Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car — Guide Yuka

What Can You See on a Rushed Private Day Tour of Kyoto? A Licensed Guide's Report

The plan was to meet on the Shinkansen platform, and the arrangement was that the guests would contact me with their train number as soon as they knew it, but when I was standing by at Kyoto Station on the day, I still had not received any word. The driver was also waiting, so it was nerve-wracking. Just after 9:00, I finally got word that they were "still on the Shinkansen." Even at that point they did not tell me the train number, so I stood by in a position from which I could dash to any platform, and simply waited for their message. At 9:20 the train number and car number were finally confirmed, and I immediately moved to the arrival platform and waited. When we successfully met, everyone burst out laughing and was overjoyed that we had finally met. It turned out that the guests were staying in Osaka and had apparently gotten lost at the subway Namba Station, which was why their arrival in Kyoto was delayed. As a result the tour became a bit rushed, but we were able to visit the requested Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji Temple, and Kinkaku-ji Temple. Since we had discussed and decided on the lunch spot in advance, the guests were very pleased with the meal and kept saying how delicious it was. When one of the guests picked up a piece of burdock from the mixed rice and asked, "What is this?" I explained, and another guest who had set aside all the burdock then ate it properly too. The tour was apparently mainly for skiing in Niseko, and Kyoto was an add-on. One of the four did not show up, so it was a tour for three. It seemed the guests were fonder of Osaka, as they headed straight back to Osaka after the tour. I guided them to the Shinkansen entrance gate and we parted ways. I believe they enjoyed themselves.

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Tour Report by YUKA

Hi! My name is YUKA. I’ve got the government license in 2018 and joined a half year traning to do the guide. But a half year later I started my carreer, Covid came. I should have given up guiding. During the Covid, I’ve read many books and made my own materials to explain Japanese culture, history, etc. I love guiding because the guests expand my horizon all the time and let me know their own country and culture, etc. It is really important for us all to know each other and respect each other to make this world peace. Thank you for coming to Japan! Let’s enjoy Japan together!