Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu

What's a Private Afternoon Kyoto Temple Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report from Kyoto Station

The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America. In the morning they had visited the Nintendo Museum in Ogura, Uji, so we met at Kyoto Station at 2:00 PM. I had assumed they would arrive by JR, but they had used the Kintetsu Line, as the museum is close to Kintetsu Ogura Station. A major challenge was making it in time before the closing hours of Kinkaku-ji and Kiyomizu-dera. We managed to enter Kinkaku-ji at 4:00, but arrived at Kiyomizu-dera just two minutes before closing. By using taxis for the round trip from Saga-Arashiyama Station to Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, from Higashiyama-Sanjo to Kiyomizu-dera, and from Kiyomizu-dera to Fushimi Inari, we somehow made it in time, though it turned out to be quite a rushed tour. Fushimi Inari, the final stop, has no closing time and is open all day, so I was finally able to guide at a relaxed pace. I took a photo at Kinkaku-ji, but because it was taken in a hurry, one of the guests was not fully captured in the frame. At Adashino, Kinkaku-ji, and Kiyomizu-dera, I had to significantly shorten my guidance. I led the guests to a food court near Fushimi Inari, where the tour concluded.

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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.