Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour — Guide Kazu
September, 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
- 7:30 Hotel meet-up 8:10 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove 9:25 Ryoanji Temple 10:35 Kinkakuji Temple 11:40 Lunch 12:30 Kyoto Imperial Palace 13:50 Nanzenji Temple 15:00 Drop off at hotel and tour ends
What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Arashiyama, Ryoan-ji, and Nanzen-ji
The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from North America. They had finished some business in Asia and were then enjoying their trip to Japan. Everyone was very earnest and listened attentively to my explanations. The weather was fine, and it felt hot around midday. Since the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove was a strong wish of the guests, and because one of the guests preferred to avoid crowds, we headed to Arashiyama first thing in the morning. We departed at 7:30 and arrived at Arashiyama just after 8:00. There were still some tourists, but it was not very crowded. One of the guests took the most photos. After that, Ryoan-ji was also not very crowded, and they sat for a while in front of the rock garden, gazing at it. The dragon painting by Morihiro Hosokawa had been completed, so we were able to see more dragons than before. When I explained that he was a former prime minister, they were very surprised. After lunch, they were a little tired, but as planned I guided them to Nanzen-ji and then took them back to the hotel, ending the tour. The photo was taken at the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. A notable stop on the tour was Ryoan-ji Temple. Ryoan-ji is a Zen temple in Kyoto famous for its rock garden, considered one of the finest surviving examples of a Japanese dry landscape garden. The garden consists of fifteen carefully arranged stones set on a bed of white gravel, and it is said that no matter where you stand, you can never see all fifteen at once. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular place for quiet contemplation.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Keage～Nijo | 260JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Nijo～Saga-Arashiyama | 200JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Arashiyama Tenryuji-mae (Randen Arashiyama Station)／Kyoto City Bus～Ryoanji Temple | 250JPY |
| Section 4 | Bus | Ryoanji-mae／Kyoto City Bus～Kinkakuji-michi／Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Section 5 | Bus | Waratenjin-mae／Kyoto City Bus～Karasuma-Imadegawa (Subway Imadegawa Station)／Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Section 6 | Subway | Imadegawa～Keage | 260JPY |
| Total | 1,430JPY | ||
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.