Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Kazu

Title: What Is a 4-Hour Private Walking Tour of Kyoto's Sagano Area Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visiting Japan for the first time, coming from North America. Their itinerary included a few days in Tokyo, several days in Osaka and Kyoto, and then a return to Tokyo before heading home. The guests were wonderfully cheerful and talked non-stop wherever we went. It reminded me of the lively chatter at home, and I laughed thinking this must be universal. There was hardly a moment to break into the conversation, and the guests would immediately start joking with each other. Since I lacked the background context and they spoke so rapidly, I often couldn't quite catch what was being said. Yet whenever I firmly stepped in, they listened intently, as if they had been waiting for it. It was a 4-hour course with little time to spare, so it took a while to find my rhythm.

In the Sagano area, at Otagi Nenbutsu-ji and Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, there are many old and beautiful Japanese folkloric customs and stories — for example, the 1,200 rakan statues, the Obon festival, the Sento Kuyo thousand-lantern memorial service, and the stone-stacking of Sai-no-Kawara. Today I shared these kinds of stories, and the guests listened quietly and attentively.

The Kansai region was hit by heavy rain due to the influence of a typhoon, and all of us, myself included, got thoroughly soaked. By the end, the guests were understandably a little tired and wanted to return to the hotel soon. Since we had agreed in advance to skip lunch, once we finished the planned itinerary we hurried by taxi to the hotel. When I asked what their plans were next, they said they wanted to eat, then have a bath and a massage. Judging by how tired they seemed, I imagine they went straight to sleep afterward. I hope they will share the story of Obon with the children at school — that Japan has customs similar to those found elsewhere.

Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide

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