Kyoto in One Day: @ Nijo & @ Fushimi Inari Taisha — Guide Kaz

Title: What Can You See on a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from North America. During our advance communication, I explained that covering all of their desired destinations in six hours would be difficult, and the tour proceeded after they agreed that an extension would incur an additional charge. One of the guests works in a field involving whetstones and has business dealings with Japanese whetstone manufacturers, and mentioned that this trip combined work and sightseeing. Since Nijo Castle was the closest to the meeting point at the Hotel, we started there. At the Ninomaru Palace, there were several large tour groups and it was very crowded. There were a few early-blooming cherry trees here and there, but most of the Somei-Yoshino in the cherry grove were still in bud. When we arrived in Arashiyama it was quite chilly, so partly to warm up we decided to visit the Monkey Park first, which requires a climb up the mountain. After that we headed to the bamboo grove via the walking path up through Kameyama Park. After strolling through the bamboo grove, the flow was to have lunch somewhere, but since every restaurant in Arashiyama looked likely to be crowded, I asked them to wait until Enmachi and we had lunch at the "Nakau" Enmachi branch. We used a city bus from Enmachi to Kinkaku-ji, and conversely took a taxi from Kinkaku-ji back to Enmachi. At Fushimi Inari Taisha, the Omokaru-ishi stone was less crowded than expected, so I recommended it and everyone gave it a try. At the shrine office, they purchased a torii-shaped ema as a souvenir. At the guests' request, I saw them off at Karasuma Oike Station, the nearest to the Hotel, and we parted ways there.

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

Tour Report by Kaz

Hi, thank you very much for choosing the JGA tour!

My name is Kazuhiro Yoshida, please call me “Kaz”.

I am an English-speaking National Licensed Tour Guide in Japan, and have been guiding mainly in Kyoto and other Kansai areas since April 2023. I have guided over 1,000 tours in total so far, and I am on my way to becoming one of the best English-speaking tour guides in Japan.

I have a great passion to show people from all over the world, the deep histories and cultures of Japan, the country I truly love.
I am focused to take you out on a tour that will become one of the best highlights of your entire trip.

I am glad to have an opportunity to be your guide, and I hope that we can explore many hidden gems of Japan together!