Kyoto in One Day: Sightseeing ①: Kinkaku-ji — Guide Nori

Can You Do a Private One-Day Trip from Tokyo to Kyoto? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests this time were a group of former high school classmates visiting Japan from Oceania. Advance communication and coordination were handled with one member of the group, and the day after I sent my first message, I received a thoughtful reply introducing the group members and outlining their preferred destinations, so communication proceeded extremely smoothly. Regarding the destinations, this was a "day trip from Tokyo," and while their basic wish list included Kinkaku-ji, Fushimi Inari, the Bamboo Grove, and Gion, they had many additional requests such as "we'd like to ride a boat in Arashiyama if possible, and enjoy street food at Nishiki Market," and "could we do a tea ceremony experience somewhere?" On my part, I asked for their understanding that all travel would be by public transportation, that the walking distances would be long and rest breaks would be needed along the way, and that since some destinations were far apart, it would be impossible to accommodate every request within a six-hour course. In the end, I proposed the four locations noted above, and they agreed.

On the day, when I actually met the group at Kyoto Station, it was a very cheerful and close-knit group. The guests were full of enthusiasm to actively enjoy sightseeing in Kyoto. At the outset, when I asked for their understanding that "if you want to ride a boat in Arashiyama, there won't be time to visit Gion at the end," they said they were fine without the boat. At first, I too was concerned about the difficulty of traveling the entire route by public transportation, but thanks to everyone being energetic and moving briskly, we were able to proceed through nearly the whole itinerary as planned. However, by the time we finished exploring Arashiyama, everyone's fatigue had understandably peaked, so I judged that a break was needed and we took a fifteen-minute rest at a café just before JR Saga-Arashiyama Station. This too was well received and appreciated by the guests.

The content of my guiding and my conversations with the guests ranged widely — from the history and culture of each destination to everyday Japanese life, the education system, and the pension system — and they listened with great interest, including to some of my own personal stories. It was my first time guiding a group like this, but it turned out to be a fun tour full of constant laughter.

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

Tour Report by Nori

Hi, everyone! I’m Norifumi Kamon, a government registered guide interpreter. Please call me “Nori”, or “Kamon-san”.
Let me introdece myself. I was born on April 17th in 1952 in Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu island. I used to be an English teacher of Osaka Prefectural high school. When I retired from a teacher ten years ago, I decided to get a professional guide license. I wanted to play a role of the bridge between Japanese people and the people from all over the world as a second life of mine. After two years efforts, I finally got the guide license. Since then, I have guided several handreds of foreign people mainly in Kyoto and Nara for about five years except Corona Pandemic period. Almost all the tourists were deeply impressed by the beauty of nature, traditoin, culture, and art of Japan. I can surely help you enjoy and be satisfied with the sightseeing in Japan. And I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.