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.

Tour Itinerary

  • 1. 7:00 Meet up @Centara Osaka
  • 2. 8:20 @Fushimi Inari Taisha
  • 3. 12:00 @Kinkaku-ji
  • 4. 13:00 @Kiyomizu-dera
  • 5. 14:00 @Yasaka Pagoda
  • 6. 15:00 Disband @Teramachi Shopping Street

Title: What's a Private Kyoto Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests included someone who had visited Japan quite a while ago and someone whose work involves photography and journalism. The itinerary had been decided in advance, but along the way one of the guests showed me some old photographs, expressing a wish to revisit certain places and see them again. It turned out that a place they had thought was Gion was actually Kiyomizu-dera Temple, so we ended up significantly changing the itinerary on the spot. Since time was limited and they mentioned wanting to see a bit more of Kyoto on their own, I set the ending point in Kyoto and explained things so that they could continue sightseeing independently. They said they liked katsudon, so I took them to Katsukura, and after the tour I received an email saying it was the most delicious katsudon they had ever eaten.

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1TrainNamba~Yodoyabashi190JPY
Section 2TrainYodoyabashi~Fushimi Inari420JPY
Section 3TrainInari~Kyoto150JPY
Section 4TrainKyoto~Kitaoji260JPY
Section 5BusKitaoji Bus Terminal~Kinkaku-ji-michi230JPY
Section 6SubwayShijo~Kyoto220JPY
Section 7TrainKyoto~Osaka580JPY
Total2,050JPY

Hi! My name is YUKA. I’ve got the government license in 2018 and joined a half year traning to do the guide. But a half year later I started my carreer, Covid came. I should have given up guiding. During the Covid, I’ve read many books and made my own materials to explain Japanese culture, history, etc. I love guiding because the guests expand my horizon all the time and let me know their own country and culture, etc. It is really important for us all to know each other and respect each other to make this world peace. Thank you for coming to Japan! Let’s enjoy Japan together!

Sep 29, 2026
duncans746
Yuka was great
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Yuka was a fantastic guide, knowledgeable,…

Sep 23, 2026
navinderp2024
Great day in Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour…

Aug 9, 2026
piperl686
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Honeymoon Tour in Kyoto
We were so impressed by…

Aug 5, 2026
Anita_M
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Great day of sightseeing in Kyoto
Yuka was a…