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
- 1.10:00 Meet up @Asai Kyoto Shijo
- 2.10:25 @Kyoto Imperial Palace
- 3.12:25@Kinkaku-ji Temple
- 4.13:15@Bought soft serve ice cream at "Mamemasa" in Kinkaku-ji, and just as he started eating, the husband appeared to be suffering from dizziness, nausea, and severe physical distress. He lay face down on the bench and vomited several times.
- 5·13:26 With the agreement of his wife and himself, called 119 to request an ambulance.
- 13:50 Transported to @Marutamachi Hospital
- Examination, blood test, IV drip for nausea.
- MRI examination due to the possibility of cerebral infarction.
- 16:25 MRI examination started
- 17:00 The doctor explained the blood test results and MRI examination results. No concern of cerebral infarction.
- 17:35 Received an English letter from the doctor addressed to his primary care physician, and paid the medical expenses. Since he did not have travel insurance, he paid a total of 102,102 yen by credit card.
Title: What Happens if a Guest Has a Medical Emergency on a Kyoto Private Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were a group visiting from Europe. We sightseeing according to the itinerary, visiting the Kyoto Imperial Palace and then Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion). After touring Kinkaku-ji, one of the guests bought a soft-serve ice cream at the shop "Mamemasa" inside the Kinkaku-ji grounds, and just as they began eating it, they suddenly experienced dizziness, nausea, and severe illness. Seeing this, and with the agreement of both guests, I called 119 and requested an ambulance. The staff at Kinkaku-ji also kindly assisted us. The guest was transported to Marutamachi Hospital, where they underwent an examination, a blood test, and an IV drip for the nausea, after which they were placed on standby for an MRI scan due to the possibility of a stroke. We waited about one hour for the MRI, which began at 16:25. Around 17:00, the doctor explained the results of the blood test and the MRI scan. According to the doctor, there was no concern about a stroke.
At 17:35, at the request of the guest, we waited while the doctor here wrote a letter in English (explaining the day's condition, the tests, and the treatment) to be given to the guest's regular doctor back home, and we received the letter and settled the medical costs. As the guests had not taken out travel insurance, they paid a total of 102,102 yen.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Shijo (Kyoto Municipal)～Karasuma Imadegawa (Imadegawa Subway Station) / Kyoto Municipal Bus | 260JPY |
| Section 2 | Bus | Karasuma Marutamachi (Marutamachi Subway Station) / Kyoto Municipal Bus～Kinkakuji-michi / Kyoto Municipal Bus | 230JPY |
| Total | 490JPY | ||
I am an experienced guide, who live in Osaka. I have been a Government-Licensed Guide in English since 2018. I have already guided a lot of tourists overseas in Kansai Area, that is, in the vicinity of my prefecture, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, and Himeji. I am especially good at guiding in Kansai Area with sufficient knowledge of history, culture and transportation. I have guided people ranging from a small group of one or two to a group of 20-50 people in a big bus, that is, a coach. I like delicious food, because Osaka is a city of Kuidaorre, which means that people in Osaka love to eat and never spend too much money on food. Therefore, as an Osakan, I will do my best to explore restaurants which serve most delicious foods in wherever I take to my guests.
Mar 31, 2026
Michael A
Tripadvisor review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Perfectly customized tour
Shoko San did an amazing job planning a…
Mar 31, 2026
Michael A
Tripadvisor review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Perfectly customized tour
Shoko San did an amazing job planning a customized tour of more quiet places for Osaka.
We visited a couple of temples and a beautiful Japanese garden. Shoko was very
knowledgeable and accommodating for us. Highly recommended.
Mar 29, 2026
judyl582
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Shoko was great
Shoko was an excellent guide. From the moment she…
Mar 29, 2026
judyl582
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Shoko was great
Shoko was an excellent guide. From the moment she was assigned to our tour (month prior) to the day of, her communication was clear and proactive. She tailored our day based on our interests and got us where we needed to be quickly and efficiently. She was also VERY knowledgable of the history of the sites we visited.
Oct 8, 2025
441gayh
World Heritage Kyoto places with the best guide
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Absolutely perfect! SHOKO was…
Oct 8, 2025
441gayh
World Heritage Kyoto places with the best guide
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Absolutely perfect! SHOKO was the best person to take this tour with. She knew the history of the places we visited – we went to 4 of the world heritage listed places, by train, bus, tram, taxi – just a wonderful day and we will carry many happy memories. Thank you Shoko, you are a beautiful person.
Oct 3, 2025
Judi H
Introduction to Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful tour with Shoko.
She…
Oct 3, 2025
Judi H
Introduction to Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful tour with Shoko.
She was the same age as we were and we all had a lot of fun.
She had a lovely sense of humour and was very fit so we all worked hard to keep up and enjoy every moment.
She had been in touch with us prior to our arrival in Kyoto,and knew what we wanted to see, and she assisted us with the public transport as it was our first day to see this city.
We had a wonderful tour of Fushimi Inari Shrine where she helped us to make our way through the crowds and took some great photos.
She was up beat and enthusiastic, and could answer all of our many questions.
After taking us to three wonderful shrines and finding us a very cute little place to eat, she stayed with us until she was satisfied we could find our way home.
Shoko was a lovely guide and we left feeling like old friends.