大 阪
Private Osaka tours now open · message me on WhatsApp
a personal welcome from your local Osaka host —

Hi, I'm Toshi. You can call me Toshi-kun 😊🎌

I've been showing travelers around Osaka since 2012, first through Couchsurfing, now through private local tours.

I've hosted 400+ travelers over the years, usually at my family home, and spent countless days walking around Osaka with guests from all over the world. Food stalls, quiet neighborhoods, standing bars, hidden shrines, I like showing the city the way I would show it to a friend.

Plan your tour → Read Toshi's story
JP · EN CS host
since 2012 Based
Osaka, Japan
Shinsekai, Osaka — autumn '23 ✦
400+ guests HOSTED
TOSHI LOCAL OSAKA HOST
✦
✿
chapter one —

Born in Osaka. Shaped by the world.

I'm originally from Osaka, but I've always been curious about the world outside it. Over the years I've traveled across 30+ countries, lived in the Philippines, and met hundreds of people through Couchsurfing.

People usually describe me as easy-going and open minded. My friends just say I never really grew up — honestly, they're probably right. I still get excited about tiny things, random conversations, and showing people places they would never find alone. I genuinely think a good day is just a day where everyone leaves smiling.

If you spend a day with me in Osaka, I want it to feel less like a tour and more like hanging out with a local friend. The quiet temples most tourists walk past. Tiny standing bars full of regulars. Side streets that somehow feel different every season. The kind of places and moments that made me fall in love with my own city again after years of showing it to travelers.

I also write about these places in my journal — quiet shrines, late-night ramen stops and the kissaten where I take guests for breakfast.

~ Toshi - kun
Couchsurfing
since 2012
~1980

Born & raised in Osaka

I grew up here in Osaka around old shopping streets, family-run food spots, late night convenience stores and neighborhoods that most visitors walk past without noticing. This city was just normal life to me before I started seeing it through travelers eyes.

2012

My first Couchsurfing guest

In 2012, I hosted my first traveler at my family home through Couchsurfing. I just wanted to meet people and share Osaka. But watching someone get excited about the streets I took for granted changed how I felt about my own city.

2015

A year in Cebu, Philippines

I moved to Cebu to study English and live abroad for a while. That year taught me what travelers really need: not only directions or famous spots, but someone local who makes them feel relaxed, safe and welcome.

2016

Back in Osaka with fresh eyes

After coming back, I started showing guests the Osaka I personally love local food spots, hidden alleys, quiet shrines, small bars and neighborhoods that don't usually appear in tourist guides.

2026

400+ guests hosted, 200+ Couchsurfing references

More than ten years later, I'm still walking around Osaka with travelers. Every guest leaves behind a story a late night ramen stop, a random bar conversation, a new favorite street. That's why I'm turning this into Osaka Guide.

旅
from the streets of Osaka —

Real moments from local walks,
food stops and nights out.

A few frames from the kind of private Osaka experience we might have together, relaxed, local and fun.

Kuromon Ichiba market arcade in Osaka, red lanterns and food stalls — stop on a private Osaka food tour
Kuromon market, 7am
before the crowds
Dotonbori canal with the iconic Glico sign and neon billboards above the Osaka river — stop on a private Osaka city tour
Dotonbori, 11pm
after the yakitori
Tsūtenkaku tower glowing above the lantern-lit Shinsekai streets in Osaka — evening neighborhood walk with a local guide
Shinsekai tower
autumn '23
Old wooden corner shop on a quiet Nakazakicho street in Osaka, locals walking past — hidden neighborhood stop on a private Osaka tour
Nakazakicho café
rainy tuesday
The bright red taiko-bashi drum bridge at Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine reflected in the pond — quiet morning stop on a private Osaka walk
Sumiyoshi Taisha
early morning fog
every Osaka day feels a little different ✦
private Osaka tours — local, relaxed, personal

Local Osaka experiences I run personally.

Every tour is with me — no buses, no big groups, no fixed destinations. Tell me what kind of Osaka day you want: food, nightlife, hidden neighborhoods, photography, quiet places or something completely random. I'll build the route around you.

01
🏮
after dark

Osaka nightlife & standing bars

We usually start around Shin-Imamiya, Namba or another local area, then move between tachinomi standing bars, small alleys and places where tourists rarely stop. Sometimes the best part is a random conversation with locals. These nights never go exactly the same way twice.

