Kyoto: walk & Ramen Factory — Guide Nabet
September, 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 Meeting at the lobby of Hotel
- 9:00-9:15 walk
- 9:15-9:45 Seishin-In Temple
- 9:45-9:50 walk
- 9:50-10:00 Seigan-ji Temple
- 10:00-10:10 walk and taxi
- 10:10-12:15 Shoren-in Temple
- 12:15-12:30 taxi
- 12:30-13:00 stroll in Kyoto Gyoen Park
- 13:00 Ramen Factory
Tour Itinerary in Detail
From there the group visited walk at 9:00, Seishin-In Temple at 9:15, walk at 9:45, Seigan-ji Temple at 9:50, walk and taxi at 10:00, Shoren-in Temple at 10:10, taxi at 12:15, stroll in Kyoto Gyoen Park at 12:30 and Ramen Factory at 13:00.
Title: What's a Private Kyoto Tour Focused on Classical Literature Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visitors from North America. Through prior communication, one of the guests expressed a strong interest in classical Japanese literature, having read an English translation of "The Izumi Shikibu Diary," and requested to visit places connected to Izumi Shikibu as well as sites where they could take their time in a relaxed atmosphere.
Based on this, I proposed visiting Seishin-in and Seigan-ji, both associated with Izumi Shikibu, followed by Shoren-in and the garden of Heian Jingu Shrine, which were expected to be less crowded. On the day of the tour, it was clear how much they loved Izumi Shikibu, and they were very delighted with the visit to Seishin-in. The guests said they loved foreign cultures and eagerly asked many questions about the temples and about Japanese culture and customs.
After a short stop at the nearby Seigan-ji, also connected to Izumi Shikibu, we took a taxi to Shoren-in. Sitting on the veranda of the Kacho-den, where there were only one or two other groups of visitors, the guests took their time viewing the garden. They became very interested in the blue lotus paintings on the sliding doors and the framed paintings of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets, and at the shop corner they bought three types of blue lotus tenugui hand towels as souvenirs for themselves. They happily explained that, having just moved into a new home, they had been looking for Japanese paintings to hang on the wall, and planned to frame the three hand towels and display them together.
One of the guests also loved not only traditional culture but also sports and entertainment. They mentioned having watched a professional baseball game and a soccer match in Tokyo the previous week, and planned to return to Tokyo the following week to watch sumo. After we had toured through Shoren-in, they mentioned wanting to get tickets for an upcoming concert by a rock group visiting Japan, but had been unable to complete the booking on their smartphone and had spent the entire bullet train ride from Tokyo to Kyoto without success. It took a little time, but I was able to help them arrange it.
While all this was going on, there was no longer time to visit Heian Jingu Shrine, so we took a taxi and adjusted our timing by strolling through the nearby Kyoto Imperial Palace Park, arriving at the Ramen Factory right at 13:00. Judging from the photos they sent me afterward, they seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed making ramen as well.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Tour & Ramen Making with Licensed Guide
“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.