Kyoto in Half a Day: Nijo Castle & Nishiki Market — Guide Satoko

June, 2026

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.

Tour Itinerary

8:30 Meet up @ Hotel Premier Kyoto Ekimae
9:00 －10:10 Nijo Castle
10:40- 11:40 Kyoto Imperial Palace
12:10- 12:30 Nishiki Market
12:30　Disband @ Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine

Tour Itinerary in Detail

Meeting at @ Hotel Premier Kyoto Ekimae at 8:30, the group explored Kyoto until the tour ended at 12:30. The day ran to 4 hours from start to finish.

The itinerary covered Nijo Castle at 9:00, Kyoto Imperial Palace at 10:40 and Nishiki Market at 12:10.

Travel between the sites was by public transport: Kyoto to Nijojo-mae by train (260JPY); Nijojo-mae to Imadegawa by train (220JPY); Imadegawa to Shijo (Kyoto Municipal) by train (260JPY). Across 3 sections the fare came to 740JPY per person.

What Is a Private Kyoto Walking Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Nijo Castle, the Imperial Palace, and Nishiki Market

The guests were a group visiting from Europe. I had received their desired destinations in advance through the agency. When I asked, they told me they had visited the main temples and shrines the previous day on a bicycle tour, which made sense. Since I had arranged for the Nijo Castle tickets to be purchased in advance, entry was smooth. One of the guests plans to pursue education at university and hopes to become a university professor in the future. This guest held firm personal views and listened carefully to my explanations. Next, we moved to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Here too, everyone listened attentively to my explanations. When I later asked for impressions, one of the guests, who works in a field related to architecture, was impressed by the many ingenious details in the buildings and said they would love to take another careful look. We then moved to Nishiki Market. Since one of the guests had mentioned at our first meeting that they could not eat gluten and asked me to recommend something they might be able to eat at Nishiki Market, we entered from Takakura Street and looked through the shops one by one. When we reached Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine, it was exactly time for the tour to end, so we said our goodbyes. The photo was taken in the garden of the Imperial Palace. At first they stood still, but then they jumped again for the shot. Since it looked fun, I am submitting the jump version. (Sorry if it is a little hard to see because of all the jumping.)

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	Kyoto～Nijojo-mae	260JPY
Section 2	Train	Nijojo-mae～Imadegawa	220JPY
Section 3	Train	Imadegawa～Shijo (Kyoto Municipal)	260JPY
Total			740JPY

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does this Kyoto tour start and finish?

The guide met the guests at @ Hotel Premier Kyoto Ekimae at 8:30, and the tour finished at @ Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine at 12:30.

How long does the tour last?

About 4 hours in total, from 8:30 to 12:30.

Which places does this itinerary cover?

This tour visited Nijo Castle, Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nishiki Market.

How much did transport cost on this tour?

Public transport came to 740JPY per person across 3 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.

Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?

Satoko is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.

Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?

Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Kyoto itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.

Tour Report by Satoko

I am a 54-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!

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May 18, 2026
WENDY_W
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Super tour of Kyoto
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Highly recommend
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May 18, 2025
Steve J
A relaxing, enjoyable visit to Arashiyama.
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