Kyoto: Sightseeing ②: Nijo Castle & hotel/Dismissal — Guide Nori

Private One-Day Kyoto Tour from a Hotel: A Licensed Guide's Report on Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji, and Arashiyama

The guests were visitors from North America who were sightseeing in Japan. This was a case that had me worried, thinking "how is this going to turn out," because I was unable to reach the guests until the day before the tour. With the cooperation of [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/), I also tried connecting via a messaging app, but received no reply at all. Since the meeting-point hotel was clearly stated, two days before the tour I prepared a tentative itinerary starting from the hotel (Nijo Castle → Kinkaku-ji → Arashiyama/Sagano) and headed into the day with that plan. Fortunately, on the night before, just as I had gone to bed to prepare for the next day's guiding, a message from the guests finally came through the messaging app. According to the message, there was an apology for having overlooked my earlier contact, and the places they wished to visit were almost identical to the tentative itinerary I had prepared, with only the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds added, so there was no need to redo the itinerary in the middle of the night.

On the day, although the sunlight was a little strong, the temperature was not too high, and it turned out to be pleasant weather, especially in the shade. I met the guests at the hotel almost on time, confirmed the itinerary, met up with the private car and driver, and started the tour. As we introduced ourselves in the car during the drive, I learned that the guests had a strong interest in and enthusiasm for Japanese history and culture, and that while one of the guests had visited Japan before, this was the first visit for the group.

The tour was broadly organized by theme: ① the emperor and warrior-class rule (Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds and Nijo Castle), ② Japanese religion and gardens (Kinkaku-ji and Tenryu-ji), and ③ the scenery of Kyoto (Arashiyama and Togetsukyo Bridge), with historical, cultural, and religious explanations given on the spot at each location. The guests seemed very satisfied with this combination. Right up until the tour began there was the tension of "I can't get in touch!," but once I actually met them, they were a close-knit group who love Japan, and I was able to guide them enjoyably.

Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed 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.