Kyoto in Half a Day: Sanjusangendo — Guide Nori

What Is a Private 4-Hour Walking Tour of Eastern Kyoto Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guest this time was a person visiting Japan from Europe. After receiving the assignment in late August, I immediately sent a first message to the guest, but even after mid-September there was no reply. One week before the tour, I also asked [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) for support, but there was still no contact from the guest. I tried a messaging app as well, but at that point the guest did not seem to be connected. [Japan Guide Agency](https://www.j-g-a.org/) advised me that even if there was no contact right up to the day, the meeting point (the hotel) had been clearly specified, so I should go there. With that in mind, I prepared myself to head into the tour.

On the evening before the tour, still without being able to reach the guest, I had prepared two tentative itineraries (Option 1: Nijo Castle and Arashiyama route; Option 2: Sanjusangendo and Higashiyama route) and was about to go to bed early. Just after 9:00 p.m., a message from the guest finally came through the messaging app. The message said, in summary, "I am terribly sorry for the late reply. I had multiple points of contact, including a local travel agency, and the information became mixed up and confusing. Regarding the itinerary, I have advice from a friend, but I would also like to hear the places you recommend, so please help me." I replied, "Understood. I am just glad we are now in touch. I have several ideas for the itinerary, so let's discuss them tomorrow when we meet at the hotel," and prepared for the tour the next day.

The following day, when we met at the hotel, the guest was a pleasant person who seemed especially interested in sightseeing in Kyoto. As for the itinerary, the guest planned to visit the Nijo Castle and Arashiyama course alone the next day, so on this day we chose Option 2, the Sanjusangendo and Higashiyama course. Since it was a short 4-hour course, I arranged it so that the travel time from the hotel to the sites and between the sites would be kept as short as possible. In the end, we were able to visit four places: Sanjusangendo, Chishakuin, Toyokuni Shrine, and the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial House. At every site, the guest listened to the explanations with sparkling eyes and seemed to receive a great deal of intellectual and sensory stimulation.

It was the first time I had been so anxious right up until the night before, but it turned out to be a perfect example of "all's well that ends well."

Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide

Tour Report by Nori

Hi, everyone! I’m Norifumi Kamon, a government registered guide interpreter. Please call me “Nori”, or “Kamon-san”.
Let me introdece myself. I was born on April 17th in 1952 in Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu island. I used to be an English teacher of Osaka Prefectural high school. When I retired from a teacher ten years ago, I decided to get a professional guide license. I wanted to play a role of the bridge between Japanese people and the people from all over the world as a second life of mine. After two years efforts, I finally got the guide license. Since then, I have guided several handreds of foreign people mainly in Kyoto and Nara for about five years except Corona Pandemic period. Almost all the tourists were deeply impressed by the beauty of nature, traditoin, culture, and art of Japan. I can surely help you enjoy and be satisfied with the sightseeing in Japan. And I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.