Kyoto: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Gion — Guide Kazu

June, 2026

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

  • 9:30 Meet at the hotel
  • 9:45 Photo shoot of the exterior at Nijo Castle
  • 10:10 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
  • 11:25 Fushimi Inari
  • 12:20 Kiyomizu-dera Temple
  • 13:05 Lunch
  • 14:05 Gion
  • 15:20 Drop off at the hotel and end the tour

Tour Itinerary in Detail

The tour started at 9:30 at hotel and ended at 15:20. The day ran to 5 hours and 50 minutes from start to finish. It included lunch at 13:05.

Over the course of the day the route took in Photo shoot of the exterior at Nijo Castle at 9:45, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove at 10:10, Fushimi Inari at 11:25, Kiyomizu-dera Temple at 12:20 and Gion at 14:05.

What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour from Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guest was visiting Japan for the first time from North America. The guest arrived in Kyoto on the Shinkansen departing Tokyo at exactly 6:00 in the morning, and as of 9:30 a.m. had not yet checked into the hotel. Before the tour, replies had been slow and some emails came from another sender, so I wondered whether the party might consist of more than one person, but as assigned, the guest participated alone. The guest walked slowly but steadily, and seemed to have gathered some advice in advance, showing a bit of knowledge about Japanese shrines. The weather was clear from the morning, making it pleasant to be out during the first half of the day. No shopping was done until reaching Gion, so everything progressed very smoothly. Thanks to this, lunchtime came a little earlier, and I was able to guide thoroughly in Gion. Photos were taken at Kiyomizu-dera. The guest was fine with the photos being posted on the website but asked that no name be included. I replied that this would not be a problem, as the previous photos do not include names either.

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Tour Report by KAZU

I was born and grew up in Kyoto and now live near Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. I used to be a schoolteacher of English and welcome a lot of students from foreign countries. I really enjoyed showing them around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima. I have been a professional tour guide for about 8 years. I always try to let my guests learn Japanese traditional and modern culture. Since I was born in Kyoto, I know a lot about its culture and people. I myself enjoyed several sports, such as soccer, judo, and marathon when I was young. I’m much interested in baseball and sumo. My motto as a tour guide is to let my guests learn about our tradition and culture precisely and really enjoy themselves. I strongly hope you will enjoy the tour in Japan with me.

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