Kyoto in One Day: Travel: Move to Matsuo Shrine — Guide Nori

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

The guests were visitors from Oceania who were traveling and sightseeing in Japan. Recently I have been assigned to guide many guests from Oceania (probably just a coincidence). The person handling the advance communication and arrangements was one of the guests. I received the assignment in August and immediately sent a first message, and the local agency acting as an intermediary also sent an email to the guests in August telling them to get in touch with the guide (I found this out because I was copied on it). However, no reply came from the guests, and eventually the end of October arrived. At this stage I asked the person in charge at [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) for advice (honestly I should have consulted them much earlier), and two days before the tour I was finally able to reach the guests directly. It seemed that the coordination between the guests and the local agency had not gone smoothly, and the guests had been drafting a reply message to me but had failed to send it.

Although it was only two days before the tour date, the guests' desired destinations finally became clear (Tenryu-ji, Togetsukyo Bridge, the Monkey Park, and Katsura Imperial Villa), and I quickly put together a schedule by revising the itinerary I had prepared in advance. The one request I was unable to accommodate was Katsura Imperial Villa. As is well known, Katsura Imperial Villa is a facility managed by the Imperial Household Agency and requires advance reservation, but because of its popularity, reservations fill up about a week ahead. Naturally, this time I could not secure a reservation just two days before. Instead, I obtained the guests' agreement to visit Matsuo Taisha, a shrine famous for sake located in the same direction.

On the tour day, we were blessed with such fine weather that the previous day's downpour seemed like a lie, and we had a very pleasant tour. Since the tour centered on the Arashiyama area in the western part of Kyoto, the guests were able to fully enjoy the beauty of nature and the living breath of ancient Kyoto culture. We started out feeling anxious because I had not been able to reach the guests until the last minute, but thanks to the fine weather and the friendly personalities of the guests, it turned into a very pleasant tour.

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.