Hop On Hop Off Bus

The trip was a good introduction to Osaka. The trip was an hour long which we found to be the right length of time to be on a bus tour with three teens.

The English "audio-guide" was okay but it would have been better... more if we had been able to go back track or fast forward forward the tape 15 seconds or so at a time, so as to get in sync with what we were seeing out the window. This feature seemed to be unavailable. Also, I found the head phones didn't stay in my ears well, so it may be a good idea for future tourists to bring along their own head phones to plug into the audio set.

The bus has glass sides which meant we were nice and sheltered. It is a good idea to bring a hat and something to drape over one's arms as the sun can get pretty hot through the glass.

Also, perhaps the place where one catches the bus could be made a little bit clearer. We ended up waiting by the spot where the brochures were, but in fact this was not where the bus stopped. None the less, we were able to see the bus stop a a couple of stops along the bus platform.

This trip was brief but took in some major locations in a busy city where others ways would easily tire the most energetic traveller. A bit longer, and include Kobe would be great!

I must say that I enjoyed the double bus tour with my family and friends. The attendant/tour guide was very accommodating. The tour is very organised having an audiophone for English translation of what to see and expect... more around Osaka. The bus stopped at every tourist spot to give us a good view of the attraction. What the tour had failed, I guess, was to allow its passengers to tour around/inside each attraction for 15 mins or so. This will give us better appreciation of Osaka's best sights than having to see it from afar. I have been having a hard time taking quality pictures as we are not allowed to stand up (Window glasses of the bus can be quite a distraction from the photos). I would appreciate it more if the tour guide can give us a deeper explanation on each attraction. While I recognise all the effort of the bus tour, I must say that I enjoyed it though but not as much as I expected. Cheers!

We went there without knowing much of a japanese language so they gave us a radio that is a recorded english guide for the tour. It was a nice experience. We sat at the top of the bus so we were able to really see Osaka ... moreout in the open. There are even some japanese citizens who wave hi at us. It was a lively tour. The bus driver and the guide herself are very accommodating all throughout the course. (I do hope I could understand some of the tour guide's jokes though :P). Overall it was a a very nice experience. We were able to cross throughout osaka while being relaxed at the same time. I just hope next time they'll take more time to stop at a certain tourist spot so we could take much of good pictures.

The tour was great for first timer especially in Osaka. It was our first time in Japan and we didn't know what to expect. The tour showed us how Japan in general, the streets, the places to go, how far each landmark that... more we are planning to go to from each other. The tour we took is the south course which is basically the Namba area, there's also the North course which includes the Osaka castle. Its a good thing we took the south course as we didn't have time to explore the south side. It gives you an overview and a good break from walking. I highly recommend it if you have old folks with you as it will give them time to relax and still see the city. The audio was ok but it would have been nicer if there's more history being told in between instead of music. There was a lot of music in between, which, unfortunately, put my grandmother and my parents to sleep, hahaha...There is a free wi-fi on the bus which is great. Also, you can probably request at the end of the tour to drop you off in Umeda Sky tower instead of bringing you back in Osaka Train station as they ask us if we wanted to be drop off to Osaka station, so I guess there is an option. Overall, it is nice, relaxing, and an easy alternative to see the city of Osaka.

It was a good tour although we expect a hop-on, hop-off type of tour but nonetheless the guide was very nice and accommodating. The english audio guide is good but it would also be nice if the tour guide could speak Engl... moreish as well. The tour was a smooth flowing tour of the city and gave us a good glimpse of the must see places in Osaka. Too bad we were a bit tired from our trip that I fell asleep on the last part of the tour. We were lucky because the weather was cooperating and it was not sunny but not raining as well, just a little overcast. All in all, I recommend this tour as a start off for tourists who wanted to have a short glimpse of what must one see while in Osaka.