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
- 8:30…Meet the guide at the hotel
- 8:40…Take a taxi to Kyoto Station
- 9:10…Take the subway to Nanzen-ji Temple
- ※Sanmon Gate ~ Suirokaku Aqueduct ~ Hojo Hall
- 10:10…Stroll along the Philosopher's Path
- 11:00…Ginkaku-ji Temple
- 11:30…Lunch
- 12:10…Take a taxi to Fushimi Inari
- 13:00…Fushimi Inari
- 13:50…JR Inari Station
- 14:00…Kyoto Station
- 14:30…Guide ends at the Asty Kyoto anime shop
Tour Itinerary in Detail
From there the group visited …Take a taxi to Kyoto Station at 8:40, …Take the subway to Nanzen-ji Temple at 9:10, …Stroll along the Philosopher's Path at 10:10, …Ginkaku-ji Temple at 11:00, …Lunch at 11:30, …Take a taxi to Fushimi Inari at 12:10, …Fushimi Inari at 13:00, …JR Inari Station at 13:50, …Kyoto Station at 14:00 and …Guide ends at the Asty Kyoto anime shop at 14:30.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Kyoto to Keage by subway (260JPY); Inari to Kyoto by train (150JPY). Across 2 sections the fare came to 410JPY per person.
What Is a Private Full-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
Due to the extreme heat, I started the tour earlier than the scheduled start time. The guests were visiting Japan for a trip and enjoyed the tour throughout with cheerful expressions, asking many questions out of great interest in Japanese culture and history. They were also collecting goshuin (temple and shrine stamps) and purchased goshuin at Nanzenji Temple, Otoyo Shrine, Ginkakuji Temple, and Fushimi Inari. For lunch, I guided them to a specialty onigiri shop near Ginkakuji Temple. They tried tamago kake gohan (rice with raw egg) for the first time and were delighted, saying it was delicious. Since they mentioned they planned to go to Shijo Street in the evening, we stopped by a tourist information center so they could enjoy the Gion Festival, and I obtained an English-language pamphlet about the Gion Festival for them. As they said they wanted to visit an anime shop, I guided them to an anime shop inside Asty Kyoto and concluded the tour.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Kyoto～Keage | 260JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Inari～Kyoto | 150JPY |
| Total | 410JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited …Take a taxi to Kyoto Station, …Take the subway to Nanzen-ji Temple, …Stroll along the Philosopher's Path, …Ginkaku-ji Temple, …Lunch, …Take a taxi to Fushimi Inari, …Fushimi Inari, …JR Inari Station, …Kyoto Station and …Guide ends at the Asty Kyoto anime shop.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 410JPY per person across 2 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.
Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?
Lily is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?
Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Kyoto itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.
Hi, everyone! I’m Yuriko Suematsu, a government licensed tour guide. Please call me Lily, because Yuri means Lily in English.
I like Japanese history, culture, and Japanese castles. Especially, I like tea ceremony in kimono.(I’m also a licensed kimono dresser.)
So, I sometimes guide around Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Osaka, Nara and Nagoya in kimono.
There are lots of beautiful places to visit in Japan.
Especially, I recommend you to visit Kyoto and Nara if you are interested in Japanese ancient history. Nara and Kyoto are both ancient capital cities over 1000 years ago.
I also recommend you to visit Gifu(Shirakawa-go and Takayama), my hometown if you want to enjoy rural nostalgic atmosphere.
If you’re interested in Japanese castles, I recommend you to visit Himeji, Osaka, Kanazawa and Nagoya. I’m sure you will have a wonderful time to see beautiful castles.
Let’s enjoy Japanese culture and history together!
Apr 16, 2026
maerlaeb
Wonderful tour on the Nakasendo Trail
Tripadvisor review: Magome & Tsumago Nakasendo Trail Day Hike with Government-Licensed Guide
We had the…
Apr 16, 2026
maerlaeb
Wonderful tour on the Nakasendo Trail
Tripadvisor review: Magome & Tsumago Nakasendo Trail Day Hike with Government-Licensed Guide
We had the pleasure of joining Yuriko for a beautiful and informative walk from Magome to Tsumago on the Nakasendo Trail. Yuriko is a wonderful educator with great knowledge of the history and lore of the post towns on the trail. She made the experience easy, too, providing us with a perfect schedule for the day, including meeting us at our guest house in the morning and arranging for a bento box lunch that we shared under cherry blossoms. Yuriko made the stories come alive and provided us with an unforgettable experience in a magical part of Japan. Enthusiastically recommended!
Apr 14, 2026
Andrew K
Tripadvisor review: Takayama Half-Day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Wonderful Tour
Highly recommended! Yuriko-san was so knowledgeable and patient.…
Apr 14, 2026
Andrew K
Tripadvisor review: Takayama Half-Day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Wonderful Tour
Highly recommended! Yuriko-san was so knowledgeable and patient. We learned so much,
which enabled us to appreciate the beauty, culture, and history of Takayama even more!
Oct 23, 2025
Sydney_N
We had a wonderful tour…
Viator review: Takayama Half-Day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful tour in…
Oct 23, 2025
Sydney_N
We had a wonderful tour…
Viator review: Takayama Half-Day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful tour in Takayama with our guide Lily. She had in-depth knowledge of
the history of Takayama. Lily gave us a wonderful introduction to our visit to Takayama.
Sep 12, 2025
Cornishgirl22
Wonderful tour of Takayama
Tripadvisor review: Takayama Half-Day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Lily contacted me a few weeks before…
Sep 12, 2025
Cornishgirl22
Wonderful tour of Takayama
Tripadvisor review: Takayama Half-Day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Lily contacted me a few weeks before we came to let us know our itinerary.
We met at 9am at our hotel with Lily showing us on a map where we would be visiting.
Lily was a very good guide with excellent knowledge. We were taken to the local market, temple, shrine, festival float exhibition hall, Government building, sake tasting & Merchant street. We needed to pay for ourselves to visit the festival float exhibition hall, Government building & sake tasting.
If there were any shops that we wanted to go in, we were able to.
Lily went at an ideal pace & we weren’t rushed at all.
Lily also booked us a Hida beef restaurant for us to have lunch in after the tour finished. This was arranged beforehand.
Overall an excellent experience.