Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu
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
- ① 09:00 Meet at Hotel Kyoto
- ② 09:00 Itinerary explanation and about the history of Kyoto
- ③ 09:50 Nijo Castle
- ④ 11:20 Kinkaku-ji Temple
- ⑤ 12:45 Obai-in (Daitoku-ji sub-temple)
- ⑥ 13:40 Lunch break (Kawaramachi Sanjo)
- ⑦ 14:30 Sanjusangendo Temple
- ⑧ 15:20 Return to the hotel and disband
What Is a Private Kyoto Temple and History Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from North America. This itinerary was arranged to match their wish to learn about history and to see old temples. During my explanations it was difficult to make eye contact, and I sometimes wondered whether they were listening, but they were in fact following closely and would suddenly respond with genuine interest, even if the initial reaction seemed a bit reserved. In situations like this, the best approach is simply to keep explaining each site at my own pace, while also gauging their mood, speaking to them, asking questions, and trying every possible way to engage. Thanks to that effort, at some point in the latter half of the day a kind of switch turned on — a silent switch whose sound I can somehow always hear — and from then on smiles began to appear, and in the end we were able to spend an enjoyable day together, or so I believe. This kind of thing happens often and is nothing unusual to me by now, but when I receive a review in such cases, it makes me all the happier to know they truly enjoyed themselves.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
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.