Kyoto in One Day: Kyoto Imperial Palace — Guide Satoko

Title: What's a Private Kyoto Walking Tour Like When the Itinerary Changes on the Day? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from North America. We had agreed in advance on an itinerary of Fushimi Inari Taisha → Kiyomizu-dera → Yasaka Shrine → Kennin-ji, so when we met and one of the guests said they wanted to discuss the day's plan, I was unsure why. I explained the previously decided schedule again and we started the tour. We headed from Pontocho toward the Keihan station, but the guest still seemed unconvinced, and in front of the children's park in Pontocho they said they wanted to reconsider the day's plan. As it seemed the Arashiyama bamboo grove and Nishiki Market were must-sees, I rearranged the itinerary to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove → Tenryu-ji → Nijo Castle → Nishiki Market. The guests seemed very pleased with the scenery in Arashiyama, and I truly felt glad to have listened to their wishes and rearranged the itinerary, which I also expressed to them. We decided to enter the bamboo grove from the Kameyama Park side, and along the way they watched with interest as a local person fed carp in the Katsura River. We had originally planned to enter Tenryu-ji from the north gate, but one of the guests said they did not want to go in because it was crowded, so we saw Nonomiya Shrine and then left Arashiyama. At a shop selling Japanese sundries before reaching Nagatsuji Street, some of the guests did some shopping, while others bought steamed buns. After the shopping was finished, we sat in front of the shop and they kindly treated me as well, so I enjoyed a steamed bun. Continuing on the way to the JR station, they found a shop selling strawberry daifuku and enjoyed some. At the neighboring Heisei-in, I was asked why stones were stacked there, so I shared the story of Jizo Bodhisattva and the children stacking stones at Sai no Kawara. Heisei-in had an advertisement stating that offerings could be made via QR code, which also caught their interest. We had intended to go to Nijo Castle, but since the guests did not seem to enjoy crowded places, I suggested changing the destination to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and they readily agreed, so we changed the plan. At the Kyoto Imperial Palace, they were impressed by the beautiful architecture, the building techniques, and the beautifully maintained gardens. We then moved on to Nishiki Market. I took them to the entrance of Nishiki Market on the Takakura Street side, gave directions for the way back to their hotel, and said goodbye. Everyone was very warm, and I greatly enjoyed conducting the tour. The photo was taken in front of a manhole cover featuring a character motif at Nakanoshima Park.

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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!