Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu
December, 2024
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
- 9:00 Hotel meetup 9:30 Fushimi Inari 11:10 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove 12:00 Short break 13:00 Ryoanji Temple 14:10 Kinkakuji Temple 15:20 Drop off at Yasaka Pagoda, tour ends
What Is a Private Kyoto Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Arashiyama, Ryoanji, and Higashiyama
The guests visited Japan from Oceania. They had originally lived in Europe and relocated to their current home five years ago. Their hotel had been changed the day before (from one hotel to another), so I was a little flustered at first. When I asked at the hotel, the booking was not found under the guest's name, but we were able to meet without any trouble. Although it was not originally on the plan, we decided to add Ryoanji Temple to the itinerary. As a result, the tour ended after guiding them through the Higashiyama area. While we were taking a break in Arashiyama it started to rain, but the rain stopped during our break, so there were no problems after that. I took photos in Arashiyama, though some of the guests preferred not to be in the pictures and did not join.
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Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Gojo～Kyoto | 220JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Kyoto～Inari | 150JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Inari～Saga-Arashiyama | 240JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Randen Arashiyama～Ryoanji | 250JPY |
| Section 5 | Other | Ryoanji～Kinkakuji | 0JPY |
| Section 6 | Bus | Kinkakujimichi～Kitaoji Bus Terminal | 230JPY |
| Section 7 | Subway | Kitaoji～Higashiyama | 260JPY |
| Section 8 | Bus | Higashiyama-Sanjo～Kiyomizu-michi | 230JPY |
| Total | 1,580JPY | ||
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.
Jul 24, 2026
Trail65429092687
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Tour
Kazua Sumi is a very accomplished guide.He has deep…
Jul 24, 2026
Trail65429092687
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Tour
Kazua Sumi is a very accomplished guide.He has deep knowledge about the history and culture of Japan. He is flexible and accommodates changes if you so desire. He is also very empathetic. I had a sprained back and he ensured we took elevators everywhere. You will be lucky if he is assigned as your guide .
Jul 23, 2026
489caelinp
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Guided Tour
My friend and I had a great experience…
Jul 23, 2026
489caelinp
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Guided Tour
My friend and I had a great experience on the tour. We travelled all around Kyoto with our guide Kazuo Sumi. He is a sweet older gentleman who had a great depth of knowledge about each place we went to. We told him places we wanted to go and he made the itinerary for us. There is no one better to have as your guide!!
Jul 16, 2026
margaretsM7923ON
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Great way to see Kyoto
Wonderful tour and exceptional guide.
Jul 9, 2026
Sandra_B
Kazuo was great and…
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kazuo was great and provided…
Jul 9, 2026
Sandra_B
Kazuo was great and…
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kazuo was great and provided some excellent recommendations. There’s a lot of walking so make sure you are prepared.