Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Nabet
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 Meeting place (Dhawa Yura Kyoto) → Taxi → 9:40 Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple → Walk → 10:30 Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple → Walk → Saga Toriimoto Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings → Shoan-in Temple → Seiryo-ji Temple → 12:00 Lunch @ Ramen Arashiyama Chikurin-tei → 12:45 Sagano Bamboo Grove → Togetsukyo Bridge → 13:15 Randen Arashiyama Station → Ryoanji Station → 13:45 Ryoan-ji Temple → Taxi → 14:30 Kinkaku-ji Temple → 15:00 End
Title: What's a Private Day Tour of Kyoto's Arashiyama and Kinkaku-ji Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
Body:
Communication had been slow, and the day before the tour the guests had expressed interest in covering both the Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, and To-ji area and the Sagano and Kinkaku-ji area. Since these are in opposite directions, I asked them to choose one, and they selected the Sagano area.
I proposed taking a taxi up to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji and then walking downhill toward Arashiyama. Within the group, one member was the most sure-footed while others preferred a slower pace, so I had to be careful about our walking speed. One of the guests took a liking to the goshuin stamp book at Adashino Nenbutsu-ji and began collecting stamps. Along the way toward Arashiyama we noticed Shoan-in, which offers lovely goshuin, and had one hand-drawn there, which put us further behind schedule.
For lunch we had ramen, and just like the guests I had guided two days earlier, the group was delighted and said it was delicious.
After the meal we strolled from the Sagano Bamboo Grove to Togetsukyo Bridge, then took the Randen tram toward Ryoan-ji. Since we were running quite late, we were lucky to catch one of two taxis parked at a stand and headed to Kinkaku-ji. At Kinkaku-ji we aimed for a shorter ticket line and entered relatively smoothly. Some of the guests took their time viewing everything, so we went past our finishing time, but in the end I guided them to the taxi stand and the tour concluded.
Because the group had varied interests and walking speeds, managing the itinerary was challenging — attending to one person meant leaving others waiting — but I was glad we finished safely. The guests expressed their emotions in a reserved way, but I believe their overall satisfaction was high.
Some of the guests were interested in history, so when a question about Kyoto's history came up during the meal, I explained, and they seemed satisfied with the answer.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Arashiyama～Ryoan-ji | 250JPY |
| Total | 250JPY | ||
“He was easy to talk to, friendly, and knowledgeable and even made sure we successfully navigated the public transit back to our hotel. If we are ever back in Kyoto, we’d love to book a tour with him again! ”
“At every side we got an indepth explanation to any minor detail and every question we asked was answered and explained really well. It felt like a relaxing and wholesome walk through Kyoto even while it was pouring rain. We can absolutely recommend choosing Nabet!”
“Nabet’s English is just perfect, he knows the way around sights, little streets and hidden secrets, he is very authentic…just a perfect tour!”
Here are just a few of the many kind reviews I’ve received from the more than 100 groups I’ve guided through Kyoto and other cities.
I’m deeply thankful for the chance to connect with my guests and contribute to a memorable tour experience!
+Current Occupation+
• Associate Professor specially appointed for Entrepreneurship Education and University-Based Startup Support
• Management Consultant for SMEs and startups
• Government-Licensed Interpreter Guide
+Hobbies+
Travel, music, sake, ice hockey, squash, watching soccer
May 29, 2026
Tamara M
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Kyoto bei Nacht – faszinierende Einblicke in Kultur und Spiritualität
Ich…
May 29, 2026
Tamara M
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Kyoto bei Nacht – faszinierende Einblicke in Kultur und Spiritualität
Ich habe eine wundervolle private Tour mit Nabet am Abend gehabt. Wir waren unter anderem im Viertel der Geiko und Maiko sowie am Fushimi-Inari Schrein. Ich habe viel über die Stadt Kyoto erfahren sowie die Religionen des Shinotismus und des Buddhismus. Nabet hatte viel Wissen und hat es mit Freude geteilt. Eine wirklich tolle Tour und ein schönes Erlebnis!
「夜の京都 — 文化と精神性への魅力的な洞察」
夕方にNabetと素晴らしいプライベートツアーを楽しみました。私たちは主に、芸妓や舞妓のいる地区や、伏見稲荷神社にも行きました。京都という街について、そして神道や仏教といった宗教について多くを学ぶことができました。ナベトは豊富な知識を持っていて、それを喜んで共有してくれました。本当に素晴らしいツアーで、良い体験でした。
Oct 21, 2025
Jana_C
4-hour private tour with Nabet was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Viator review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had an amazing experience…
Oct 21, 2025
Jana_C
4-hour private tour with Nabet was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Viator review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had an amazing experience with Nabet as our tour guide! He was extremely knowledgeable and took the time to answer all of our questions thoughtfully. From the beginning, he was on time, organized, and made sure to ask which locations we wanted to visit so he could tailor the tour to our interests since we were only in Kyoto for a day.
Nabet was also very friendly, engaging, and easy to talk to, which made the experience even more enjoyable. We learned so much throughout the tour thanks to his clear explanations and insights. Everything ran smoothly and right on schedule.
He gave us the best recommendation for dinner after the tour as well.
We highly recommend Nabet as he’s a fantastic guide who made our day truly memorable!
Oct 16, 2025
987kayeh
Knowledgeable guide who was will to respond to our multiple questions
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Thankyou…
Oct 16, 2025
987kayeh
Knowledgeable guide who was will to respond to our multiple questions
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Thankyou Nabet for a very interesting tour. Your historical knowledge of Japan and its culture added extra benefits to our tour. We appreciated visiting a temple with less people to appreciate the significance of significance of the environment to enable us to ask many questions.
Thank you for sharing our day in Kyoto.
Kaye and Doug
Oct 16, 2025
janiec555
Significant sites in Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Nabet is an excellent guide. He explained Japanese…
Oct 16, 2025
janiec555
Significant sites in Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Nabet is an excellent guide. He explained Japanese history and customs clearly and comprehensively, including pointing out behaviour considered disrespectfu.
He was energetic and enthusiastic despite the humidity, long walks up hills and steps and crowded conditions, and was very patient dealing with the public transport ticketing systems. I recommend him wholeheartedly.