Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Naoki
April, 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. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- AM8:00 The gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa
- by Hulic Meet up
- AM8:50 Arashiyama
- (Monkey Park, Bamboo Grove Path)
- AM11:15 Nijo Castle
- PM12:40 Nishiki Market Disband
Title: What Is a Private Day Tour of Kyoto Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Arashiyama and Nijo Castle
The guests were a group visiting from North America. They had arrived from Tokyo the day before and were staying in Kyoto before returning home from Tokyo. To avoid the crowds, we moved our meeting time an hour earlier, which worked out well, and we were able to enjoy Arashiyama without getting caught in the crowds. The cherry blossoms along the banks of the Katsura River and the weeping cherry trees at Tenryu-ji Temple were nearly in full bloom, and the guests spent some time admiring them. As planned, we headed to Nijo Castle and parted ways at Nishiki Market. The guests expressed interest in buying a secondhand kimono. This was a first-time request for me as well, so although I looked into it, I could not judge which shops were reputable, so I asked them to gather more detailed information at their hotel. Since they still had three more days in Kyoto, I recommended a day trip to Osaka and introduced a few dining spots before saying goodbye.
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 | Kawaramachi～Arashiyama | 240JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Arashiyama～Uzumasa-Tenjingawa | 250JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Uzumasa-Tenjingawa～Nijojo-mae | 220JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Nijojo-mae～Shijo | 220JPY |
| Total | 930JPY | ||
I am Naoki Nakatani. I live in Osaka.
I started tour guide from 2023 after 40 years
work experience in Japanese manufacturing company. I am currently teaching Japanese as volunteer staff to foreign residents who live in my community. I have 11 and half years work experience in overseas office and I had interacted with people of foreign countries for a long time enjoying business and friendship with them. My guide experience is still short but I will provide my best service to the guests. I am in a position to prepare the itinerary if guests request and to send any information for the guest to make plan before visit to Japan.
Jul 11, 2026
Trevor_F
Viator review: Osaka Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
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Naomi was our guide and did a…
Jul 11, 2026
Trevor_F
Viator review: Osaka Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
4 hour Private Tour
Naomi was our guide and did a fantastic job. He met us at our hotel and suggested several places to visit. He navigated us to each spot, providing history and information about each location. Our time spent with him was enjoyable and I would recommend this tour to anyone!
Jun 6, 2026
May_O
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Wonderful time in Kyoto
We had a terrific time with Naoki. He…
Jun 6, 2026
May_O
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Wonderful time in Kyoto
We had a terrific time with Naoki. He brought enthusiasm and excitement to our tour. My
family had a wonderful time.
May 1, 2026
Sanfrancisco820
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Choose Naoki – you will have a great day!!
Naoki is an…
May 1, 2026
Sanfrancisco820
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Choose Naoki – you will have a great day!!
Naoki is an excellent guide. His communication with us before our trip was outstanding. I sent him a very long list of things we were interested in, and he carefully helped us understand what was in each area and what we could realistically accomplish in a day.
Naoki even navigated a couple of bus rides for us—which turned out to be a lot of fun! He is highly knowledgeable while still making everything engaging, which made him perfect for first-time visitors to Japan.
We had a lovely day and were able to see many of the things we were most interested in, thanks to Naoki’s thoughtful guidance. He clearly put a great deal of effort into planning our day.
We highly recommend Naoki if you are looking for an easygoing guide who puts genuine care into tailoring your experience to your interests.
Mar 28, 2026
Tanya_R
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great guide
Naoki was very kind and knowledgeable He knew the best…
Mar 28, 2026
Tanya_R
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great guide
Naoki was very kind and knowledgeable He knew the best highlights of osaka castle and
even got us in by skipping lines