Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — 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
- 8:00 Hotel Meet 8:35 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove 9:30 Kinkaku-ji 11:00 Kyoto Imperial Palace 12:00 Lunch 13:15 Fushimi Inari 14:00 Tour ends and disbands at Fushimi Inari
What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Kyoto Imperial Palace, Fushimi Inari, and Arashiyama
The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from North America. With guests from that region, the conversation often turns to baseball, and this time was no exception, as they were very knowledgeable about the sport and enjoyed talking about it. Thanks to a lingering typhoon, an occasional light breeze made the heat a little more bearable. All of the guests asked many questions throughout the day, and they were a very pleasant group to guide. The Kyoto Imperial Palace was quite hot with little shade, but everyone walked around it energetically. For lunch we went to a tonkatsu restaurant, and since some of the guests did not eat pork, they had fried chicken instead. The tour ended after visiting Fushimi Inari, and the guests went off to enjoy some shaved ice. The photo was taken at the bamboo grove in Arashiyama.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Umekoji-Kyotonishi～Saga-Arashiyama | 200JPY |
| Section 2 | Other | Saga-Arashiyama～Enmachi | 180JPY |
| Section 3 | Bus | Enmachi～Kinkakuji-michi／Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Section 4 | Other | Kinkakuji-michi～Karasuma Marutamachi | 230JPY |
| Section 5 | Other | Karasuma Imadegawa～Kawaramachi Marutamachi | 230JPY |
| Section 6 | Other | Jingu-Marutamachi～Fushimi Inari | 300JPY |
| Total | 1,370JPY | ||
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.