Kyoto in Half a Day: Break at Kameya & Shorenin — Guide Satoko

Title: What Can You See on a 4-Hour Private Gion Walking Tour in Kyoto? A Licensed Guide's Report

Before the tour, I sent about three emails to the address I had been given to discuss the itinerary, but received no reply, and the messages sent via the messaging app were not marked as read. I therefore consulted [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/), who kindly contacted the guests' travel agency on my behalf. Even so, there was no response from the guests until the day itself, and I headed to the meeting point without confirmation. According to the guests, they had replied to their travel agency and had not used the messaging app. It was unclear whether the travel agency was supposed to reply to the guide or whether the guests themselves were, and I felt it would be better to clarify this in advance, as otherwise the guide arrives on site with lingering uncertainty about the guests.

That said, the guests were visitors from Europe who were very friendly and pleasant. When I asked again where they would like to go, they said anywhere was fine. Since it was a short four-hour tour, I was wondering what to do, when one of the guests said, "I want to go to Gion, and tomorrow we will go to Arashiyama." I suggested, "Since your hotel is conveniently located on Takatsuji-dori and Miyagawacho is nearby, let's walk through the quieter geisha district of Miyagawacho, stop by Kennin-ji, Japan's oldest Zen temple, go to Hanamikoji, and then head to Yasaka Shrine, the birthplace of the geisha tradition."

After leaving the hotel and walking east along Takatsuji-dori, the guests spotted a cafe and said they wanted to take a break, and they treated me to a drink as well. We had a lively conversation about their upcoming travel plans and about Japan. Refreshed, we then strolled through Takasegawa, Matsubarabashi, Miyagawacho, and Zenkyoan. At Zenkyoan, the guests were delighted to take photos, saying how cute it was that small boar figurines were offered around the guardian boar statue. We then passed the Hojo pond and the Sanmon gate of Kennin-ji. Since one of the guests was interested in matcha, I explained that the custom of drinking tea originally came from Zen monks trying not to fall asleep during meditation. When I tried to have them purchase admission tickets at the kuri, they realized they had no cash on hand. As going to a nearby ATM to withdraw money and coming back would waste time, they said they would come back on their own later, so we headed straight from the north gate toward Hanamikoji. As this was the second time in a row this happened, I plan to advise future guests in advance to bring cash.

At Hanamikoji, I received questions such as how many years it takes to become a geisha and how much a geisha banquet costs. Since we had extra time from not being able to enter Kennin-ji, I suggested heading to another geisha district, Shinbashi. After crossing Shijo-dori, the guests spotted a coffee shop and said they wanted another break, and they treated me to coffee. One of the guests bought a Baumkuchen and taught me that the word is German, saying they had not expected to come across Baumkuchen in Japan. I received a question about why the faces of geisha and maiko are painted white. I explained that in the past the evening lighting was dim, and for reference, I showed a panel photo I had taken last year at an NHK "Hikaru Kimi e" event, featuring characters in period costumes. Although it was not white makeup, the guests looked with interest at the aristocratic clothing of the period and were surprised at how long the women's hair was. I explained that as the times changed and women became more active, they began to tie their hair back and put it up.

After refreshing, I explained the beautiful flow of the Shirakawa, Tatsumi Shrine, and others, and had them walk through the Shinbashi geisha district. When crossing Shijo-dori, one of the guests spotted Yasaka Shrine and seemed interested, so we returned to Shijo-dori and headed to Yasaka Shrine. At the entrance, the zuishin were wearing Heian aristocratic clothing like what I had shown during the break, so I think it made sense to them. I had them wash their hands at the purification fountain, and since they were newly married, I recommended they pay respects at Otasha and Shirahigesha, deities of marital harmony. After paying respects at the main hall, we still had time. At first I thought of going to Kiyomizu-dera, but since it is crowded during the day, I recommended visiting early in the morning if they had the chance, and instead we viewed the Sanmon gate of Chion-in in the opposite direction before I suggested strolling along the Shirakawa. When I told them, "If you wash your face with the water of Utsukushi Gozen Shrine, you will become more beautiful," both of the guests washed their faces. Next they were overwhelmed by the Sanmon gate of Chion-in and happily took commemorative photos at the Ippon-bashi bridge over the Shirakawa.

After that, I thought of going to Heian Shrine, but I recalled that a few days earlier a local Kansai information program had introduced Shoren-in as a hidden spot for avoiding heat and crowds, so I suggested going to Shoren-in. At the entrance there was a panel of Heian aristocrats, both featuring the kind of clothing I had shown, and one of the guests remarked, "The women have long hair, but the men tie theirs up." I had them gaze for a while at Soami's garden from the Kachoden. A truly pleasant breeze was blowing, and we spent the time comfortably cool. After going around the buildings, one of the guests asked, "Where did people in the old days use the toilet?" I answered "inside," but as it was the first time I had received such a question, I felt I need to study more. Regarding Shoren-in, the guests were pleased, saying it was a fine temple where there were few people and one could stay cool. Afterward we went around the garden once, and finally I recommended that they try ringing the bell that anyone may ring. One of the guests, though a little hesitant, gave it a try while another took photos. As it was just the right time, we ended the tour at the entrance of Shoren-in. I took a photo at Tatsumi-bashi bridge, but I accidentally took it in portrait orientation.

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Tour Report by Satoko

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!