Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour — Guide Kazu

Title: What Can You See on a Private Kyoto Day Tour Beyond the Famous Spots? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from North America, and this was their first time in Japan and in Kyoto. They had already spent several days in Kyoto and had seen Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari Taisha, and Gion, so their request was to be taken somewhere else that still felt like "the real Kyoto," which shaped this itinerary. I chose destinations where they could spend the day at a relaxed pace. First thing in the morning at the accommodation, we began with the question of why the shogun had to return power to the emperor. From the return of political power and the Meiji Restoration, I ended up talking at length about the history of capital relocation as Japanese history — covering Nara, Kyoto, and Tokyo — along with other topics, which helped us quickly break the ice. The guests were warm, cheerful, and kind. One of the guests actually disliked being photographed but smiled and said cheese all day without mentioning it, so I took many photos thinking I was doing a good thing, which I felt bad about afterward. Even so, when I shared all of them via Air Drop at the end of the tour, the guests seemed quite pleased. The previous day they had started at Kinkaku-ji and moved around Kyoto counterclockwise, and today we started at Nijo Castle and went clockwise around Kyoto, so I said, "Now you've conquered Kyoto!" and the three of us celebrated together. One of the guests liked Japanese tonkatsu and skillfully used the sauce and shichimi, quite accustomed to eating it. I also talked about kaiseki and the ichiju-sansai style in connection with Zen Buddhism, and they seemed to listen with interest. They listened to every topic with genuine curiosity, which made it easy for me to talk. After Kyoto, they plan to travel to another destination for about a week, then return to Tokyo to spend a few days before heading home. I wish them a wonderful trip.

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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