Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu

What's a Private Day Tour of Kyoto Like for First-Time Visitors? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visiting from North America, and this was their first trip to Japan. Their itinerary took them from Tokyo to Hakone and Yokohama to attend a wedding, and from yesterday until tomorrow they are in Kyoto, with a plan to visit Nara the day after next before returning home. They mentioned that soon they would have to go back to "reality." The guests were clearly very close and affectionate with each other, and today's fine weather seemed to make the warm mood all the more pronounced. While I was explaining something and glanced over, they were holding hands and staying close together. Today one of the guests interpreted throughout the day. Perhaps my pronunciation was hard to follow, or perhaps they were not used to listening to English spoken by a non-native speaker — probably both. After I explained something in English, hearing it re-explained in short, simple English was a good lesson for me in how to keep things concise. The guests did not seem particularly interested in shrines, temples, history, religion, or art; rather, I could strongly sense their wish to simply enjoy together the beautiful, exotic scenery and atmosphere so different from home. They enjoyed a grilled Kobe beef skewer for 5,000 yen, matcha ice cream for 1,000 yen, took photos, bought souvenirs, and simply savored an unfamiliar world while walking hand in hand. That was their style of enjoyment. So while I gave a general overview, I did not go into deep explanations, and although I walked ahead of them, in spirit I felt as though I was quietly accompanying them from behind. Since it was hot today and one of the guests grew tired, we returned to the ryokan a little earlier and parted ways.

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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