Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Toshi

June, 2024

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. 8:30 Gather at Kyoto Station (McDonald's)
2. 9:30 Kiyomizu-dera Temple
3. 11:00 Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
4. 13:00 Kinkaku-ji Temple
5. 14:00 Nishiki Market
6. 14:30 Disband @ Nishiki Market

What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report Covering Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari, and Kinkaku-ji

I guided a group visiting Kyoto from Oceania. They were friends, and being young and energetic, they moved from place to place smoothly. In the morning I had been waiting at the hotel, but I suddenly received a message that they were having breakfast at the McDonald's inside Kyoto Station and wanted to meet there, so we met at the McDonald's. They asked me, "Please leave the entire itinerary up to you as our guide," so I proposed a standard course visiting Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, and Nishiki Market, which they agreed to, and we set off on that route. Kiyomizu-dera, which is always crowded, had fewer school excursion students, making it easier to guide. We used the bus and train to travel to Fushimi Inari Taisha, and everything went smoothly. After Fushimi Inari, I guided them to Kinkaku-ji, and although it was humid and hot, the guests kept up well and listened attentively, nodding along to my explanations. Finally, after I guided them through Nishiki Market, the guiding end time arrived, so we parted ways after receiving their thanks. They planned to explore the market and shopping streets on their own afterward, including lunch.

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	Bus	Kyoto Station～Higashiyama Yasui Station	230JPY
Section 2	Bus	Kiyomizuzaka Station～Tofukuji-mae Station	230JPY
Section 3	Train	Tofukuji Station～Inari Station	150JPY
Section 4	Train	Inari Station～Enmachi Station	200JPY
Section 5	Bus	JR Enmachi Station～Kinkakuji-michi Station	230JPY
Section 6	Bus	Kinkakuji-michi Station～Shijo Kawaramachi Station	230JPY
Total			1,270JPY

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…