Kyoto in Half a Day: Arashiyama — Guide Naoki
November, 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
- 10:00 Meet at Hyatt Regency
- 10:50 Arashiyama
- 13:00 Nijo Castle
- 14:00 Nishiki Market — Disband
Tour Itinerary in Detail
From there the group visited Arashiyama at 10:50, Nijo Castle at 13:00 and Nishiki Market — Disband at 14:00.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Shichijo to Gion-Shijo by train (180JPY); Shijo Kawaramachi (Highway by train (240JPY); Arashiyama Tenryuji-mae (Randen Arashiyama Station)／Kyoto City Bus to Uzumasa Tenjingawa by train (250JPY); Uzumasa Tenjingawa to Nijojo-mae by subway (260JPY); Nijojo-mae to Shijo (Kyoto Municipal) by subway (220JPY). Across 5 sections the fare came to 1,150JPY per person.
What Does a Private Day Tour of Kyoto's Arashiyama and Nijo Castle Look Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visitors from North America. The guests were friendly and actively started conversations, which kept the atmosphere lively and was helpful in a way. As requested, the guests were very pleased with the scenic beauty of Arashiyama, and at the Monkey Mountain they were delighted to see many monkeys up close. Since we had plenty of time, I took them to Nijo Castle. When we were about to stroll through the garden, one of the guests said they were hungry, so we skipped the garden walk and quickly moved to Nishiki Market instead. The guests walked quickly and the movement became a little hurried, but I believe they were satisfied to see many things along the way.
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 | Shichijo～Gion-Shijo | 180JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Shijo Kawaramachi (Highway/Connecting Bus)～Arashiyama (Hankyu Line) | 240JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Arashiyama Tenryuji-mae (Randen Arashiyama Station)／Kyoto City Bus～Uzumasa Tenjingawa | 250JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Uzumasa Tenjingawa～Nijojo-mae | 260JPY |
| Section 5 | Subway | Nijojo-mae～Shijo (Kyoto Municipal) | 220JPY |
| Total | 1,150JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Arashiyama, Nijo Castle and Nishiki Market — Disband.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 1,150JPY per person across 5 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.
Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?
Naoki is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?
Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Kyoto itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.
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.
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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!
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We had a terrific time with Naoki. He brought enthusiasm and excitement to our tour. My
family had a wonderful time.
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Choose Naoki – you will have a great day!!
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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
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Naoki was very kind and knowledgeable He knew the best…
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Naoki was very kind and knowledgeable He knew the best highlights of osaka castle and
even got us in by skipping lines