Kyoto in One Day: Guided tour of Tenryu-ji Temple — Guide Toshi

April, 2025

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

9:00: Hotel
10:00: Guided tour of Tenryu-ji Temple
12:30: Guided tour of Kinkaku-ji Temple
14:00: Stroll around the Gion area
15:00: Guided tour of Kiyomizu-dera Temple
15:30: Disband @ Kyoto Station

Tour Itinerary in Detail

From there the group visited Guided tour of Tenryu-ji Temple at 10:00, Guided tour of Kinkaku-ji Temple at 12:30, Gion area at 14:00 and Guided tour of Kiyomizu-dera Temple at 15:00.

Travel between the sites was by public transport: JR Kyoto Station to JR Saga-Arashiyama Station by train (240JPY); Randen Arashiyama Station to Randen Kitano-Hakubaicho Station by train (250JPY); Kitano-Hakubaicho Station to Sakuragicho Station by bus (230JPY); Kinkakuji-michi Station to Shijo-Keihan Station by bus (230JPY); Kiyomizu-zaka Station to Tofukuji Station by bus (230JPY); JR Tofukuji Station to JR Kyoto Station by train (150JPY). Across 6 sections the fare came to 1,330JPY per person.

What Does a Private Kyoto Day Tour Cover? A Licensed Guide's Report on Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, and Higashiyama

The guests were a group visiting from Oceania. After introducing myself at the hotel, we headed to Arashiyama at their request, where they enjoyed the cherry blossoms in full bloom, centered around the garden at Tenryu-ji Temple. From Tenryu-ji we moved to the bamboo grove, then descended toward the Hozu River, and headed to Randen Arashiyama Station while taking in the view of the Togetsukyo Bridge. We took the Randen tram and a bus to Kinkaku-ji, where I guided them around the temple. Although Kinkaku-ji was packed with many travelers from overseas, they enjoyed the beautiful scenery while listening to explanations of its historical background. The guests were very interested in Japanese culture and asked many questions, listening carefully and taking in each explanation as they worked to understand. Because we traveled by public transportation, getting around Kyoto during this season was difficult and took more time than expected.

In Gion, we passed through Hanamikoji and Kennin-ji Temple, took photos at the Yasaka Pagoda, and then moved toward Kiyomizu-dera Temple. However, the approach was crowded and took time, so there was not enough time to enter the grounds, and they photographed the scenery from outside before we returned to Kyoto Station.

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	JR Kyoto Station～JR Saga-Arashiyama Station	240JPY
Section 2	Train	Randen Arashiyama Station～Randen Kitano-Hakubaicho Station	250JPY
Section 3	Bus	Kitano-Hakubaicho Station～Sakuragicho Station	230JPY
Section 4	Bus	Kinkakuji-michi Station～Shijo-Keihan Station	230JPY
Section 5	Bus	Kiyomizu-zaka Station～Tofukuji Station	230JPY
Section 6	Train	JR Tofukuji Station～JR Kyoto Station	150JPY
Total			1,330JPY

Frequently Asked Questions

Which places does this itinerary cover?

This tour visited Guided tour of Tenryu-ji Temple, Guided tour of Kinkaku-ji Temple, Gion area and Guided tour of Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

How much did transport cost on this tour?

Public transport came to 1,330JPY per person across 6 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?

Toshi 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.

Tour Report by Toshi

After a rather long teaching experience at Japanese college, I converted my career about 6 years ago into working as a tour guide for the tourists visiting Japan.
As my career overseas, I’ve been in the UN and the Japanese Embassy, all in the USA, totaling more than 6 years.
And then I had made a big change in my career from a diplomat to an academic researcher. For that career to achieve, I studied abroad and won a doctorate degree in linguistics from Indiana University and landed a teaching position at college in Japan.
With all these interesting and exciting experiences I’ve made myself ready to enrich your tour and make it both enjoyable and worthwhile.

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Apr 26, 2026
39ferdinandr
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Exceptional and entertaining
Great tour better the tour guide Toshi.

Apr 9, 2026
X1429XKclaudiam
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Sehr zu empfehlen
Wir haben als Familie diese 6-stundige Tour durch Kyoto…

Jun 28, 2025
WilliamAlfonso_R
Toshi is a very eloquent, knowledgeable, and diligent tour guide.
Viator review: Nara 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Toshi was…

May 30, 2025
Z
ZevP5
Best Tour Guide!
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Yoshi was the best guide!! He was so…