Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
November, 2025
Tour Itinerary
- 9:57 Hotel Meet
- 10:35 Fushimi Inari
- 11:50 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
- 12:45 Short Break
- 13:50 Kinkaku-ji
- 15:10 Nanzen-ji
- 16:00 Tour Ends

What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Arashiyama, Nanzenji, and Fushimi Inari The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from Europe. On this day a cold front arrived and the temperature dropped suddenly. Light rain fell occasionally, but it did not significantly affect the tour. The only time we encountered rain was while walking through the bamboo grove in Arashiyama. By the time we reached Nanzenji Temple, there were breaks of sunshine. At each place we visited, the autumn foliage was at its peak, and there were many Japanese tourists as well. Nanzenji Temple in particular was crowded with many Japanese tourists. At Nanzenji, I let the guests choose between the garden of the Hatto (Lecture Hall) or Tenjuan. In the end, they chose to enter Tenjuan. One of the guests enjoyed photography and would often stop to take many photos. There was a sign warning of "bears and wild boars" at the Arashiyama bamboo grove, which surprised the guests. The photo was taken at Fushimi Inari.
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Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Gion-Shijo~Fushimi Inari | 240JPY |
| Section 2 | Other | Inari~Saga-Arashiyama | 240JPY |
| Section 3 | Other | Randen Arashiyama~Kitano-Hakubaicho | 250JPY |
| Section 4 | Other | Kitano-Hakubaicho~Kinkakuji-michi | 230JPY |
| Section 5 | Other | Kinkakuji-michi~Nishioji-Oike | 230JPY |
| Section 6 | Other | Nishioji-Oike~Keage | 260JPY |
| Total | 1,450JPY | ||
I was born and grew up in Kyoto and now live near Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. I used to be a schoolteacher of English and welcome a lot of students from foreign countries. I really enjoyed showing them around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima. I have been a professional tour guide for about 8 years. I always try to let my guests learn Japanese traditional and modern culture. Since I was born in Kyoto, I know a lot about its culture and people. I myself enjoyed several sports, such as soccer, judo, and marathon when I was young. I’m much interested in baseball and sumo. My motto as a tour guide is to let my guests learn about our tradition and culture precisely and really enjoy themselves. I strongly hope you will enjoy the tour in Japan with me.
Jul 24, 2026
Trail65429092687
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Tour
Kazua Sumi is a very accomplished guide.He has deep…
Jul 24, 2026
Trail65429092687
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Tour
Kazua Sumi is a very accomplished guide.He has deep knowledge about the history and culture of Japan. He is flexible and accommodates changes if you so desire. He is also very empathetic. I had a sprained back and he ensured we took elevators everywhere. You will be lucky if he is assigned as your guide .
Jul 23, 2026
489caelinp
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Guided Tour
My friend and I had a great experience…
Jul 23, 2026
489caelinp
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Guided Tour
My friend and I had a great experience on the tour. We travelled all around Kyoto with our guide Kazuo Sumi. He is a sweet older gentleman who had a great depth of knowledge about each place we went to. We told him places we wanted to go and he made the itinerary for us. There is no one better to have as your guide!!
Jul 16, 2026
margaretsM7923ON
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Great way to see Kyoto
Wonderful tour and exceptional guide.
Jul 9, 2026
Sandra_B
Kazuo was great and…
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kazuo was great and provided…
Jul 9, 2026
Sandra_B
Kazuo was great and…
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kazuo was great and provided some excellent recommendations. There’s a lot of walking so make sure you are prepared.









