Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car — Guide Nori

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like for Visitors from North America? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for sightseeing from North America. All communication regarding destinations was carried out beforehand with one member of the group. After the assignment, I sent my first message and received a reply almost immediately, which clearly listed four requested destinations (Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Nishiki Market, and Gion). The message also explained the situation of one guest who required extra consideration when walking, along with the points to keep in mind during the tour. In preparing the itinerary, I gave top priority to the walking distance and pace of that guest, and arranged each destination with plenty of time to spare. One thing I noticed was that the accommodation (a private lodging) and the meeting point (a hotel in Gion) were in different locations. However, both were clearly stated and I was able to confirm both by searching, so as specified by the guests, I set the meeting point in front of the Hotel in Gion.

On the day, although it was somewhat cloudy, we were blessed with weather that was ideal for touring. We were able to visit Kiyomizu-dera, which is always crowded, first thing in the morning, so sightseeing went smoothly. Kinkaku-ji was crowded as usual, but I had a bit of trouble myself. Perhaps because I have been guiding for nearly ten years, I had a slight pain in my left knee, and on the gravel path in the latter half of Kinkaku-ji my foot slipped and I twisted my knee. At that moment I felt a sharp pain and was unable to walk for two or three minutes. I explained the situation to the guests and asked them to wait a while, and after a simple massage I was finally able to walk again. Since there was still a little pain while walking, it may have appeared to the guests that I was limping (I have no problem walking normally now). Fortunately, we were traveling by private vehicle, so there were no problems with the rest of the tour (Nishiki Market ⇒ Gion / Kennin-ji).

The guests were a group who, although of Japanese descent, had little knowledge of Japan, so they required careful and thorough explanations, but they were able to enjoy the homeland of their ancestors.

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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.