Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu

What Is a Private Kyoto Walking Tour Like in Summer? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America. Some of the guests were visiting Japan for the first time, while others had been to Japan before. Because most of the group did not understand much English, one member of the group interpreted my guidance for the others. Partly for this reason, the tour took more time than expected. In addition, the group only had two Suica cards, so cash always had to be prepared for the others and tickets purchased from the vending machines, which meant it took time before boarding the trains at the station.

Some of the guests were already worn out by the heat in the morning. The temperature was similar to their home region, but the humidity seemed quite different. Even so, one of the guests had plenty of stamina and walked quickly alongside me, while another in the group tired easily and became quite exhausted on the climb up to Yasaka Pagoda and Kiyomizu-dera. As we were also running short on time, once the visit to Kiyomizu-dera was finished, the group suggested ending the tour there so they could take their time shopping and walking on their own. Unfortunately, this meant we ended the tour without being able to go to Gion.

In the photos the guests are smiling and cheerful, but otherwise they seemed rather subdued. Today Kyoto was especially hot at 34 degrees, and with rain on consecutive days the humidity was also high, so most of the group became tired. The photo was taken at a sushi restaurant near JR Nijo Station. I think a Spanish-speaking guide would have been a better fit. [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) is one of Japan's largest networks of government-licensed, English-speaking private tour guides, serving all 47 prefectures.

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Tour Report by KAZU

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.