Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour — Guide Kazu
August, 2026
I was born and grew up in Kyoto and now live near Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. I used to be a schoolteacher of English and welcome a lot of students from foreign countries. I really enjoyed showing them around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima. I have been a professional tour guide for about 8 years. I always try to let my guests learn Japanese traditional and modern culture. Since I was born in Kyoto, I know a lot about its culture and people. I myself enjoyed several sports, such as soccer, judo, and marathon when I was young. I’m much interested in baseball and sumo. My motto as a tour guide is to let my guests learn about our tradition and culture precisely and really enjoy themselves. I strongly hope you will enjoy the tour in Japan with me.
This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 6:50 Meet at Kyoto Station 7:06 Fushimi Inari 8:35 Arashiyama Nonomiya Bus Stop 8:50 Board Kyoto Bus 9:05 Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple 10:10 Gio-ji Temple 10:50 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
- 11:40 Lunch 12:30 Kinkaku-ji Temple 14:00 Gion 14:50 Tour Ends
What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests came to Japan from North America. One of the guests had lived in Japan for five years during elementary school years while family worked at a base in Yokosuka, and still remembers a little Japanese. Based on the overall itinerary, we met at Kyoto Station at 6:50 and began the tour. Perhaps because of the typhoon, a cool light breeze was constantly blowing, making for a comfortable tour. We were able to smoothly visit Fushimi Inari, Adashino Nenbutsuji, Gioji, and the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove all before lunch. After lunch, Kinkakuji was somewhat crowded, partly because it was a public holiday and quite a few Japanese tourists had also come. For Gion, we walked from Higashiyama Sanjo and headed to Furukawacho, Shirakawa, Shinbashi, Tatsumi Shrine, Tatsumi Bridge, and then Hanamikoji. The other day, when I tried to explain about the ochaya (tea houses), a standing security guard stopped me, so today I walked on the opposite side from the guard and explained from there. The photo was taken at the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Kyoto～Inari | 150JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Inari～Saga-Arashiyama | 240JPY |
| Section 3 | Bus | Nonomiya／Kyoto Bus～Toriimoto／Kyoto Bus | 230JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Saga-Arashiyama～Enmachi | 180JPY |
| Section 5 | Bus | Enmachi～Wara Tenjin-mae／Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Section 6 | Other | Kinkakuji-michi／Kyoto City Bus～Nishioji Oike | 230JPY |
| Section 7 | Subway | Nishioji Oike～Higashiyama (Kyoto Prefecture) | 260JPY |
| Total | 1,520JPY | ||
I was born and grew up in Kyoto and now live near Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. I used to be a schoolteacher of English and welcome a lot of students from foreign countries. I really enjoyed showing them around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima. I have been a professional tour guide for about 8 years. I always try to let my guests learn Japanese traditional and modern culture. Since I was born in Kyoto, I know a lot about its culture and people. I myself enjoyed several sports, such as soccer, judo, and marathon when I was young. I’m much interested in baseball and sumo. My motto as a tour guide is to let my guests learn about our tradition and culture precisely and really enjoy themselves. I strongly hope you will enjoy the tour in Japan with me.
Jul 24, 2026
Trail65429092687
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Tour
Kazua Sumi is a very accomplished guide.He has deep…
Jul 24, 2026
Trail65429092687
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Tour
Kazua Sumi is a very accomplished guide.He has deep knowledge about the history and culture of Japan. He is flexible and accommodates changes if you so desire. He is also very empathetic. I had a sprained back and he ensured we took elevators everywhere. You will be lucky if he is assigned as your guide .
Jul 23, 2026
489caelinp
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Guided Tour
My friend and I had a great experience…
Jul 23, 2026
489caelinp
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Guided Tour
My friend and I had a great experience on the tour. We travelled all around Kyoto with our guide Kazuo Sumi. He is a sweet older gentleman who had a great depth of knowledge about each place we went to. We told him places we wanted to go and he made the itinerary for us. There is no one better to have as your guide!!
Jul 16, 2026
margaretsM7923ON
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Great way to see Kyoto
Wonderful tour and exceptional guide.
Jul 9, 2026
Sandra_B
Kazuo was great and…
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kazuo was great and provided…
Jul 9, 2026
Sandra_B
Kazuo was great and…
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kazuo was great and provided some excellent recommendations. There’s a lot of walking so make sure you are prepared.