Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Nori

What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour of Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests this time were visitors from Oceania who were traveling and sightseeing in Japan. Prior communication and itinerary planning were carried out openly, starting through a travel agency and then continuing with the guests included via the CC function. There were about six places they hoped to visit, but in the end, excluding Ginkaku-ji, which required considerable travel time, we settled on four spots (Arashiyama: Tenryu-ji ⇒ the Bamboo Path, Togetsukyo Bridge ⇒ Daikaku-ji ⇒ Fushimi Inari).

On the day of the tour, although the sunshine was almost a little too warm, the weather was pleasantly clear and made for perfect touring conditions. Both guests were very cheerful and friendly, and in particular one of them was witty and fond of jokes. From the self-introductions through to the explanation of the itinerary, we were able to talk in a relaxed and open manner. All transportation to the destinations was by public transport (JR and bus), but the guests seemed to keep themselves physically fit on a regular basis, so walking between places went very smoothly. The itinerary covered two areas, Arashiyama (Tenryu-ji, the Bamboo Path, Togetsukyo Bridge, and Daikaku-ji) and Fushimi Inari, and the guests were deeply moved by the natural beauty, the traditional architecture, and the splendor of the gardens. They were also interested in Japan's two major religions (Shinto and Buddhism), and showed empathy toward my explanation of the spiritual world that still connects to modern Japanese people.

Recently I have been handling more tours for guests visiting from Oceania, and I sometimes find their distinctive English pronunciation difficult to catch. This time too there were several such moments, and I realized my own need for more study. The only real solution is to improve my own abilities, but if there are any helpful learning materials you could recommend, I would greatly appreciate it.

In any case, when we parted at the central exit of Kyoto Station, the guests even gave me a hug, and it turned out to be a very pleasant experience.

Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Nori

Hi, everyone! I’m Norifumi Kamon, a government registered guide interpreter. Please call me “Nori”, or “Kamon-san”.
Let me introdece myself. I was born on April 17th in 1952 in Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu island. I used to be an English teacher of Osaka Prefectural high school. When I retired from a teacher ten years ago, I decided to get a professional guide license. I wanted to play a role of the bridge between Japanese people and the people from all over the world as a second life of mine. After two years efforts, I finally got the guide license. Since then, I have guided several handreds of foreign people mainly in Kyoto and Nara for about five years except Corona Pandemic period. Almost all the tourists were deeply impressed by the beauty of nature, traditoin, culture, and art of Japan. I can surely help you enjoy and be satisfied with the sightseeing in Japan. And I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.