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
- 9:00 Meet up @Hotel
- 9:14-9:34 Horikawa Sanjo→Kitano Tenmangu-mae 230 yen Bus
- 9:40-10:30 Sightseeing at Kitano Tenmangu
- 10:40-10:50 Kitano Hakubaicho→Kinkakuji-michi 230 yen Bus
- 11:00-11:50 Sightseeing at Kinkakuji
- 12:00-12:50 Lunch @Kura Sushi
- Walk to Ryoanji
- 13:20-14:00 Sightseeing at Ryoanji
- Walk to Ninnaji
- 14:20-14:45 Sightseeing at Ninnaji
- 14:55-15:10 Ninnaji-mae→Shijo Horikawa 230 yen Bus
- 15:30 Disband @@Hotel
Can You Do a Private Day Tour of Kyoto Temples? A Licensed Guide's Report
[Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) guide led the guests from North America on a private tour to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, and Ninna-ji in Kyoto. At Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, I explained Shinto and Sugawara no Michizane. At Kinkaku-ji, we talked about the beautiful garden and the actions of powerful rulers of the past. We had planned to have lunch at a soba restaurant, but there was a long line of people coming to eat year-end soba. So we changed our plans on the spot and went to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant instead, which turned out to be very well received. After lunch, at Ryoan-ji, we viewed the rock garden while talking about Zen and the idea of "knowing what is enough," and the guests listened with great interest. Since we still had time, we extended the tour to Ninna-ji.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Bus | Horikawa Sanjo／Kyoto City Bus～Kitano Tenmangu-mae／Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Section 2 | Bus | Kitano Hakubaicho／Kyoto City Bus～Kinkakuji-michi／Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Section 3 | Other | Omuro／Kyoto City Bus～Shijo Horikawa／Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Total | 690JPY | ||
Hello! I am Andy Murao. I love this job as I can visit various destinations with the people from all over the world. I am always thinking that I could help you know more about Japan and understand the attractiveness of Japan.
I would like to provide a tour in accordance with your request and preference. Please let me know what you want to see, eat, experience, etc. and then I will propose a schedule based on them.
There is one point to note. I like walking very much, so I might be a guide who forces you to take long walks.
I look forward to attending you in Japan.
Best regards,
Andy Murao
Jul 13, 2026
webstere2025
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Excellent
Andy(Atsushi) was great and communicated with us beforehand about our…
Jul 13, 2026
webstere2025
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Excellent
Andy(Atsushi) was great and communicated with us beforehand about our itinerary. He was flexible with changes we requested. Andy was very informative during the tour. He also was willing to take our family’s pictures. We were able to stop and check out shops as we pleased along the way. He also accommodated lunch requests(as our daughter has food allergies).
One thing I wish we realized was that there is quite a bit of walking. We were fine but for people who are perhaps older or with young children you may want to consider taking a cab between different sites.
Jun 21, 2026
Catherine_D
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
First time in Osaka
Andy was great . On time and patience…
Jun 21, 2026
Catherine_D
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
First time in Osaka
Andy was great . On time and patience with our walking tour since we had a 14 yr old with
us. Very informative and picked us up and dropped us off our hotel. Thank you Andy for
showing us Osaka
Jun 6, 2026
eyeessess
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Early Morning Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour!
Andy Murao was an amazing and wonderful tour guide.…
Jun 6, 2026
eyeessess
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Early Morning Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour!
Andy Murao was an amazing and wonderful tour guide. He reached out to us with some ideas for our private tour. He worked with us as we made the tour perfectly suited to our needs. He met us on time. He navigated the crowds and the sites perfectly. He was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. He even put together a nice photo collection of photos he emailed us after. Highly recommend.
Jun 5, 2026
Janice_W
Viator review: Kyoto 9hr Private Tour (Kobe Dep. ) with Licensed Guide
Great tour of Kyoto
It was a good tour…
Jun 5, 2026
Janice_W
Viator review: Kyoto 9hr Private Tour (Kobe Dep. ) with Licensed Guide
Great tour of Kyoto
It was a good tour & Andy looked after us well. He managed to change things to suite our
walking limitations & we had a good day.