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

Information

Need longer tours?

Unlike other measure tour companies in Japan, we do not sell packaged tours. All of  our tours are private and customizable, catering the needs of particular customers. Most of the tours on our WEB site https://tourguides.nagoya/en/ are day tours, though, we can arrange longer tours.

For example, five-day Central Japan highlight tour's itinerary can be

Day 1: Depart from Nagoya, visit Nakasendo (Tsumago and Magome), and stay in Takayama
Day 2: Takayama City tour (morning market, old streets, etc.), Hida beef lunch, Shirakawa-go, and stay in Kanazawa.
Day 3: Kanazawa City tour (Kanazawa Castle, Kenrokuen Japanese Garden, etc.), stay in Kanazawa
Day 4: Move to Noto Peninsula, visit Shirayone-Senmaida, experience lucker wear making in Wajima, stay in Wajima or near by Fishermen's inn.
Day 5: Visit Wajima morning market, Eiheiji Zen Temple and back to Nagoya.

Click the photo above to see a large image. This is Jionji Temple in Gujo-Hachiman. Gujo-Hachiman has a mountain castle, which is also famous for Autumn colors. For detail, see https://tourguides.nagoya/en/gujohachiman.html.

Will Nagoya Castle be closed down?

In early October, there was an announcement from Nagoya City Government saying that it would close the Nagoya Castle for safety reasons. The original Castle was burnt down by the American bombing during the Second World War and the current building was build in 1959. According to the Municipal Government, the building does not comply with the current safety standard set by Japanese Government. So it is vulnerable to large earthquakes. Date of the closure is yet to be announced.

Nagoya City Government also has a plan not to repair the Castle but reconstruct it with wood, exactly as it had been until its falling down during the last war.

What is a 'Jumbo Taxi' ?

Japanese categorization of cars to hire may be a little bit bizarre for foreigners. What a bus means in tour industry is cars with more than 10 seats and operated by bus companies. Cars with 7-10 seats are called 'Jumbo Taxi' and operated by taxi companies. This is mainly due to the difference in the licenses issued by the government.

In the case of buses, a deposit (usually full amount) is required upon booking. So, if you ask us to book a bus (or buses), we have to ask you the pre-payment at least for the bus booking.

Contrary, in the case of Jumbo Taxi, it is categorized as a taxi. So no deposit is required at the time of booking. But some taxi companies accept cash only, which must be paid directly to the driver.

In the case of a bus, government safety regulation requires 2 or more drivers accompanying if the trip is over 11 hours. So if you plan a trip which requires driving over 11 hours a day. you need at least 2 drivers, which makes the trip very expensive.

Prepaid SIM for Japan

If you or your customers want to get smart phones connected to internet in Japan, then buy a SIM. Well, the question is how?

Prepaid SIM cards are sold at many convenience stores nowadays, however, those are usually for Japanese people and instruction is available only in Japanese. Prepaid SIM cards for visitors do exist but sold at limited places such as major airports.

There are some communication companies that sell prepaid SIMs for visitors, but the most recommendable one is 'Prepaid SIM for Japan', issued by NTT Communications, the largest company in this category.

Their SIM cards are for 7 days and 14 days, and cost 3,218 yen and 3,780 yen respectively. Both cards are available in three sizes; regular, micro and nano. Data transfer is unlimited, but after 100MB of transfer (per day), the speed will be reduced from 262.5Mbps to 200kbps.

Shops that sell their SIM cards can be found on http://service.ocn.ne.jp/mobile/one/visitor/en/store/.

Another option is 'Japan Travel SIM' of IIJmio. Check it on https://t.iijmio.jp/en/index.html#service_overview.

If your customers take our tours, we can help them to get SIM cards. Certain service charges may be applied for the purchase and the delivery of SIM cards.

Tour Pick Up

Visit Toshi-jima Island, an island of women fishing divers

Itinerary for one day tour (about 7 hours)	4 pax	6 pax	8 pax
Nagoya (hotel pick up) => Toba => Toshijima Island Tour  => Toba => Nagoya	34,828 yen per pax (139,313 yen per group)	27,087 yen per pax (162,521 yen per group)	23,216 yen per pax (185,730 yen per group)

Prices are estimates to give you an idea and subject to change.

Included: A licensed guide, Kintetsu Line Super Express between Nagoya and Toba, ferry between Toba and Toshijima Island, island tour by local women, seafood BBQ lunch, and 10% VAT.

Not included: drinks, and admission to any facility.

*Travel by a car is not recommended because of the chronic traffic jam between Nagoya and Toba.

Toshijima-island is 30 minutes ferry ride off the coast of Toba City (one hour 40 minutes from Nagoya by Kintetsu Line Super Express).

Toshijima-island is famous for fisheries and the majority of the islanders are involved in fisheries or related industries. In this region, women's traditional diving fisheries are very popular. The culture of the island is quite unique for the eyes of the most of the Japanese.

Some women islanders have decided to conduct an island tour to show the uniqueness of the island culture. Wondering into maze-like narrow passages between local houses, you can find many cultural heritages unique to the island.

Any car cannot come into these narrow passages, and current Japanese law does not allow to construct a house this way. That means islanders had built the town long before the introduction of modern construction laws to Japan.

For lunch, women prepare day's fresh catches directly from the fishing port and some dried fish made by islanders for BBQ. The lunch is offered in a hamlet where women divers warm their bodies after diving. So don't expect a neat restaurant.

If you do not eat octopus, please let us know before hand. Otherwise they cook rice with octopus, a specialty for the island.

These women run a group called "Island Tour Company (Shima-no-tabi-sha)", which provides us an opportunity to explore the island.

A women who came from Osaka and married with a fisherman of the island says 'this island is more like a foreign country to me although a passport is not required'.

Tour ends after lunch. You may exploer island more by yourself, or you go back to Toba City and visit somewhere else, such as Mikimoto Pearl Island or Toba Aquarium.

For those who love onsen (hot spa), there are several onsen ryokan (inns) in Toba, where the ferries depart.

For the detail of the Toshijima Island and Toba City, please visit https://tourguides.nagoya/en/toba.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).