  • — Evening private tour, 19:00 – 23:00
  • — Best for up to 4 people
  • — ¥35.000
02
🍜
morning to noon

Slow Osaka food walk

Start with breakfast at an old kissaten, then walk through local markets before the crowds get heavy. We eat where locals eat simple places, small counters, no fancy performance, just real Osaka food and everyday city life.

  • — Morning private tour, 8:00 – 12:00
  • — Best for up to 4 people
  • — ¥25.000
03
⛩
full day

Hidden Osaka: shrines, alleys & neighborhoods

A slow full day through the Osaka I personally like: quiet shrines, old shopping streets, secondhand shops, hidden cafés, neighborhood cats and local lunch spots. Less rushing, more actually feeling the city.

  • — Full-day private tour · flexible start
  • — Best for up to 4 people
  • — ¥75.000
04
✦
your call

Custom private Osaka tour

Some people want food. Some want nightlife. Some want photography spots, local neighborhoods, crafts, temples, or just a relaxed walk with someone who knows the city. Tell me what you're curious about and I'll shape the day around you.

  • — Any duration · any time
  • — Solo travelers, couples, families or small groups
  • — Built around your interests
Tell me your Osaka day →
声
traveler stories —

Kind words from people I've hosted, walked with or shown around Osaka.

200+
references from Couchsurfing travelers
Couchsurfing logo — Toshi has been a host on Couchsurfing since 2012
host on —
Couchsurfing
I've been active on Couchsurfing since 2012, hosting travelers at my family home and showing them around Osaka for free for many years. You can still read 200+ references from people who stayed with me, explored Osaka with me or simply needed a local friend.
Visit my profile →
★★★★★

"There are people who have the spirit of couchsurfing, but Toshi is what gives this community soul. I was so moved by his thoughtfulness, generosity, and sincerity, and am grateful for the time he took and enthusiasm he had for showing me his culture. We spent a wonderful evening together after he invited me to make chirashi sushi with his parents at home, and then he took me around Osaka to try Japanese specialties I hadn't tried before, before we went to an arcade to play Mario-Kart :). I had so much fun. Toshi-san is a really special human. I can't wait to return all the favors to you next time I see you in US or Chile :D"

Brooke A.
Chicago, Illinois, United States
July 2024
★★★★★

"Toshi reacted to my public trip just the day before arriving, and I was grateful for his warm message. It was wonderful to meet him and spend time together in Osaka 😃 Toshi is very friendly, open, interesting, and well-traveled. He introduced me to Osaka, enhancing my already positive first impression. Upon meeting, he even gave me a Japanese souvenir, which was so kind of him! ☺️ We talked a lot, enjoyed delicious local food, visited a rooftop, and explored local streets. Time flew by so quickly! Toshi also promised to provide me with recommendations for Kyoto and send a whole list even! I can wholeheartedly confirm all his previous excellent references 😊 Thanks for the wonderful evening, Toshi! See you around in this world 🤗"

Lieselot O.
Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium
May 2024
★★★★★

"It seems impossible to write the most outstanding reference, but I'll try: Toshi is the most generous and kindest person on couchsurfing and the best thing what can happen to you in Japan! He makes this world a better place and his inspiring personality will also make you a better person. During my stay in Japan, I slept many times at toshi's place, he showed me around Kyoto, Osaka and Tottori, we laughed so much (Ameise power). We became very good friends and just to let you know: I want toshi in my every day life! He is funny, intelligent, his passion for life and couchsurfing is beyond! One big highlight: He organised and threw a birthday party for me, with amazing vegan food! Toshi, you always have a home wherever I am ❤️ and the most beautiful part: I know that I have a forever home in Osaka. While I write this I have tears in my eyes because I really felt loved, and thank you so much for that! I will miss you and Okaasan and I really can't wait to reunite one day!!!!"

Michelle Rist
Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland
November 2022
会
so —

Let's plan your Osaka day.

Tell me when you'll be in Osaka and what kind of experience sounds good: local food, nightlife, hidden spots, quiet neighborhoods or a custom private tour. I usually reply the same day, in plain words. No complicated forms.

WhatsApp Me ← I usually reply same day
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