Kyoto in One Day: Kennin-ji Temple & Kiyomizu-dera Temple — Guide Kazu

Title: What Is a Private Kyoto Walking Tour of Gion and Kiyomizu Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from Europe. I heard that after staying a few days in Tokyo, they traveled to Shikoku, where they went surfing in Tosa and enjoyed boating and river activities—the name of the river was not entirely clear, but it was likely the Shimanto River. They then took part in a marathon in Kobe before finally arriving in Kyoto. Tomorrow they would return to Tokyo and fly home, though one of the guests planned to stay a few days in Hakone before returning to Tokyo and heading home. They were a very outdoor-loving group, with Tokyo and Kyoto being their only sightseeing destinations. Today, at the guests' request, the itinerary focused on the area from Gion to Kiyomizu. They were always smiling and seemed to be having a wonderful time, which encouraged me to explain many things with enthusiasm. As I listened to them, however, I came to think that a quiet Zen temple might have suited them even better. Some of the guests were not very comfortable with English, so parts of my explanation may not have fully come across, but they still asked many questions. I spoke as slowly as I could, and with some interpreting help from within the group, we were able to spend the time enjoyably. What made me especially happy was that one of the guests repeatedly told me during the tour how grateful they were for all the explanations and what a great experience it was, and at parting they said they had seen many things and enjoyed our conversations, thanking me with a firm handshake. As a note, Kenninji charges an entry fee for guides as well, and on this occasion the guests kindly paid my portion too.

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