Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu

Title: What's a Private Kyoto Day Tour Like During Golden Week? A Licensed Guide's Report on Hidden Gems

The guests were visiting Kyoto for the first time, coming from Europe. They had not decided on a destination and left it open, so on the day, since it was the middle of the Golden Week holiday, I proposed avoiding the most crowded spots and suggested we visit some hidden gems instead. The guests said they had wandered around on their own the day before but had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of tourists. Nijo Castle can hardly be called a hidden gem, so at first they were reluctant, but I intentionally took them there and explained Japanese history, especially the relationship between the emperor and the shogun, before touring the castle. I was able to talk at length about the shogun now familiar from films and about the Meiji Restoration. At Daisen-in, I explained the karesansui dry landscape garden, wabi-cha, the concept of wabi-sabi, and also onmyodo and feng shui. Since one can enjoy matcha and sweets there for 300 yen, I briefly explained how to enjoy the tea ceremony, and as I myself occasionally practice zazen meditation at Daisen-in, I explained various aspects of the actual practice of zazen. As it happened, they had a tea ceremony booked for the next day, so they listened with even greater interest and were very pleased. After having the matcha, one of the guests said, "This is what travel is all about," and was so moved they became a little tearful, which made me feel very honored and glad I had done my best to explain everything. Both of them follow a plant-based diet, but they enjoyed looking around Nishiki Market at all sorts of things. One of them bought some peanuts and gave them to me, saying they were crazy about nuts. They told me that they had walked around Gion on their own the day before but had no idea where to go, so it had felt pointless, so I guided them to Pontocho, Tatsumi Bridge and Shinbashi Street, and other quintessentially Gion spots, as well as the Yasaka Pagoda. I explained the history of Gion, the history of the geiko, and their daily lives. They were moved by the famous view looking down from above the Yasaka Pagoda (see attached photo).

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Tour Report by Kazu

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