Kyoto in One Day: Nijo Castle & Guide ends — Guide Shuji
January, 2025
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 Meet at the hotel
- 9:50 Nijo Castle
- 11:45 Lunch in Arashiyama
- 12:30 Bamboo Grove Path
- 13:15 Nonomiya Shrine
- 13:30 Togetsukyo Bridge
- 13;50 Iwatayama Monkey Park
- 14:30 Randen train from Arashiyama to Shijo-Omiya
- 15:10 Guide ends
Tour Itinerary in Detail
Over the course of the day the route took in Nijo Castle at 9:50, Bamboo Grove Path at 12:30, Nonomiya Shrine at 13:15, Togetsukyo Bridge at 13:30, Randen train from Arashiyama to Shijo-Omiya at 14:30 and Guide ends at 15:10.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Nijojo-mae to Arashiyama by train (510JPY); Arashiyama to Shijo-Omiya by train (250JPY). Across 2 sections the fare came to 760JPY per person.
Title: What's a Private Kyoto Day Tour Like with Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, and the Monkey Park? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were a group visiting from North America. They mentioned that a family connection had Japanese roots, which was part of the reason for their trip to Japan. The original plan was to take the subway from the Hotel to Nijo Castle, but since one of the guests was experiencing back pain, we took a taxi to Nijo Castle instead. Unfortunately, the Ninomaru Palace was closed, but we enjoyed the Otemon Gate, the Karamon Gate, and the Japanese garden. In Arashiyama, I introduced Kyoto's traditional tofu cuisine (which developed from Buddhist vegetarian cooking), and the response was, "This is healthy and delicious." Some of the guests had wagyu beef. We visited the much-anticipated Bamboo Grove Path, and then Nonomiya Shrine, which has connections to the Imperial family. Rubbing the famous "Kameishi" (Turtle Stone), which is said to make wishes come true within one year, each of the guests made a wish. We crossed the Togetsukyo Bridge and went to the Monkey Park. Although Kinkakuji Temple had been on the itinerary, we changed plans on the spot at the guests' request. They enjoyed feeding the wild Japanese macaques and were delighted. I saw them off near their accommodation at Shijo-Omiya, ending the tour. One of the guests said, "It was a wonderful day. Thank you," and gave me a tip.
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 | Nijojo-mae～Arashiyama | 510JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Arashiyama～Shijo-Omiya | 250JPY |
| Total | 760JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Nijo Castle, Bamboo Grove Path, Nonomiya Shrine, Togetsukyo Bridge, Randen train from Arashiyama to Shijo-Omiya and Guide ends.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 760JPY per person across 2 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.
Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?
Shuji is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?
Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Kyoto itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.
My name is Shuji, meaning “Excellent Manager” in English. I was born in Hiroshima 1952. I have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.
After graduating Kyoto Univ. I joined Mitsubishi-UFJ Bank, Osaka Branch where I met my wife who was a master of Englsih, so I started studying English.
The bank allowed me to go to Columbia Graduate business school in New York and got MBA Degree there. I worked in London and Manchester Branch.
During staying in U.K., I was introduced by BBC and Financial Times News Paper about my achievement there. I was selected as a personal assistant and interpreter for the President of the Bank.
I made many business trips with him to overseas countries. I experienced as an interpreter for meeting late Henry Kissinger and the President of Citi. Corp.
I changed the job to ORIX corporation, there I was promoted to a Board Member. When the company had acquired Dutch company, I was a member as an accountant to check the Dutch company’s statements of accounts.
My hobbies are cooking, singing a song, playing tennis & golf, enjoy seeing arts especially opera & musical, travel. I am also busy with taking care of grandchildren. I passed Government Licensed Guide Exam. in 2016. After I retired in 2017, I started guide job as a part timer. So far, I accomplished guide job more than 500 times.
My area coverage is from Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji to Kyoto, Nara, Oaka, Hiroshima. I am also able to guide Tea Ceremony, Maiko/Geisha, Sushi Making, Calligraphy, Sumo, Samurai, etc. I can speak excellent English. My knowledge is very wide and deep about not only sightseeing places but Japanese History, Culture, Religion, Daily Life. I know many foreign countries and people. I love talking with all kinds of people including babies with interesting humor.
By the way, I look young for my age of 74.
Jul 16, 2026
salomons666
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Amazing with our guide Shuji very kind and acknowledge
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A great day in the Company of mr. Shuji.
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Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached…
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AmyfromPlano
Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached out immediately to make sure that we had a customized tour of what we wanted to see and do in Nara. The level of details in his emails was incredible! Not only did Shuji plan a great tour but he also went above and beyond by explaining the Japan rail system, the public transportation cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.) and even told us exactly what trains, times and gates to exit so that our meetup was seamless. Been on a lot of tours around the world and have never had this level of communication. Once we started our tour, Shuji was articulate, knowledgeable and so much fun! Nara is amazing and Shuji made it so much better – please request him!
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was…
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and made sure we were able to see everything that we wanted while in Osaka. He even took my 5 year old into consideration and took us to the Pokémon store since he is a Pokémon fan. I would definitely recommend him as a tour guide.