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

  • 10:00 Meet at Osaka Port Tempozan Terminal 11:35 Arashiyama・Togetsukyo Bridge 12:10 Gioji Temple 12:50 Ryoanji Temple 14:10 Nishiki Market (lunch and shopping) 15;25 Gion
  • 16:45 Return to Osaka Port Tempozan Terminal, tour ends

Title: Can You Do a Private Kyoto Day Trip from Osaka Port by Car? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were first-time visitors to Japan from Asia, traveling as a group. Because one member of the group could not walk quickly, moving between sites took extra time, and sightseeing would have been very difficult without a private vehicle. For this reason, at Togetsukyo Bridge and Gioji Temple, the guests mainly stopped to take photos at those spots. Ryoanji Temple requires a fairly long walk from the entrance, so it took time, and the visit was limited to seeing the rock garden and a few other areas. At Nishiki Market, we allotted about one hour and ten minutes of free time for lunch and shopping, but it seems that was not quite enough time. According to the driver, if we had moved the departure time one hour earlier and returned to Osaka Port one hour earlier, we could have avoided traffic congestion and had a little more time for sightseeing. At the guests' request, we started at 10:00, but starting at 9:00 might have given us about ten extra minutes at each site. The visit to Gion was also limited to the basics. On the way back, we were able to return to Osaka Port relatively smoothly. The photo was taken at Gioji Temple.

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1OtherOsaka Port Tempozan Terminal~Osaka Port Tempozan Terminal0JPY
Total0JPY

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.

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