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What is "Volunteer Guide"?

Although Kansai has much to offer, travelers visiting from overseas are often intimidated, frustrated or restricted by cultural/language barriers.
This site offers a free volunteer guidance service to travelers.
The guides are all local residents in Kansai, allowing travelers to get the most from activities such as sight seeing, dinning out, or shopping.

Why our "Volunteer Guide" service is special

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Our "Volunteer Guide" service attempts to match people through their specific needs (i.e. place, time, and activity).

For example, if you want a full days company, you can search for someone who is available for this time period, or you can select a guide to meet for a shorter time period (i.e. for lunch, dinner, activities etc), at your selected location.
This will avoid mismatches, so you won't waste your time.

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Who registers as "Volunteer Guide"?

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People who meet the following criteria can register as one of our "Volunteer Guide".

  • People who live in, and are familiar with Kansai.
  • People who can speak both Japanese and another language(s), at a level adequate for sightseeing, dining out etc.
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Who requests guides?

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  • Travelers staying in Kansai in the short term who would like to meet local residents, and be guided by them.
  • Travelers planning future trip(s) to Kansai may also request guides.

The following chart shows examples of how the service works.

Matching example 1

A guide takes a traveler to Temples in Kyoto.

Matching example 2

Group registration for eating out.

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Free of charge

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The "Volunteer Guide" service is free of charge.

Basically, travelers don't have to pay volunteer guides for guide fees, admission fees, meal, and travel expenses etc.
In other words, every one pay just for themself.

However there is an exception.
If a volunteer guide pays "a lot of" expenses to assist your activity, please reimburse him.
For example, If you wish to meet a volunteer guide at Kansai International Airport (waiting with the name board and taking you to a hotel), please pay their travel expenses to and from the airport.
(For example the train from Shin Osaka station to the Airport: 2980 yen, from Kyoto station to the Airport: 3490 yen)

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How it works

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For residents in Kansai

  • Register your profile along with the day and time of the week you are available.
  • Select the areas (Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Other) that you are familiar with.
    The chosen areas which make up your profile will be automatically linked with shops restaurants or events in those areas.

For Travelers

  • Search for a guide whose profile, area of familiarity, and available time meet your needs.
  • Choose a place or event in your chosen guide's familiar area. (ideas can be found on the "Let's go" and "Advertisements" pages)
    * This step is optional.
  • Send a message to your chosen guide and await their reply.

This Site only offers the means for you and a volunteer guide to contact each other.

You must decide the how/when and where, i.e. make all practical arrangements by yourselves.
Although a traveler may send requests to more than one guide, a successful match will depend on interaction between both parties.
As a courtesy we ask that you respond to all replies, even if you have already chosen a guide.

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See the Volunteer Guide lists!

Advertise here

Join as a Volunteer Guide!

Takomasa

Eat Fast Food

Osaka(south) south

Namba

Takomasa

Free Volunteer Guides

Yodobashi Umeda

Other Electric appliances

Osaka(north) north

JR Osaka station

Yodobashi Umeda

Free Volunteer Guides

Sakura

Eat Japanese

Osaka(north) north

JR Osaka

Sakura

Free Volunteer Guides

Gion Corner

Other Entertainment

Kyoto

keihan Shijo

Gion Corner

Free Volunteer Guides

Daikichi

Eat Yakitori

Osaka(south) south

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Daikichi

Free Volunteer Guides

Shigureden

Other Museum

Kyoto

Arashiyama

Shigureden

Free Volunteer Guides

Gohan-Tei

Eat Lunch

Osaka(north) north

JR Osaka

Gohan-Tei

Free Volunteer Guides

Hamac de Paradis

Eat Lunch

Kyoto

Imadegawa

Hamac de Paradis

Free Volunteer Guides

ITADAKI second

Eat Lunch

Kyoto

Kinkakuji Mae bus stop

ITADAKI second

Free Volunteer Guides