Kyoto in One Day: Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine — Guide Satoko

What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Walking Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera

The meeting was scheduled for 11:00, but the guests contacted me to say they were coming from Tokyo Station by bullet train and that the train had been delayed due to a fire along the line. As a result, we decided to start the tour at 11:30. They said not to worry about lunch, and they walked at quite a brisk pace. I learned that they had also arranged a guide in Tokyo the previous day, and apparently that guide had been surprised at how fast-paced they were.

At Fushimi Inari, the guests listened attentively to my explanations, and they washed their hands and offered prayers themselves. Perhaps because they had only seen Meiji Shrine, which has plain wooden torii gates, they were very impressed by the vividly colored torii gates of Fushimi Inari.

On the way to Kiyomizu-dera, they said they would like to try Japanese sweets, so they stopped at a Japanese confectionery shop called Kameya partway up Gojozaka. It was the first time a guest had eaten Japanese sweets during one of my tours, so I took some photos.

At Kiyomizu-dera, they were impressed by the historic architecture, but since they did not go up into the main hall, I felt it was a little bit of a missed opportunity.

We then walked from Sannenzaka to Yasaka Hokanji Temple, Yasui Konpiragu Shrine, and Hanamikoji. Since it was still only 15:30 at this point and we had time, I asked whether they would like to visit Yasaka Shrine or Shinbashi, but they said they were fine, so as planned, we headed toward Kyoto Station, passing Minamiza and Shijo Ohashi Bridge together to Shijo Station. Along the way, one of the guests said they wanted to stay in the Shijo area, so I guided them to Shijo Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway, from where they could return to Kyoto Station on a single train, and we parted ways.

They were a very easygoing group to talk with, and I truly enjoyed guiding them.

Since their main destination was skiing in Hokkaido, they did not seem to have researched much about Kyoto, and even at the planning stage they said, "Anywhere the guide finds interesting is fine." Because we had a late start, I put quite a lot of thought into choosing the locations, and considering that they might have lunch along the way, I planned a relaxed itinerary, but I thought I could perhaps have added one more stop. Overall, it was an enjoyable tour.

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

Tour Report by Satoko

I am a 53-year-old woman, living in Kyoto for nearly 40 years. I got the license in 2001. Since then, I worked as an interpreter or a translator in several companies, secretary at universities, and now work for a company on weekdays at the international dept.I do guiding job only weekend now. I started full swing guiding career after COVID-19 pandemic. I have gotten good review from many of my guests. I love my hometown, Kyoto which has a lot of interesting and historical sites to see. Particularly, I am native to Arashiyama which is famous for bamboo forest. So, I know a lot of places where you can relax yourself around this area. Other than that, Kyoto has many attractive sites which surely interest you.Also, I like meeting many people from different cultural background. I am very happy if I learn about your culture as well. Let’s enjoy exploring around Kyoto!