Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car — Guide Kazu

Title: What Is a Quiet Private Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Manshuin, Enkoji, and Nijo Castle

The guests were visiting from North America, with one of them having been to Japan once about 17 years earlier and the other traveling to Japan for the first time. Because they had very busy schedules, this was a long-awaited holiday for them. Their trip covered Tokyo, Hakone, Osaka, and Kyoto, and afterward they planned to enjoy a few days elsewhere before returning home. They were the type of guests who preferred not to decide their destinations in advance, asking instead for recommendations on the day. Their wish was to experience a quiet, peaceful, authentically Kyoto-like atmosphere with few crowds, so I chose the destinations accordingly.

In particular, Manshuin and Enkoji are located in the northern part of the Higashiyama Thirty-Six Peaks, near Shugakuin Imperial Villa, and are very quiet temples. Manshuin Monzeki in particular has a 900-year history, and its current buildings, deeply connected to Katsura Imperial Villa, have endured some 400 years. It is known as a "mini Katsura Imperial Villa" and has an exceptional sense of refinement. It may well be the best place to see what an aristocratic residence was once like. Furthermore, it rained gently all day today, which made the garden feel even more serene. Fortunately there were almost no other tourists, so I believe the guests were able to enjoy a very calm and peaceful atmosphere.

Very close to Manshuin Monzeki is a Zen temple called Enkoji, famous for its splendid garden, dry landscape garden, and bamboo grove. This temple originally began as a school opened to ordinary people by Tokugawa Ieyasu 400 years ago, later becoming a temple. Though not a Toshogu shrine, there is a small shrine on a hill within the temple grounds that carefully enshrines a tooth of Ieyasu. It is a quiet spot with a sweeping view over Kyoto city. Today the guests were able to thoroughly enjoy this quiet, tranquil side of Kyoto.

Finally, we made a quick tour of Nijo Castle, the shogun's castle, and returned to the hotel on time, where the tour concluded. Lastly, the driver provided a great deal of helpful advice throughout the day, including on restaurants, and was of great assistance. Thank you very much. I look forward to working together again next time.

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Tour Report by Kazu

Hello, this is Kazu Akiyama, your tour guide. Nice to meet you and welcome to Japan. Thank you for joining me on the tour. Now I am a retired salaried worker, living in Osaka. I have been very much interested in not only learning Japanese history, culture, religion myself, but also talking about them (sometimes going off topics) in English with tourists from all over the world as well. I am so excited being with you as your guide on coming day! I am very much looking forward to you enjoying with me visiting the must-see places and some of the hidden gems. See you soon. Thank you – Kazu Akiyama