Kyoto: to 14:10 Kinkaku-ji Temple — Guide Haru
November, 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
- 09:30 Meet at Mimaru Kyoto Station
- 10:10 to 11:15 Kiyomizu-dera Temple
- 11:45 to 12:50 Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
- 13:30 to 14:10 Kinkaku-ji Temple
- 14;45 to 15;45 Monkey Park
- 16:00 too 16:20 Sagano Bamboo Grove
- 17:00 Disband at JR Kyoto Station
Title: Can You Do a Private Bus Tour of Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama, and Bamboo Grove in One Day? A Licensed Guide's Report
Today's guests were a group of eleven visiting from North America. They had requested the five locations listed above, but I felt it would be difficult to cover all five by bus within six hours. In advance, I had asked the bus company about a possible one-hour extension and the associated extension fee, and I had also informed the driver of this possibility. However, travel by bus took longer than expected, and by the time we arrived at Kinkaku-ji, it seemed unlikely that we would finish even with a one-hour extension. A two-hour extension would have placed a greater financial burden on the guests. When we entered the Sagano-Arashiyama area, I had the bus drop us off just before the Monkey Park and sent the bus back from there. I guided the guests through the Monkey Park and the Sagano Bamboo Grove, and then took them to Kyoto Station by JR train. The bus tour concluded within six hours, no extension fee was incurred, and the guests were very pleased.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Saga-Arashiyama～Kyoto | 240JPY |
| Total | 240JPY | ||
Personal data
Born in : May 1st, 1957
Hobby : Visiting scenic places,
historic spots, Japanese
gardens and old townscape
Former career : Worked for electric
company and engaged in
international sales for
about 40 years.
Travel history in the former career :
Visited about 20 countries about 200 times
Career as guide interpreter
Acquisition of guide license : 2016
Career of guide : 8 years
Genre of my specialty :
Japanese historic structures such as
temple, shrine, castle and garden.
Area of guide : Kyoto, Nara, Osaka &
Himeji
Let’s enjoy Japan with me !!
Dec 30, 2024
shannono1010
Haru is a Rock Star
Viator review: Nara 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was a fantastic guide. He explained…
Dec 30, 2024
shannono1010
Haru is a Rock Star
Viator review: Nara 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was a fantastic guide. He explained the history of the sites on our tour. He even prepared a book that helped explain the historical significance of each site we visited. He was really fantastic, funny and engaging and connected with every member (young and old) in our group. We all learned a lot! Thank u Haru!
Dec 29, 2024
Ali O
Amazing!
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was amazing on our tour of Nara. He was…
Dec 29, 2024
Ali O
Amazing!
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was amazing on our tour of Nara. He was very knowledgeable about the various cites and came prepared with a binder and useful images. He was organized and even found a delicious ramen place for our family of 6 (not an easy task in the middle of busy Nara). He really cared about the cites and the history of the temples and spoke great English. Highly recommend!
Dec 4, 2024
D5658ZEjohnr
Trip to some of the Kyoto sites on our visit to Japan.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Full-Day Private Tour (Osaka departure) with…
Dec 4, 2024
D5658ZEjohnr
Trip to some of the Kyoto sites on our visit to Japan.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Full-Day Private Tour (Osaka departure) with Government-Licensed Guide
We were able to customize our trip to the top places we wanted to see. We were able to get to all of them. Our guide Haru was great and the places we visited were amazing and interesting. Our guide gave us a lot of history around the different sites. Our favorites were Kiyomizudera temple, Sanjyu Sangendo Temple and Kinkakuji Temple. We also visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine which was pretty great. We did a lot of walking and public transportation to get around. All in all it wasn’t bad and our guide got us to all the sites with ease. Haru was great as he took most of our family pictures. He did a great job.
Dec 3, 2024
Charlie_Jane00
Kyoto Tour
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was a well organised and very informative guide. He…
Dec 3, 2024
Charlie_Jane00
Kyoto Tour
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was a well organised and very informative guide. He added a lot to our trip and
allowed us to experience a lot in the limited time we had available.