Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu
February, 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
- ① 09:40 Gather around JR Kyoto Station
- ② 09:45 Itinerary meeting (not yet decided) + Explanation about the history of Kyoto
- ③ 10:20 Nijo Castle
- ④ 11:30 Kyoto Imperial Palace
- ⑤ 12:50 Lunch (around Sanjo)
- ⑥ 14:15 Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
- ⑦ 15:15 Disband at JR Kyoto Station
Title: What Can You See on a Private Kyoto Day Trip from Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visitors from North America who were staying in Tokyo and stopped in Kyoto for a day trip, deciding where to go only after we met today. They had a wonderful sense of humor and were always joking throughout the tour. They were very interested in Japanese history, and since the TV series "SHOGUN" was popular and they had watched it, they listened to my explanations very attentively. I am currently reading "SHOGUN" in paperback, which is set during the era spanning the Toyotomi period, the Battle of Sekigahara, and the Tokugawa period, so I think there may be more opportunities in the future to be asked not only about the shogun but also about the Oda and Toyotomi eras. Over lunch, I talked about karesansui dry gardens, shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine), and wabi-cha tea culture, and considered visiting Ryoanji Temple, but the guests wanted to walk among the beautiful torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine. Since they had a dinner reservation with friends in Tokyo that evening, we wrapped up a little early.
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 | Inari～Kyoto | 150JPY |
| Total | 150JPY | ||
Hello, this is Kazu Akiyama, your tour guide. Nice to meet you and welcome to Japan. Thank you for joining me on the tour. Now I am a retired salaried worker, living in Osaka. I have been very much interested in not only learning Japanese history, culture, religion myself, but also talking about them (sometimes going off topics) in English with tourists from all over the world as well. I am so excited being with you as your guide on coming day! I am very much looking forward to you enjoying with me visiting the must-see places and some of the hidden gems. See you soon. Thank you – Kazu Akiyama
Jul 29, 2026
James_G
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Great guide and very…
Great guide and very knowledgeable.…
Jul 29, 2026
James_G
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Great guide and very…
Great guide and very knowledgeable. Spoke perfect English and made the day fun and educational. Was able to adjust the tour based on my needs.
Jul 13, 2026
peterhR6472GA
Kyoto highlights with Kazu.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
A wonderful day with Kazu…
Jul 13, 2026
peterhR6472GA
Kyoto highlights with Kazu.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
A wonderful day with Kazu san in Kyoto. From the moment that the tour was booked, his communication with email about planning the day was exceptional.
Kazu gave detailed explanations about the areas we visited and we appreciated all that he had to offer at each of our stops.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day with him.
Jul 12, 2026
cgalvez73
Fantastic tour guide
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Our guide in Kyoto was Kazu.…
Jul 12, 2026
cgalvez73
Fantastic tour guide
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Our guide in Kyoto was Kazu. By the end of the day, we felt like we had made a new friend.
Kazu helped us arrange the best day with our short time in Kyoto. He brought us to some “hidden gems” and gave us thorough explanations on history and culture.
I would highly recommend this tour.
Jun 23, 2026
Winni_H
Viator review: Private Kyoto Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Highly recommended when in Kyoto
Our tour guide…
Jun 23, 2026
Winni_H
Viator review: Private Kyoto Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Highly recommended when in Kyoto
Our tour guide Kazu was very knowledgeable in terms of the history and explaining many of
the wonderful ancient sites around Kyoto. Definitely a must! Otherwise, I think it would be
difficult to tourists to understand on their own.