM card in Japan. Nowadays, DATA SIM cards are available at the counters of telecommunication companies located in major airports in Japan.

However, these SIM cards are DATA cards and no phone number attached to them. A tough identity verification procedure is required to get a proper phone SIM cards in Japan, and it is not recommended for a short stay.

Seller of DATA SIM cards usually provide an application (both for iPhone and Android) which enables the use of so-called "IP phone". With this application installed, you can call any phone numbers by your smart phone. The number of an IP phone starts from 050.

Please check
https://t.iijmio.jp/en/index.html.

Tour Pick Up

Shirakawago light up (illumination) event 2017

Famous Shirakawago lighting up event will be held on a few days in January and February, 2017 (see here for schedule and detail). Some tour companies run packaged bus tours but the number of seats are limited and it is extremely difficult to book them.

Many tourists have contacted us and asked the availability of illumination tours. We cannot book tours provided by other companies because of the difficulty. There is no guarantee to get seats.

What we do is arranging private tours by car, with or without guide. Cars from Takayama have already been fully booked and it is not easy to get one. Because of the number of cars in Takayama is limited. We can arrange tours from Kanazawa and from Nagoya. Though, cars with 11 seats or more are not allowed to park in Shirakawago on the days of event, so we can cater for smaller groups only.

The price of the tour is from around 70,000 yen from Kanazawa, and 90,000 yen from Nagoya. These prices include a 9-seater car with driver, highway toll and parking fee only. The tour takes whole afternoon until late in the evening.

An alternative is to participate in a Japanese-speaking tour with a private guide. Several tours are run by touring companies.

There will be light up event in Suganuma Village of Gokayama (another world heritage site) as well. Bus tours from Kanazawa and Nagoya are conducted by large touring companies.

If you are interested in Shirakawago Light up event tours by car, pleas send a mail to contact@tourguides.nagoya.

Snow Monkey tours (Jigokudani Moneky Park in Nagano)

Another attractions in the winter, which is getting popularity in Chubu Region of Japan, is snow monkeys.

Japanese wild monkeys dip themselves in an onsen (hot spring) in a snowy landscape of Jigokudani Monkey Park near Nagano City. Regular bus tours to visit Monkey Park is available from Nagano Station and Tokyo.

We can arrange a tour of Monkey Park and famous Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano by car. The price for a 9-seater car is around 70,000 yen up to 8 hours without guide.

Nagano Station is accessible from Nagoya by JR Express Shinano, from Tokyo by Hokuriku Shinkansen, and from Kanazawa also by Hokuriku Shinkansen.

For the detail of the Toshi-jima Island and Toba City, please visit https://tourguides.nagoya/en/snowmonkey.html.

If you need more information and/or photos to show your customers, please do not hesitate to ask us. Send an inquiry mail to contact@tourguides.nagoya.

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Guided Private Tours around Nagoya is being operated jointly by Hitonomori Co. Ltd. and Fun Lead International Co. Ltd (registered travel agency with Gifu Prefecture No. 3-322).