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) Meet at 9:30, Lee at Hotel, take the bus to Nijo Castle
- 2) Nijo Castle 10:00-11:00, subway and Randen to Arashiyama
- 3) Arashiyama (Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji, Togetsukyo Bridge) 11:50-13:10, JR to Fushimi Inari
- 4) Fushimi Inari Taisha 14:00-14:50, after sightseeing, farewell
Title: What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, and Fushimi Inari
Body:
It had been difficult to reach the guests in advance, and when I finally received a reply once, they mentioned that my email had gone into their spam folder, but they confirmed that the proposed itinerary was fine. Just to be safe, on the day before the tour I sent a fax to the hotel where they were staying, communicating the proposed itinerary and the pickup time. On the day, we met as scheduled, and they confirmed that they had received the fax. The guests were visiting Japan on a private tour.
At Nijo Castle, they observed the Ninomaru Palace with great interest. The cherry blossoms were also in bloom in the garden of Nijo Castle, which pleased them. When I told them that after Nijo Castle we would head to Arashiyama, one of the guests asked whether Fushimi Inari was included in the day's itinerary. I explained that, as I had communicated earlier, Fushimi Inari was not included, but that Kiyomizu-dera was. I offered that we could change Kiyomizu-dera to Fushimi Inari instead, and they said they would like to make that change.
Before this discussion about the change, when we were talking about Japanese anime, the topic of Ghibli came up, so I mentioned that there was a Ghibli shop near Kiyomizu-dera, and one of the guests said they wanted to go. I then explained that if we changed to Fushimi Inari we would not be able to visit the Ghibli shop, and they said that was fine and we decided to make the change.
When we arrived in Arashiyama, it was around noon, so I asked about lunch, and they said not yet. At Nonomiya Shrine, I had the guests pray at the deity for safe childbirth and at the deity for wealth. After that, since the bamboo grove path gradually becomes an incline, and considering the pace of walking, I took a photo of the guests in the bamboo grove and then turned back partway to enter Tenryu-ji. At Tenryu-ji, we toured and enjoyed the cherry blossoms while taking rest breaks. They seemed to like the Sogenchi Garden and took many photos.
At Fushimi Inari, I took photos of the guests in front of the great torii gate and inside the Senbon Torii. I had one of the guests try lifting the Omokaru-ishi stone. We could have gone a little further up, but since it becomes an uphill path, we decided against it and turned back. It was around 14:50 at JR Inari-mae, so I asked whether they would like to return to the hotel, but they said they would stroll around this area and have lunch, so this spot was fine, and we said goodbye here.
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 | Bus | In front of Shimogyo Ward General Government Building～Nijojo-mae | 230JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Nijojo-mae～Uzumasa Tenjingawa | 260JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Randen Tenjingawa～Randen Arashiyama | 250JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Saga-Arashiyama～Inari | 240JPY |
| Total | 980JPY | ||
Nice to meet you.
My name is Hiroki Muramoto, please call me Hiro.
Hiro in Japanese means large or big. Although I’m neither large nor big, you can call me Hiro. How are you doing ?
I lived in a city nearby Kobe city. Do you know Kobe ? Kobe is famous for Kobe beef and pearl. If you have not yet had Kobe beef, you should taste the authentic Kobe beef. It is very satisfying taste. But I have recently moved to a city in Kyoto prefecture, so I can be in Kyoto city in about one hour. By the way, I am a family of four. I have a son and a daughter. My son now works in Tokyo. I sometimes go to Tokyo to see him. Tokyo is a huge city, but too crowded, so it seems not to suit me. I seem to be better suited to a small city than a big one. Where do you live in ? How many families do you have ? If you like, please tell me about them. I worked in the quality assurance department of a pharmaceutical company and visited the factories of foreign affiliated companies, so I became interested in foreign cultures and obtained a qualification as an interpreter guide in 2015.
I have been a guide for about eight years. During that time, I have guided in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Kochi and so on, although I could do little guiding work between 2020 and 2022 due to COVID-19. However, since last year, my guiding work has been back! So, I am happy to be able to meet different people again. My hobby is travelling, but sadly, I am not in a position to travel abroad easily at the moment due to the very weak yen, and I hope to travel abroad again when the situation eases a bit more.
How many countries have you been to so far ? Which countries have you liked so far? Another hobby is watching sports – baseball and football. Do you like the baseball ? Do you know Otani, Japanese baseball player ? He has joined Dodgers in Los Angeles this year. I look forward to another successful year for Otani.
By the way, what interests you in Japan? Food, history, scenery ? As far as tourist attractions are concerned, famous places are too crowded. If you like, I also would like to show you some less crowded places. Are you interested in experiencing something ? If you want to experience something, I can suggest an experience plan for you. If so, please contact me as early as possible. As for food, what kind of food do you like? There are many kinds of delicious food. Of course, you can get good food in fine restaurants, but you can also get good food in downtown restaurants. If you like alcohol, why don’t you try Japanese sake? It can range from light and fragrant to rich in flavor, so you’re sure to find a Japanese sake you like.
My motto is “Be content with life.” However, I find myself complaining all the time. If you like, please tell me your motto. I want to treat all guests who visit Japan with the spirit of “Treasure every encounter” and guide them so that they can enjoy themselves and have good memories of Japan.
You only live once (YOLO). So, I also want to enjoy it with you.
I look forward to meeting you.
Best regard.
Nov 27, 2024
Julianne_A
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Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
This was a wonderful experience with our guide Hiro. He…
Nov 27, 2024
Julianne_A
Book it
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
This was a wonderful experience with our guide Hiro. He adapted the tour to our preferences
and helped us cover a lot of ground in one day. Would recommend!