See the highlights of this amazing city at your own pace, with this 7-hour private tour.

Your English-speaking guide will take you to Osaka Castle, one of Japan’s iconic landmarks. This 16th century castle is surrounded by moats and fortified stone walls and offers you stunning panoramic views of the city, as well as hundreds of cherry blossom trees in the gardens below. Be sure to bring your camera! Check out the historic displays and learn how the owner and his mother committed suicide, following the fall of the castle into enemy hands.

Keep your camera out as you make your way to the Umeda Sky Building, a twin 40-story skyscraper connected by a rooftop observatory. Head upstairs to the Floating Garden Observatory, for spectacular overviews of Osaka including Awaji Island and the Akashi -Kaikyo Bridge on a clear day. Spend some time in the Takimi Koji on the ground floor, where you will discover over 20 eateries in a food alley decorated in the nostalgic Showa period style.

Over at Dotonbori you will greeted by delicious smells emanating from dozens of gourmet food shops. Affectionately referred to as the Kitchen of Osaka, this bustling downtown area offers up Udon noodles, deep fried pork skewers and many more Japanese delicacies. If this is your first time in Osaka, keep an eye out for the colorful neon street signs and entertaining 3-dimensional signs found all around the area.

Tour around Kyoto in air-conditioned comfort while your personal English-speaking guide takes you to the must-see landmarks of the city.

Make your way out to Nijo Castle, one of the very few in Japan that retained many of its complex features such as moats, gardens and entry gates. Built in 1603, this castle is a wonderful example of Japan’s feudal era castle palace architecture.

Next, travel to the iconic Kinkaku-ji, or Golden Pavilion, and marvel at the extensive gold leaf-covered Main Hall. Discover how this magnificent place was built in 1397 as a retirement home for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, then converted to a Zen temple, then burned to the ground by an obsessed monk and finally rebuilt in 1955. Don’t leave without getting a photo of the temple shimmering in the beautiful reflection pond.

At Nishiki Market you can peruse more than 100 food shops and restaurants lining a 5-block long shopping street known as Kyoto’s Kitchen. Check out the knives, fresh seafood and cookware while you sample such Japanese delicacies as sushi, pickles, skewers and those famous Japanese sweets. This lively market started out in 1310 as a fish wholesale district and the generations-old businesses are frequented by tourists and locals alike.

Not to be missed is the 1,200-year-old Kiyomizu-dera Temple nestled halfway up Mount Otowa in the Higashiyama mountain range. Also known as Kannon Reijo, this sacred temple draws thousands of people yearly who come pay respects to the 11-headed Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Stand in the large terrace of the Main Hall with its 30-meter-tall pillars and breathtaking views of the city below. While here, soak in the history and charm of the Higashiyama district including the delightful Teapot Lane with its boutique shops and craft stores.