Kyoto in One Day: Stroll around Nanzen-ji Temple — Guide Satoko

Title: What's a Family-Friendly Private Kyoto Walking Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The itinerary had been arranged with a preference for staying close by, choosing places where the guests would not get bored, so Nishiki Market and the Pokemon Center were added to the plan above. The guests had also requested that the tour end so they could make a 17:30 reservation at the Samurai Kyoto Museum. When we actually met on the day, however, they said they wanted to return to the Hotel by 17:00 to avoid getting too tired. They also mentioned that before coming to Kyoto they had already done plenty of shopping in Tokyo, so today they wanted to experience "culture."

At Nanzenji Temple I had thought it might be enough to show just the Sanmon gate, but they seemed keen to go further inside, so I showed them the dragon on the ceiling of the Hatto hall and the Suirokaku aqueduct. Although we could not enter Tenjuan, they were able to view the garden through the windows and took photographs with it as a backdrop. We then headed to Heian Shrine. Unfortunately the zoo was closed, but a giraffe and flamingos were visible along the canal, which delighted the guests. They were also moved by the great torii gate of Heian Shrine and happily took photos. When I explained that the architecture of Heian Shrine was greatly influenced by styles introduced from China during the Nara period, they were quite surprised.

We then strolled along the beautiful Shirakawa. The younger of the guests was very eager to cross the bridges and was very pleased to do so, though the narrow single-plank bridge seemed too dangerous, so it was not crossed. Next, as they wished to visit Yasaka Shrine, I suggested a route entering from the north torii by going through Chionin and Maruyama Park, rather than the stair-heavy west gate. Along the way we took a break at the Sanmon gate of Chionin, and viewed herons and ducks at the gourd-shaped pond in Maruyama Park. At Yasaka Shrine, they were especially impressed by the lanterns of the dance hall. When I explained about unlucky years, it turned out that one of the guests was in such a year.

We then strolled along Hanamikoji. As they showed interest in Kenninji Temple, we decided to pass through Kenninji and then walk back to the Hotel. After leaving Kenninji, one of the younger guests said they wanted to walk on their own, so I held their hand and we walked together. Although they had been running around until then, they surprisingly walked calmly hand in hand with me. We returned again to Hanamikoji, and after crossing Shijo Street, one of the guests said they could not walk any further, so we hailed a taxi and had them return to the Hotel. From the taxi window, the younger guest waved to me until I was out of sight.

I have guided a few tours with children before, and generally the children would get bored, so I had felt somewhat uneasy about them, but this time the cheerful young ones made the tour enjoyable for me as well. The guests kindly agreed to have the photo posted on the web. Before the tour, they had bought T-shirts printed with "Kyoto" and wore them to join the tour.

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Tour Report by Satoko

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!