Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Toshi

Title: What Is a Private Kyoto Walking Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Kinkaku-ji, Nishiki Market, and Gion

The tour began at 12:30 with a meet-up at the hotel, where I met a group of guests from North America. We first discussed the day's plan, and decided to visit Kinkaku-ji, Nishiki Market, the Gion area, and Fushimi Inari. We took the subway and a city bus to reach Kinkaku-ji as scheduled, where I explained about Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and the historical background of Kinkaku-ji before viewing the temple. In front of the golden, shining Kinkaku-ji, the guests took many commemorative photos, and after explaining several other points of interest, we finished our visit there.

We then took a bus to our next destination, Nishiki Market, but due to heavy crowds and traffic congestion, it took more time than expected. We walked through the crowded Nishiki Market, which continues from Shijo Takakura, and the guests enjoyed the market while sampling a few bites along the way. However, at the corner where Teramachi Street turns into Yanagi Street, one of the guests caught a foot on the concrete edge and fell, scraping a knee. It did not appear to be a broken bone or a sprain, so together with the tour leader we purchased ointment for the abrasion and a bandage at the nearest pharmacy and applied first aid. Fortunately, it did not turn into a serious injury, and we were able to continue sightseeing afterward.

From Teramachi we walked to Tatsumi Shrine, where I explained about maiko and geiko, and then moved to Hanamikoji Street so the guests could enjoy the atmosphere of the Gion area. At this point the guests began to look tired, and on the way to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha via the Keihan train, due to fatigue and a 6:30 dinner appointment, they requested to cut the sightseeing short and return to the hotel. So we quickly transferred from Keihan Tanbabashi to the Kintetsu Line and headed to Kyoto Station. The guests offered to return to the hotel on their own from Kyoto Station and suggested ending the guiding there, so we parted ways at that point.

The guests were cheerful and cracked jokes throughout the tour, but it was unfortunate that one of them was injured, and with walking fatigue setting in, we could not complete the full itinerary.

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Tour Report by Toshi

After a rather long teaching experience at Japanese college, I converted my career about 6 years ago into working as a tour guide for the tourists visiting Japan.
As my career overseas, I’ve been in the UN and the Japanese Embassy, all in the USA, totaling more than 6 years.
And then I had made a big change in my career from a diplomat to an academic researcher. For that career to achieve, I studied abroad and won a doctorate degree in linguistics from Indiana University and landed a teaching position at college in Japan.
With all these interesting and exciting experiences I’ve made myself ready to enrich your tour and make it both enjoyable and worthwhile.