Kyoto in One Day: Nijo Castle and its gardens — Guide Shuji
November, 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. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 8:40 Meet at the hotel
- 9:20 Nijo Castle and its gardens
- 11:40 Iwatayama Monkey Park
- 12:40 Lunch in Arashiyama
- 11:20 Tenryu-ji Garden
- 12:00 Bamboo Grove Path, Nonomiya Shrine
- 14:45 Kinkaku-ji
- 16:20 Fushimi Inari Taisha
- 17:00 End of tour
Tour Itinerary in Detail
This private tour of Kyoto began at 8:40, when the guide met the guests at hotel, and finished at 17:00. The day ran to 8 hours and 20 minutes from start to finish. It included lunch in Arashiyama at 12:40.
From there the group visited Nijo Castle and its gardens at 9:20, Iwatayama Monkey Park at 11:40, Tenryu-ji Garden at 11:20, Bamboo Grove Path, Nonomiya Shrine at 12:00, Kinkaku-ji at 14:45 and Fushimi Inari Taisha at 16:20.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Gojo to Nijojo-mae by subway (220JPY); Nijojo-mae to Arashiyama by train (510JPY); Arashiyama to Kitano-Hakubaicho by train (250JPY); Kitano-Hakubaicho to Kinkakuji-michi by bus (230JPY); Demachiyanagi to Fushimi Inari by train (280JPY). Across 5 sections the fare came to 1,490JPY per person.
Title: What Can You See on a Private Full-Day Kyoto Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report on Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, and Arashiyama
The guests were a group visiting from North America. When we met in the morning, the guests said, "We told you not to go since it would exceed six hours, but even if we go over time, we would like to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha." When I replied that this would involve an overtime fee, they said, "Understood." Since it was a sudden request, I was unable to contact [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) beforehand, so we started the tour. The guests were impressed by the grandeur of Nijo Castle. The monkey park is something international visitors truly enjoy! They had fun feeding the monkeys, and seeing a mother monkey holding her baby and nursing it, and walking with the baby clinging to her belly, they exclaimed, "So adorable! 👏" Arashiyama, including the Bamboo Grove Path, was extremely crowded with a great many visitors. By the time we reached Kinkaku-ji, the sun came out, and the guests were moved by its shining beauty. At Fushimi Inari, as usual, they walked through the torii gates taking photo after photo.
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 | Gojo～Nijojo-mae | 220JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Nijojo-mae～Arashiyama | 510JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Arashiyama～Kitano-Hakubaicho | 250JPY |
| Section 4 | Bus | Kitano-Hakubaicho～Kinkakuji-michi | 230JPY |
| Section 5 | Train | Demachiyanagi～Fushimi Inari | 280JPY |
| Total | 1,490JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this Kyoto tour start and finish?
The guide met the guests at hotel at 8:40, and the tour finished at of tour at 17:00.
How long does the tour last?
About 8 hours and 20 minutes in total, from 8:40 to 17:00.
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Nijo Castle and its gardens, Iwatayama Monkey Park, Tenryu-ji Garden, Bamboo Grove Path, Nonomiya Shrine, Kinkaku-ji and Fushimi Inari Taisha.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 1,490JPY per person across 5 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?
Shuji 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.
My name is Shuji, meaning “Excellent Manager” in English. I was born in Hiroshima 1952. I have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.
After graduating Kyoto Univ. I joined Mitsubishi-UFJ Bank, Osaka Branch where I met my wife who was a master of Englsih, so I started studying English.
The bank allowed me to go to Columbia Graduate business school in New York and got MBA Degree there. I worked in London and Manchester Branch.
During staying in U.K., I was introduced by BBC and Financial Times News Paper about my achievement there. I was selected as a personal assistant and interpreter for the President of the Bank.
I made many business trips with him to overseas countries. I experienced as an interpreter for meeting late Henry Kissinger and the President of Citi. Corp.
I changed the job to ORIX corporation, there I was promoted to a Board Member. When the company had acquired Dutch company, I was a member as an accountant to check the Dutch company’s statements of accounts.
My hobbies are cooking, singing a song, playing tennis & golf, enjoy seeing arts especially opera & musical, travel. I am also busy with taking care of grandchildren. I passed Government Licensed Guide Exam. in 2016. After I retired in 2017, I started guide job as a part timer. So far, I accomplished guide job more than 500 times.
My area coverage is from Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji to Kyoto, Nara, Oaka, Hiroshima. I am also able to guide Tea Ceremony, Maiko/Geisha, Sushi Making, Calligraphy, Sumo, Samurai, etc. I can speak excellent English. My knowledge is very wide and deep about not only sightseeing places but Japanese History, Culture, Religion, Daily Life. I know many foreign countries and people. I love talking with all kinds of people including babies with interesting humor.
By the way, I look young for my age of 74.
Jul 16, 2026
salomons666
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Kyoto fun
Amazing with our guide Shuji very kind and acknowledge
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P9099TXkennethr
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A great day
A great day in the Company of mr. Shuji.
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Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached…
Jun 28, 2026
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AmyfromPlano
Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached out immediately to make sure that we had a customized tour of what we wanted to see and do in Nara. The level of details in his emails was incredible! Not only did Shuji plan a great tour but he also went above and beyond by explaining the Japan rail system, the public transportation cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.) and even told us exactly what trains, times and gates to exit so that our meetup was seamless. Been on a lot of tours around the world and have never had this level of communication. Once we started our tour, Shuji was articulate, knowledgeable and so much fun! Nara is amazing and Shuji made it so much better – please request him!
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was…
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and made sure we were able to see everything that we wanted while in Osaka. He even took my 5 year old into consideration and took us to the Pokémon store since he is a Pokémon fan. I would definitely recommend him as a tour guide.