Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Hiro

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

  • 1)8:30 　　　　Meet at the hotel, then take the subway to Nijo Castle
  • 2)8:50～10:00　Nijo Castle, then take the bus to Kinkaku-ji
  • 3)10:40～11:30　Kinkaku-ji, then take the bus and subway to Nishiki Market
  • 4)12:10～12:30　Nishiki Market, then lunch
  • 5)12:40～13:50　Lunch, then take the Keihan Line to Sanjusangendo
  • 6)14:20～15:20 　Sanjusangendo, then guide partway on foot
  • 7)Around 15:30　　　　　Guide to a spot where Kyoto Tower can be seen, then say goodbye

What's a Rainy-Day Private Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji, and Sanjusangendo

It happened to be a rainy day, but the guests walked without umbrellas, saying that this level of rain was fine and wearing windbreakers. The guests seemed to enjoy the wall paintings and other features of the Ninomaru Palace at Nijo Castle. One of the guests appeared to enjoy photography and took many photos of the Karamon Gate and the Ninomaru Garden in the rain. They also took many photos at Kinkaku-ji. Looking at the beautiful colored autumn leaves, one of the guests said it was beautiful. Over lunch, we talked about topics such as Japanese politics and family. They said it was a nice restaurant. The afternoon itinerary was scheduled to include Kiyomizu-dera Temple, but since it has many ups and downs and would be slippery in the rain, I suggested Sanjusangendo, where they could spend time indoors, and we decided to go there instead. As a result, the guests seemed to like Sanjusangendo very much and said I had taken them to a wonderful place. After the visit, I asked what they planned to do next, and they said they would return to their hotel but asked about using public transportation. Since their hotel required taking the subway, I suggested walking to Kyoto Station and taking the subway back, guided them to a spot where Kyoto Tower was visible, and said goodbye. After returning home, I received a thank-you email from the guests. It seems they enjoyed the tour.

Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwayMarutamachi (Kyoto Municipal)～Nijojo-mae220JPY
Section 2BusNijojo-mae／Kyoto City Bus～Kinkakuji-michi／Kyoto City Bus230JPY
Section 3BusKinkakuji-michi／Kyoto City Bus～Kitaoji Bus Terminal (Subway Kitaoji Station)／Kyoto City Bus230JPY
Section 4SubwayKitaoji～Shijo (Kyoto Municipal)260JPY
Section 5TrainGion-Shijo～Shichijo180JPY
Total1,120JPY

Tour Report by Hiro

Nice to meet you.
My name is Hiroki Muramoto, please call me Hiro.
Hiro in Japanese means large or big. Although I’m neither large nor big, you can call me Hiro. How are you doing ?
I lived in a city nearby Kobe city. Do you know Kobe ? Kobe is famous for Kobe beef and pearl. If you have not yet had Kobe beef, you should taste the authentic Kobe beef. It is very satisfying taste. But I have recently moved to a city in Kyoto prefecture, so I can be in Kyoto city in about one hour. By the way, I am a family of four. I have a son and a daughter. My son now works in Tokyo. I sometimes go to Tokyo to see him. Tokyo is a huge city, but too crowded, so it seems not to suit me. I seem to be better suited to a small city than a big one. Where do you live in ? How many families do you have ? If you like, please tell me about them. I worked in the quality assurance department of a pharmaceutical company and visited the factories of foreign affiliated companies, so I became interested in foreign cultures and obtained a qualification as an interpreter guide in 2015.

I have been a guide for about eight years. During that time, I have guided in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Kochi and so on, although I could do little guiding work between 2020 and 2022 due to COVID-19. However, since last year, my guiding work has been back! So, I am happy to be able to meet different people again. My hobby is travelling, but sadly, I am not in a position to travel abroad easily at the moment due to the very weak yen, and I hope to travel abroad again when the situation eases a bit more.
How many countries have you been to so far ? Which countries have you liked so far? Another hobby is watching sports – baseball and football. Do you like the baseball ? Do you know Otani, Japanese baseball player ? He has joined Dodgers in Los Angeles this year. I look forward to another successful year for Otani.

By the way, what interests you in Japan? Food, history, scenery ? As far as tourist attractions are concerned, famous places are too crowded. If you like, I also would like to show you some less crowded places. Are you interested in experiencing something ? If you want to experience something, I can suggest an experience plan for you. If so, please contact me as early as possible. As for food, what kind of food do you like? There are many kinds of delicious food. Of course, you can get good food in fine restaurants, but you can also get good food in downtown restaurants. If you like alcohol, why don’t you try Japanese sake? It can range from light and fragrant to rich in flavor, so you’re sure to find a Japanese sake you like.

My motto is “Be content with life.” However, I find myself complaining all the time. If you like, please tell me your motto. I want to treat all guests who visit Japan with the spirit of “Treasure every encounter” and guide them so that they can enjoy themselves and have good memories of Japan.
You only live once (YOLO). So, I also want to enjoy it with you.

I look forward to meeting you.
Best regard.

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Nov 27, 2024
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