About Osaka Localized
Local Guides Bring Osaka to Life.
Osaka Localized has been running walking tours in Osaka since February 2020. Operated by Localized Inc., we offer tip-based free walking tours, paid tours, and private tours, with experiences available in English and Spanish.
Our local guides connect the places guests see with the history, culture, food, humor, and everyday life behind them. We do more than point out famous sights: we bring each place to life, helping visitors understand Osaka more deeply and leave as fans of the city—and of Japan.
Our Story
The idea behind Localized began with an experience its founder, Dai Miyamoto, had while studying abroad. While traveling with English-language guidebooks and websites, he discovered tip-based free walking tours and saw how a local guide could make an unfamiliar city easier to understand and far more memorable.
After returning to Japan, he launched Tokyo Localized in 2017 while continuing to work in finance. Localized later expanded to Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima.
One principle has remained unchanged: the guest experience comes first. A tour should do more than move people between landmarks. It should change the way visitors see a city and help them build a lasting connection to it.
How We Create Our Tours
Each tour starts with the place itself. We research the history, culture, and everyday life of each area, walk and refine the route, and turn what we learn into stories that are accurate, engaging, and easy to understand.
Our guides receive route materials, practical training, and operational support. We keep core facts, safety, and service standards consistent without making every guide sound the same. Each guide brings their own voice, personality, and connection to Osaka. Guest feedback helps us keep improving.
By creating work for local guides, we also aim to return part of tourism’s value to the community.
Part of Localized
Osaka Localized is one of four city-based tour brands operated by Localized Inc., alongside Tokyo Localized, Kyoto Localized, and Hiroshima Localized. Each brand creates tours rooted in the history, culture, and character of its own city.
Learn more about the company and our wider tourism activities at Japan Localized.
Join Osaka Localized
We welcome applications from people who love Osaka and enjoy meeting visitors from around the world. We value curiosity, reliability, clear communication, and a willingness to keep learning about the city.
Selected guides receive route materials, training, and operational support. To apply, select “Tour Guide Application” in the form below.
Contact Osaka Localized
Use the form below for general questions, media or business inquiries, and tour guide applications. Select the relevant inquiry type and tell us how we can help.
For guide applications, please include your connection to Osaka, the languages you speak, your availability, and any relevant experience.