Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu
October, 2024
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.
Tour Itinerary
- 8:10 Kyoto Station Meet 8:30 Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine 10:30 Nanzenji Temple・Tenju-an 12:00 Philosopher's Path・Ginkakuji Temple 13:15 Short Break 14:10 Drop off at Kawaramachi Sanjo and end the tour
Title: What Is a Private Kyoto Walking Tour Like During the Jidai Matsuri? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America. They were a bright and cheerful group, but somewhat scattered, with each member tending to follow their own interests. Some of the guests kept the overall plan in mind, but others were the type to wander off toward anything interesting that caught their eye, so I had to limit my explanations at the sights to just the main points. Meeting up at Kyoto Station was a bit tricky because of the difficult meeting point, and when I finally managed to meet part of the group, some of the guests had gone off to buy drinks, so it took some more time to find them.
Everyone loved taking photos, and they captured almost everything at the three destinations we visited. I did my best to find the most photogenic spots. At Nanzen-ji Temple, instead of the Hojo Garden, I guided them to the garden of Tenju-an. They also seemed interested in animals and spent a long time photographing the carp in the pond. After a short break at Ginkaku-ji Temple, at the request of one of the guests we headed toward the Kamo River, but some of the guests got off along the way and went shopping elsewhere. Today was the day of the Jidai Matsuri, so I guided the rest of the group to the festival parade on Kawaramachi Street, where the tour concluded.
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 | Train | Kyoto～Inari | 150JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Inari～Kyoto | 150JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Kyoto～Keage | 260JPY |
| Section 4 | Bus | Nanzenji-mae～Ginkakuji-michi | 230JPY |
| Section 5 | Bus | Ginkakuji-michi～Kawaramachi Nijo | 230JPY |
| Total | 1,020JPY | ||
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.
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo.…
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo. He had such insightful knowledge of each area we wanted to visit and had all the best spots to take photos and was very patient with us.
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi…
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi was excellent. We had a wonderful time, learned a lot of new things about Japanese culture and history, practiced navigating transport, enjoyed a perfect lunch. Kazuo-San even facilitated a purchase of a UV blocking umbrella, which was much needed on that sunny day.
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour…
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour with Kazuo, our guide. Days before arrival he communicated directly with me to set up the tour according to sites we wanted to see and he made good suggestions. Besides listening to his Kyoto detailed knowledge, we enjoyed the local walking of streets, taking buses and trains between sites. Kazuo has excellent English and has travelled himself so being with him for the day was a pleasure. I highly recommend using him as your guide
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had…
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had a wonderful experience during our Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide. Our guide, Kazuo, was truly outstanding from start to finish. He shared an impressive amount of knowledge about Kyoto’s history, culture, temples, and daily life. You can feel how passionate he is about his city, and he explains everything with the calm, precision and kindness so typical of Japanese guides. His English was clear and easy to follow, which made the whole day even more enjoyable. Kazuo was also extremely friendly, attentive and careful. He always made sure we were comfortable, took the time to answer all our questions, adapted the pace of the tour, and anticipated our needs without us even asking. Travelling by car made the experience smooth and relaxing, allowing us to see more places without rushing. We felt very well taken care of throughout the day, and we learned so much thanks to him. We highly recommend Kazuo to anyone looking for a personalized, insightful and stress‑free discovery of Kyoto.