Kyoto in One Day: Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine — Guide Satoko

June, 2024

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

  • 9:30 Meet up @Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma
  • 9:30‐10:10　Travel (Kyoto City Subway, JR)
  • 10:10‐11:10　Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
  • 11：10‐12:00　Travel (Keihan Railway, Hankyu, Keifuku Railway)
  • 12:00‐13：15　Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Walk
  • 13：15‐14：00　Lunch @Tully's coffee
  • 14：00‐14：30　Travel (Keifuku Railway, Kyoto City Subway)
  • 14：30‐15：45　Nijo Castle
  • 15：45　Dismissal @Nijo Castle

Tour Itinerary in Detail

The itinerary covered Travel (Kyoto City Subway, JR) at 9:30, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine at 10:10 and ‐13：15　Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Walk at 12:00.

Travel between the sites was by public transport: Gojo to Kyoto by train (220JPY); Kyoto to Inari by train (150JPY); Fushimi Inari to Gion-Shijo by train (220JPY); Kawaramachi to Omiya by train (170JPY); Shijo-Omiya to Arashiyama by train (250JPY); Arashiyama to Randen-Tenjingawa by train (250JPY); Uzumasa-Tenjingawa to Nijojo-mae by train (260JPY). Across 7 sections the fare came to 1,520JPY per person.

Can You Do a Private Day Trip Around Kyoto's Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, and Nijo Castle? A Licensed Guide's Report

At first it was difficult to get in touch, but since the request was a rather general one — wanting to visit a shrine in addition to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove — I proposed an itinerary of Fushimi Inari Taisha, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and Nijo Castle.

Because part of the group tended to walk ahead while others followed behind, I was a little unsure which pace to focus my guiding on. In addition, since one of the guests seemed tired from lack of sleep in the morning, I guided while being mindful of that.

After lunch in Arashiyama, the guest recovered considerably, and the group showed relatively strong interest in Nijo Castle. On the way to Nijo Castle, the group had apparently already visited Osaka Castle and Himeji Castle, but felt that Osaka Castle was more like a museum than a castle, and that Himeji Castle offered little other than climbing up to the top. In contrast, Nijo Castle features beautiful painted sliding doors, magnificent transom carvings, and displays of figures that evoke the era, and the group was very moved by it.

Since the group planned to do some shopping at the Nijo Castle gift shop, we said our goodbyes there.

Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1TrainGojo～Kyoto220JPY
Section 2TrainKyoto～Inari150JPY
Section 3TrainFushimi Inari～Gion-Shijo220JPY
Section 4TrainKawaramachi～Omiya170JPY
Section 5TrainShijo-Omiya～Arashiyama250JPY
Section 6TrainArashiyama～Randen-Tenjingawa250JPY
Section 7TrainUzumasa-Tenjingawa～Nijojo-mae260JPY
Total1,520JPY

Frequently Asked Questions

Which places does this itinerary cover?

This tour visited Travel (Kyoto City Subway, JR), Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine and ‐13：15　Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Walk.

How much did transport cost on this tour?

Public transport came to 1,520JPY per person across 7 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.

Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?

Satoko is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.

Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?

Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Kyoto itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.

Tour Report by Satoko

I am a 53-year-old woman, living in Kyoto for nearly 40 years. I got the license in 2001. Since then, I worked as an interpreter or a translator in several companies, secretary at universities, and now work for a company on weekdays at the international dept.I do guiding job only weekend now. I started full swing guiding career after COVID-19 pandemic. I have gotten good review from many of my guests. I love my hometown, Kyoto which has a lot of interesting and historical sites to see. Particularly, I am native to Arashiyama which is famous for bamboo forest. So, I know a lot of places where you can relax yourself around this area. Other than that, Kyoto has many attractive sites which surely interest you.Also, I like meeting many people from different cultural background. I am very happy if I learn about your culture as well. Let’s enjoy exploring around Kyoto!

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A relaxing, enjoyable visit to Arashiyama.
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