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
- 9:00 Meet up @ Hotel Wing International Premium Kyoto Sanjo
- Travel (Kyoto Municipal Subway)
- 9:30-11:00 Kyoto Imperial Palace
- Travel (Kyoto City Bus)
- 11:30-12:15 Kinkaku-ji Temple
- 12:30- 13:15 Lunch @ Washoku Joy
- Travel (Kyoto City Bus, Kyoto Municipal Subway)
- 13:50-14:50 Nijo Castle
- 15:00 Disband @ Kyoto Municipal Subway Nijojo-mae
Tour Itinerary in Detail
This private tour of Kyoto began at 9:00, when the guide met the guests at @ Hotel Wing International Premium Kyoto Sanjo, and finished at 15:00. The day ran to 6 hours from start to finish. It included lunch @ Washoku Joy at 12:30.
From there the group visited Kyoto Imperial Palace at 9:30, Kinkaku-ji Temple at 11:30 and Nijo Castle at 13:50.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Kyoto to Imadegawa by train (260JPY); Karasuma Marutamachi to Kinkaku-ji-mae by bus (230JPY); Waratenjin-mae to Nishioji Oike by bus (230JPY); Nishioji Oike to Nijojo-mae by train (220JPY). Across 4 sections the fare came to 940JPY per person.
Title: What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto History Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kinkaku-ji, and Nijo Castle
The guests were a group who had immigrated to Oceania. They had no particular requests for places to visit, but mentioned that they wanted to learn about the history of Kyoto, so I proposed a course of Kyoto Imperial Palace → Kinkaku-ji → Nijo Castle. Since one of the guests seemed sleepy at the meeting time and had not had breakfast, we stopped at a convenience store just outside Imadegawa Station to buy some food, and they ate it on a bench at Kyoto Imperial Palace. The guests seemed genuinely interested in Japanese culture and listened to my explanations very attentively, at times asking questions about the difference and relationship between the shogun and the emperor. Because they were so interested, instead of taking the bus from Doshisha-mae on Imadegawa Street as I usually do, I deliberately chose to walk to the Marutamachi side so that they could understand the original location of the Imperial Palace, and we took the bus from Marutamachi. Along the way, one of the guests seemed to grow tired, so we proceeded while taking breaks. Then we went to Kinkaku-ji. During the journey, as they had immigrated from one region to another, they shared many interesting stories about the differences between the two places. They said lunch could wait until after viewing Kinkaku-ji, so I asked the guests what they would like. When they said "rice and meat," we walked a short distance and decided to go to a Japanese-style family restaurant. One of the guests ordered a set of hamburg steak and fried shrimp, and another ordered a set of tonkatsu and fried shrimp, and they seemed satisfied with the meal. (Normally, when visiting Kinkaku-ji, I usually take guests to a noodle shop, but I was concerned that the options might be limited. In the end, I think it was a good choice to go to a Japanese restaurant like this one.) After that, we transferred between bus and subway and went to Nijo Castle. At Nijo Castle, I had hoped the guests would enjoy seeing the samurai figures a bit more, but they seemed bored throughout, so I felt a little apologetic. As we were leaving, I mentioned this, and one of the guests kindly said, "I think they'll understand when they're older."
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 | Kyoto～Imadegawa | 260JPY |
| Section 2 | Bus | Karasuma Marutamachi～Kinkaku-ji-mae | 230JPY |
| Section 3 | Bus | Waratenjin-mae～Nishioji Oike | 230JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Nishioji Oike～Nijojo-mae | 220JPY |
| Total | 940JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this Kyoto tour start and finish?
The guide met the guests at @ Hotel Wing International Premium Kyoto Sanjo at 9:00, and the tour finished at @ Kyoto Municipal Subway Nijojo-mae at 15:00.
How long does the tour last?
About 6 hours in total, from 9:00 to 15:00.
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kinkaku-ji Temple and Nijo Castle.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 940JPY per person across 4 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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