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
- 9:30 Meet up @Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma
- 9:30‐10:10 Travel (Kyoto City Subway, JR)
- 10:10‐11:10 Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
- 11：10‐12:00 Travel (Keihan Railway, Hankyu, Keifuku Railway)
- 12:00‐13：15 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Walk
- 13：15‐14：00 Lunch @Tully's coffee
- 14：00‐14：30 Travel (Keifuku Railway, Kyoto City Subway)
- 14：30‐15：45 Nijo Castle
- 15：45 Dismissal @Nijo Castle
Tour Itinerary in Detail
The itinerary covered Travel (Kyoto City Subway, JR) at 9:30, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine at 10:10 and ‐13：15 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Walk at 12:00.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Gojo to Kyoto by train (220JPY); Kyoto to Inari by train (150JPY); Fushimi Inari to Gion-Shijo by train (220JPY); Kawaramachi to Omiya by train (170JPY); Shijo-Omiya to Arashiyama by train (250JPY); Arashiyama to Randen-Tenjingawa by train (250JPY); Uzumasa-Tenjingawa to Nijojo-mae by train (260JPY). Across 7 sections the fare came to 1,520JPY per person.
Can You Do a Private Day Trip Around Kyoto's Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, and Nijo Castle? A Licensed Guide's Report
At first it was difficult to get in touch, but since the request was a rather general one — wanting to visit a shrine in addition to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove — I proposed an itinerary of Fushimi Inari Taisha, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and Nijo Castle.
Because part of the group tended to walk ahead while others followed behind, I was a little unsure which pace to focus my guiding on. In addition, since one of the guests seemed tired from lack of sleep in the morning, I guided while being mindful of that.
After lunch in Arashiyama, the guest recovered considerably, and the group showed relatively strong interest in Nijo Castle. On the way to Nijo Castle, the group had apparently already visited Osaka Castle and Himeji Castle, but felt that Osaka Castle was more like a museum than a castle, and that Himeji Castle offered little other than climbing up to the top. In contrast, Nijo Castle features beautiful painted sliding doors, magnificent transom carvings, and displays of figures that evoke the era, and the group was very moved by it.
Since the group planned to do some shopping at the Nijo Castle gift shop, we said our goodbyes there.
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 | Gojo～Kyoto | 220JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Kyoto～Inari | 150JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Fushimi Inari～Gion-Shijo | 220JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Kawaramachi～Omiya | 170JPY |
| Section 5 | Train | Shijo-Omiya～Arashiyama | 250JPY |
| Section 6 | Train | Arashiyama～Randen-Tenjingawa | 250JPY |
| Section 7 | Train | Uzumasa-Tenjingawa～Nijojo-mae | 260JPY |
| Total | 1,520JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Travel (Kyoto City Subway, JR), Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine and ‐13：15 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Walk.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 1,520JPY per person across 7 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?
Satoko 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.
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!
May 18, 2026
WENDY_W
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Excellent day out
The trip was really well planned and organised, it…
May 18, 2026
WENDY_W
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Excellent day out
The trip was really well planned and organised, it went like clockwork. Our guide, Satoko was excellent, she was very well prepared and explained a lot about everything we saw and did. We covered a lot of ground in Kyoto including using buses, trains and taxis, we really enjoyed the day.
Sep 21, 2025
joshsJ915FC
Super tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Really wonderful tour of markets and geisha district.…
Sep 21, 2025
joshsJ915FC
Super tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Really wonderful tour of markets and geisha district.
Our tour guide Satoko was very knowledgeable and friendly and great with our family. She even held our baby!
Jun 16, 2025
Chanyl C
Highly recommend
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
My husband and I really enjoyed the Kyoto tour.…
Jun 16, 2025
Chanyl C
Highly recommend
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
My husband and I really enjoyed the Kyoto tour. Our guide Satoko was very knowledgeable
and welcoming. Highly recommend!
May 18, 2025
Steve J
A relaxing, enjoyable visit to Arashiyama.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Satori was very kind and…
May 18, 2025
Steve J
A relaxing, enjoyable visit to Arashiyama.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Satori was very kind and polite. She brought a relaxing aura to our tour today. We explored
the bamboo forest, monkey park and Tenryu-ji Zen Temple. Everywhere we went to was
beautiful.
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