Two years ago during a brief stint in Kyoto I saw in passing a rickshaw (a Japanese traditional human-pulled taxi) but I didn’t have the time to enquire about the upbeat opportunity; instead, I caught the train back to Tokyo, and left the country the next day.
However, the idea of seeing the city via “Ebisuya” never left my mind.
So recently during a stopover, it was time for a redo!
Reiko and I didn’t make a reservation via the phone. We googled “Ebisuya” tours and took the fast train to Kamakura (Japan’s first feudal capital) station, one hour away, and met at "The second gate" (Ni-no-to-ri-i). She speaks Japanese so I had the best of both worlds. But if you don’t have a pal, the guides speak the universal language.
Each trip is customizable based on your interests and after discussing the length of time you want to tour, you’ll get a taste for the charming atmosphere of this 800-year-old Japanese city, passing by its ancient temples, peaceful shrines, and historic structures.
Among the sights we saw on our plush two-hour excursion starting at the large red torii at the center of town: Kotohikibashi, the lavish green bamboo forest, the Myohonji temple, the suburbs of Kamakura (where you can see the every day life of the citizens), and the iconic Daibutsu, or the Great Buddha statue. In addition, Takuya (our guide) recommended a fabulous shop where I purchased “tabi” which are the traditional socks dating back to the 15th century.
What can I add that you may not know to convince you to take this tour?
The view from the rickshaw seat was different from that of walking or riding in a car. Blessed by a cool breeze (we used the blanket provided) and the gorgeous sunny weather, we rode in style perched comfortably in the seat upright on two large wheels. It was a totally unexpected perspective of the city we were gifted. Our guide followed all of the traffic laws, graciously helped us in and out of the rickshaw at various sites and showed us beautiful viewpoints. (Did I mention he was a photography wizard?) He knew EXACTLY where we should stand to get the best photos. In addition, he was personable, funny, and extremely knowledgeable.
Four words: Lots. Of. Big. Laughs.
I was a docent in my former life so I know all about tour guiding! Plus, I’ve traveled to more than forty countries and have taken numerous guided adventures…Takuya Yoshida did a stellar job!
There are a variety of tours available depending on your travel schedule and please note that even Reiko, who originally thought this was too "touristy" loved the experience and confirmed she would do it again on my next visit in another city.
Overall, this rick ride was full of discovery and worth the Japanese yen.
