Tour Itinerary
- 10:00 Meet up @ Hotel Keihan Kyoto Hachijoguchi
- Travel: Kyoto Municipal Subway (Kujo – Shijo), Hankyu Railway (Karasuma – Kyoto Kawaramachi), on foot (via Takasegawa, Shijo Ohashi, Minamiza, Hanamikoji)
- 10:40-11:00 Yasaka Shrine
- Travel: on foot (via Maruyama Park, Chion-in, Shorenin, Okazaki Park)
- 11:30-12:20 Heian Shrine
- Travel: on foot (along the Lake Biwa Canal)
- 12:40-13:30 Nanzenji Temple
- 14:00 Disband @ Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Oike
Can You Do a Private Walking Tour of Kyoto's Higashiyama and Nanzen-ji from Kyoto Station? A Licensed Guide's Report The tour was originally arranged for a larger number of guests, but as some of the group were unable to join, we carried out the tour with the remaining guests. I had originally planned to travel from Kyoto Station to Yasaka Shrine by bus, but because it was hot and I wanted to reduce the walking distance as much as possible, we instead traveled by subway and the Hankyu line. This meant the guests had to walk from the Hankyu station to Yasaka Shrine, but as a result I was able to show them the Shijo Ohashi Bridge, Hanamikoji Street, and more. Thanks to the heavy rain the previous day, the river was slightly swollen and its flow looked refreshingly cool, and the guests were delighted to see the riverside restaurants preparing their terrace platforms. They were also very fond of the sight of the lanterns decorating the dance hall at Yasaka Shrine. I had originally intended to walk along the Shirakawa, but since we had already entered Yasaka Shrine, we skipped the Shirakawa route and instead passed along Chion-in and in front of Shoren-in. The guests were amazed at the sheer size of the Chion-in Sanmon gate. When I told them the story of how Tokugawa Ieyasu took part of the neighboring Shoren-in grounds when building Chion-in, they were very surprised. They greatly enjoyed the tranquility of this area. From Heian Shrine to Nanzen-ji, we walked along the Lake Biwa Canal, and the guests enjoyed the scenery there. Along the way, we could see the head of a giraffe from the zoo, so they stopped to watch it. At the Sanmon gate of Nanzen-ji, one member of the group was not comfortable with heights, so they waited below. The rest of the guests admired the view from the gate and the Buddhist statues inside. We then visited the Hatto (lecture hall), and I considered entering the Hojo, but the guests decided not to go inside, so we visited the Suirokaku aqueduct and left Nanzen-ji. It was around 13:30 at that point, and when I asked what they would like to do, they said they would return to the Hotel. With the guests' agreement, I saw them to the transfer point at Karasuma Oike, confirmed that they boarded the train heading toward Takeda, and said goodbye. One member of the group spoke excellent English and was very polite. Another member of the group did their best to keep walking in the heat. As a souvenir, they gave me some chocolate from Europe.
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 | Kujo～Shijo | 220JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Karasuma～Kyoto Kawaramachi | 170JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Keage～Karasuma Oike | 220JPY |
| Total | 610JPY | ||
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!
May 18, 2026
WENDY_W
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Excellent day out
The trip was really well planned and organised, it…
May 18, 2026
WENDY_W
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Excellent day out
The trip was really well planned and organised, it went like clockwork. Our guide, Satoko was excellent, she was very well prepared and explained a lot about everything we saw and did. We covered a lot of ground in Kyoto including using buses, trains and taxis, we really enjoyed the day.
Sep 21, 2025
joshsJ915FC
Super tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Really wonderful tour of markets and geisha district.…
Sep 21, 2025
joshsJ915FC
Super tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Really wonderful tour of markets and geisha district.
Our tour guide Satoko was very knowledgeable and friendly and great with our family. She even held our baby!
Jun 16, 2025
Chanyl C
Highly recommend
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
My husband and I really enjoyed the Kyoto tour.…
Jun 16, 2025
Chanyl C
Highly recommend
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
My husband and I really enjoyed the Kyoto tour. Our guide Satoko was very knowledgeable
and welcoming. Highly recommend!
May 18, 2025
Steve J
A relaxing, enjoyable visit to Arashiyama.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Satori was very kind and…
May 18, 2025
Steve J
A relaxing, enjoyable visit to Arashiyama.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Satori was very kind and polite. She brought a relaxing aura to our tour today. We explored
the bamboo forest, monkey park and Tenryu-ji Zen Temple. Everywhere we went to was
beautiful.
※JGA-T91336849でご案内いただいたゲスト様からのレビューと思われます。
万が一お心当たりがない場合は、お手数ですがご放念いただけますと幸いです。
