Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour — Guide Kazu
December, 2025
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
- 9:30 Meet at hotel 10:15 Fushimi Inari 11:40 Lunch (sushi restaurant near Wara Tenjin) 12:40 Kinkaku-ji 13:30 Ryoan-ji 14:40 Demachi Futaba (mochi shop) 15:10 Ginkaku-ji 16:20 Nanzen-ji 17:10 Yasaka Shrine 17:30 Tour ends at Yasaka Shrine
Title: What Can You See on a Private Kyoto Tour Around New Year? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests visited Japan for the first time from Europe. Since only some English was understood and the finer details were difficult to convey, one of the guests interpreted my English into their own language. This approach took extra time, and at Fushimi Inari we ran considerably over schedule. From Kinkaku-ji onward, I trimmed anything unnecessary as much as possible. There were many domestic visitors touring Kyoto during the New Year holiday period. Kinkaku-ji was quite crowded. One of the guests seemed to particularly enjoy Ryoan-ji and asked, "Why are there fewer tourists here compared to Kinkaku-ji?" I answered that one reason is the access is not very convenient. Coming by bus from Kinkaku-ji takes a long time, so we used a taxi. Before heading to Ginkaku-ji, we stopped by a mochi shop in the Demachi area. Nearly 100 people had come to buy mochi for the New Year, and the shop was bustling. It was a chance for the guests to see part of Kyoto's year-end atmosphere. Finally, we went to see the preparations for the "Okera Mairi," a traditional New Year's Eve event at Yasaka Shrine. When I was a child, I too used to go to Yasaka Shrine every New Year's Eve to receive the okera fire. The rope wick, which cost about 200 yen back then, was now 1,000 yen. We took a taxi from Kinkaku-ji to Nanzen-ji, and from Nanzen-ji to Demachi Futaba. From Higashiyama Sanjo to Yasaka Shrine we walked. The photo was taken at Kinkaku-ji.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Other | Sanjo (Kyoto)～Fushimi Inari | 240JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Inari～Enmachi | 200JPY |
| Section 3 | Bus | Enmachi～Wara Tenjin-mae / Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Section 4 | Other | Kawaramachi Imadegawa～Ginkaku-ji-michi | 230JPY |
| Section 5 | Other | Ginkaku-ji-michi～Nanzen-ji / Eikando-mae | 230JPY |
| Section 6 | Other | Keage～Higashiyama Sanjo | 220JPY |
| Total | 1,350JPY | ||
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.
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo.…
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo. He had such insightful knowledge of each area we wanted to visit and had all the best spots to take photos and was very patient with us.
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi…
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi was excellent. We had a wonderful time, learned a lot of new things about Japanese culture and history, practiced navigating transport, enjoyed a perfect lunch. Kazuo-San even facilitated a purchase of a UV blocking umbrella, which was much needed on that sunny day.
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour…
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour with Kazuo, our guide. Days before arrival he communicated directly with me to set up the tour according to sites we wanted to see and he made good suggestions. Besides listening to his Kyoto detailed knowledge, we enjoyed the local walking of streets, taking buses and trains between sites. Kazuo has excellent English and has travelled himself so being with him for the day was a pleasure. I highly recommend using him as your guide
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had…
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had a wonderful experience during our Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide. Our guide, Kazuo, was truly outstanding from start to finish. He shared an impressive amount of knowledge about Kyoto’s history, culture, temples, and daily life. You can feel how passionate he is about his city, and he explains everything with the calm, precision and kindness so typical of Japanese guides. His English was clear and easy to follow, which made the whole day even more enjoyable. Kazuo was also extremely friendly, attentive and careful. He always made sure we were comfortable, took the time to answer all our questions, adapted the pace of the tour, and anticipated our needs without us even asking. Travelling by car made the experience smooth and relaxing, allowing us to see more places without rushing. We felt very well taken care of throughout the day, and we learned so much thanks to him. We highly recommend Kazuo to anyone looking for a personalized, insightful and stress‑free discovery of Kyoto.