Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Hiro

November, 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. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.

Tour Itinerary

  • 1)10:10　　　　Meet at the hotel, then head to Arashiyama via subway and Randen
  • 2)11:10～12:20　Arashiyama (Bamboo Grove and Tenryu-ji Temple), then to Fushimi Inari via JR through Kyoto Station
  • 3)13:10～14:00　Fushimi Inari, then lunch
  • 4)14:10～14:50　Lunch, then to Gion-Shijo via Keihan
  • 5)15:20　Gion-Shijo, part ways here

Title: What Is a Private Kyoto Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari

This tour was arranged in consultation with the guests to include Arashiyama. Before the tour began, there had been news reports of bear sightings near Arashiyama, so as a precaution I contacted the Ukyo Ward Office and confirmed that there was generally no problem during the daytime. I shared this information with the guests and we started the tour. Because one of the guests' belongings had been left behind, our departure was slightly delayed. The pace was a little slow overall, so the tour progressed more slowly than planned. The guests took many photos of the bamboo grove and the garden at Tenryu-ji Temple, and seemed to particularly enjoy the Tenryu-ji garden. At Fushimi Inari, they were amazed by the many torii gates. They took photos among the torii gates. After the visit, we had a light meal at a food court while chatting about the bears, Hygge, and other topics. Since they appeared somewhat tired and our progress was slow, I suggested taking a taxi rather than a bus and walking as a way to get from Gion-Shijo to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and we headed toward Gion-Shijo Station. After arriving at Gion-Shijo Station, the guests talked among themselves and, feeling a bit tired, decided not to go to Kiyomizu-dera Temple and to return to their accommodation instead. As they said they could make their own way back, we parted ways here.

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

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwayHigashiyama (Kyoto)～Uzumasa-Tenjingawa260JPY
Section 2TrainRanden-Tenjingawa～Arashiyama (Keifuku Line)250JPY
Section 3TrainSaga-Arashiyama～Kyoto240JPY
Section 4TrainKyoto～Inari150JPY
Section 5TrainFushimi Inari～Gion-Shijo240JPY
Total1,140JPY

Tour Report by Hiro

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.

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Nov 27, 2024
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