Kyoto: Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple & Kinkaku-ji Temple — Guide Kazu

What's a Private Kyoto Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Arashiyama and Kinkaku-ji

The guests were a group from North America, visiting Japan and Kyoto for the first time. In our initial emails they had said they wanted to see quiet, beautiful places that were not too crowded, but when we actually met and talked, they expressed a wish to visit Adashino Nenbutsu-ji and Kinkaku-ji. Along with the bamboo grove and somewhere quiet with a dry landscape garden, we decided on Obai-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji. One thing I felt sorry about was that partway through, one of the young members of the group entered naptime and, due to jet lag, could not be woken. Since we were worried about them becoming exhausted, some of the guests took turns staying behind in the chartered car during Kinkaku-ji and the bamboo grove. The bamboo grove in the photo is the one at Adashino Nenbutsu-ji. Up to that point they were still wide awake. Everyone in the group loved learning Japanese, starting with "maido ookini," "itadakimasu," and "gochisousama deshita," and they actually used these expressions throughout. When I explained that the expression "gochisousama" originates from Idaten, an important figure in Zen Buddhism, they listened with great interest. When I told them they were very good students with a good memory, they laughed. After I described Arashiyama, they said they would surely like to return in spring or autumn. Since they had a dinner reservation at 17:30, in the end we were not able to visit the dry landscape garden, so after Kinkaku-ji we returned to the hotel and parted ways.

Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide

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