Kyoto: Kinkaku-ji Temple & Kurama-yama stroll — Guide Satoko

Title: What Is a Private Kyoto Day Tour of Kinkaku-ji, Kurama, and Kifune Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were from Europe. I gathered their requests in advance and prepared a backup plan in case of rain before the tour began. At Kinkaku-ji, some of the guests were busy photographing the scenery. Since there are no lunch spots if one heads toward Kurama, I had suggested in advance that it would be better to have lunch around Kinkaku-ji. When I asked about lunch, they said a coffee break would be enough, so we stopped at a coffee shop on the second floor near Nishioji-dori. We then traveled by bus and the Eizan Railway to Mount Kurama. The guests enjoyed walking in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Since they seemed to enjoy hiking, we walked the winding path instead of taking the cable car, resting once along the way. Sitting together on a bench, the guests ate their chocolate bars while I had a light snack. Such experiences are rare, and I enjoyed it very much myself. Along the tree-root path, we all felt like Yoshitsune, carefully walking so as not to step on the roots. Finally, we entered the Okuno-in Mao-den, soaking in the mystical atmosphere, and after finishing Mount Kurama, we moved on to Kifune Shrine. At Kifune Shrine, we visited in the customary order of the main shrine, the inner shrine, and the Yui-no-yashiro. When I explained that the Yui-no-yashiro enshrines a deity said to bring people together, the guests said they absolutely had to go, and worshipped there with great delight. On the way back, the guests said they preferred to walk to the Eizan Railway station rather than take the bus, so we walked. When I mentioned that I had begun guiding in earnest after the pandemic, one of the guests shared a story about earning a university degree during the pandemic and about a graduation ceremony, which I found very moving. As promised, I saw them off near their hotel and was able to end the tour at just the right time. Personally, I had a difficult experience on a tour two days earlier, so I was very grateful to be able to finish today's tour on such a pleasant note. Although one of the guests does not like being photographed, they kindly agreed to have their photo published on the website, so I have attached it.

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Tour Report by Satoko

I am a 53-year-old woman, living in Kyoto for nearly 40 years. I got the license in 2001. Since then, I worked as an interpreter or a translator in several companies, secretary at universities, and now work for a company on weekdays at the international dept.I do guiding job only weekend now. I started full swing guiding career after COVID-19 pandemic. I have gotten good review from many of my guests. I love my hometown, Kyoto which has a lot of interesting and historical sites to see. Particularly, I am native to Arashiyama which is famous for bamboo forest. So, I know a lot of places where you can relax yourself around this area. Other than that, Kyoto has many attractive sites which surely interest you.Also, I like meeting many people from different cultural background. I am very happy if I learn about your culture as well. Let’s enjoy exploring around Kyoto!