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
- 1)9:00 Meet (hotel), then take the subway to Nijo Castle
- 2)9:30～11:00 Nijo Castle, then take the bus to Kinkaku-ji
- 3)11:30～12:30 Kinkaku-ji, then take the bus and subway to Shijo
- 4)13:20～13:35 Nishiki Market, then walk to Samurai Ninja Museum
- 5)13:45 Say goodbye at Samurai Ninja Museum
Title: What's a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like, Including Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji? A Licensed Guide's Report
Since I had not been able to contact the guests in advance, I could not set the itinerary for the day beforehand. So on the day before the tour, I prepared three possible itinerary plans and sent a fax to the hotel, asking that it be passed on to the guests if they were staying there (recently, due to strict handling of personal information, hotels will not even confirm whether someone is staying). Fortunately, on the day I was able to meet the guests, and they had received the fax. They chose one of the plans, which included Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji, Nishiki Market, and Maruyama Park, but they wished to skip Maruyama Park and visit the Samurai Ninja Museum instead, so we replaced Maruyama Park with the Samurai Ninja Museum. Since one of the guests had trouble with their knee, I slowed the walking pace and made use of elevators and escalators as much as possible. At Nijo Castle, they carefully viewed each room of the Ninomaru Palace. The cherry blossoms were also beautifully in bloom, and they seemed very satisfied. They also seemed to like Kinkaku-ji and took many photos. As it was past noon, I asked about lunch, but they said they did not need it, and instead bought ice cream, which they kindly shared with me as well. At that time, while talking on a bench, they mentioned they had not made a reservation for the Samurai Ninja Museum, so I inquired whether same-day participation without a reservation was possible. Normally a reservation is required, but they said it looked possible to join on the same day today, and I passed this information along.
At Nishiki Market, one of the guests occasionally looked at the goods, but the others seemed eager to get to the Samurai Ninja Museum, so we wrapped things up partway through and went to the Samurai Ninja Museum around 13:45. As I had heard by phone, same-day participation was possible, and they could join a tour that was about to begin, so they signed up. As the tour was said to last about an hour, I asked whether I should wait for them here, but they said this was fine. Just to be safe, I showed them the locations of the Samurai Ninja Museum and their hotel on a map, and we parted ways. At the end, they thanked me for guiding them to such enjoyable places today.
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 | Sanjo Keihan～Nijojo-mae | 220JPY |
| Section 2 | Bus | Nijojo-mae～Kinkakuji-michi | 230JPY |
| Section 3 | Bus | Kinkakuji-michi～Kitaoji Bus Terminal | 230JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Kitaoji～Shijo | 260JPY |
| Total | 940JPY | ||
Nice to meet you.
My name is Hiroki Muramoto, please call me Hiro.
Hiro in Japanese means large or big. Although I’m neither large nor big, you can call me Hiro. How are you doing ?
I lived in a city nearby Kobe city. Do you know Kobe ? Kobe is famous for Kobe beef and pearl. If you have not yet had Kobe beef, you should taste the authentic Kobe beef. It is very satisfying taste. But I have recently moved to a city in Kyoto prefecture, so I can be in Kyoto city in about one hour. By the way, I am a family of four. I have a son and a daughter. My son now works in Tokyo. I sometimes go to Tokyo to see him. Tokyo is a huge city, but too crowded, so it seems not to suit me. I seem to be better suited to a small city than a big one. Where do you live in ? How many families do you have ? If you like, please tell me about them. I worked in the quality assurance department of a pharmaceutical company and visited the factories of foreign affiliated companies, so I became interested in foreign cultures and obtained a qualification as an interpreter guide in 2015.
I have been a guide for about eight years. During that time, I have guided in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Kochi and so on, although I could do little guiding work between 2020 and 2022 due to COVID-19. However, since last year, my guiding work has been back! So, I am happy to be able to meet different people again. My hobby is travelling, but sadly, I am not in a position to travel abroad easily at the moment due to the very weak yen, and I hope to travel abroad again when the situation eases a bit more.
How many countries have you been to so far ? Which countries have you liked so far? Another hobby is watching sports – baseball and football. Do you like the baseball ? Do you know Otani, Japanese baseball player ? He has joined Dodgers in Los Angeles this year. I look forward to another successful year for Otani.
By the way, what interests you in Japan? Food, history, scenery ? As far as tourist attractions are concerned, famous places are too crowded. If you like, I also would like to show you some less crowded places. Are you interested in experiencing something ? If you want to experience something, I can suggest an experience plan for you. If so, please contact me as early as possible. As for food, what kind of food do you like? There are many kinds of delicious food. Of course, you can get good food in fine restaurants, but you can also get good food in downtown restaurants. If you like alcohol, why don’t you try Japanese sake? It can range from light and fragrant to rich in flavor, so you’re sure to find a Japanese sake you like.
My motto is “Be content with life.” However, I find myself complaining all the time. If you like, please tell me your motto. I want to treat all guests who visit Japan with the spirit of “Treasure every encounter” and guide them so that they can enjoy themselves and have good memories of Japan.
You only live once (YOLO). So, I also want to enjoy it with you.
I look forward to meeting you.
Best regard.
Nov 27, 2024
Julianne_A
Book it
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
This was a wonderful experience with our guide Hiro. He…
Nov 27, 2024
Julianne_A
Book it
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
This was a wonderful experience with our guide Hiro. He adapted the tour to our preferences
and helped us cover a lot of ground in one day. Would recommend!