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

  • 7:00 Hotel Meet 7:35 Fushimi Inari 9:30 Kinkaku-ji 11:10 Nijo Castle 12:20 Gion Area 13:30 Tour Ends

What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, and Nijo Castle

The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from Europe. Although this was not a honeymoon trip, they were very close and got along wonderfully. We met at the Hotel at 7:00. Fushimi Inari just after 7:30 was uncrowded, so the guests were able to take photos of just themselves quite freely. At Inari Station, the JR train was delayed by more than 20 minutes, which made the rest of the schedule tight. The bus to Kinkaku-ji was not crowded. Inside Kinkaku-ji, the number of school excursion students was increasing. At Nijo Castle, there was a group of about 30 people led by a guide ahead of us, and since the guide kept stopping to give long explanations, the entire group would come to a halt, causing congestion. Because of our time constraints, I ended up explaining from outside that group. A staff member told us to move to the inside, but that was difficult. Since the group had a guide with a microphone and the guests had earphones, I wished they could have been guided concisely while walking without stopping. The weather had some rain from the morning, but it did not get too bad — in fact, it was pleasantly cool. We took photos in front of the Ninomaru Palace at Nijo Castle.

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1TrainKiyomizu-Gojo~Fushimi Inari220JPY
Section 2TrainInari~Enmachi200JPY
Section 3Free PassEnmachi~Kinkakuji-michi1,100JPY
Section 4Free PassKinkakuji-michi~Nishioji-Oike0JPY
Section 5Free PassNishioji-Oike~Nijojo-mae0JPY
Section 6Free PassNijojo-mae~Higashiyama0JPY
Section 7Free PassHigashiyama-Sanjo~Gion0JPY
Total1,520JPY

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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