Kyoto in One Day: Higashi Honganji & Kenninji — Guide Satoko

What's a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Higashi Honganji, Sanjusangendo, and Gion

The guests had initially requested Kinkakuji and Kiyomizudera before the tour. However, I explained that during the New Year holiday period another guide had waited 20 minutes just to buy tickets for Kinkakuji, and that I myself had found Kiyomizudera very crowded during a year-end tour. When the guests asked whether there were other good places to visit, I suggested the destinations described below.

At Higashi Honganji, I explained the relationship between the teachings of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, the ornate decoration, and the scale of the buildings, and the guests found this very convincing. After finishing the visit, they looked at the food stalls in front of the gate, found something they liked, and said they intended to return later.

Next we walked to Sanjusangendo. The guests were a delightful group, and there was constant laughter along the way. When I mentioned that a recently deceased American actor had a name I couldn't quite recall, the guests began listing various actors' names, and eventually we arrived at "Robert Redford." One of the guests apparently didn't recognize the name and searched for it online. At Sanjusangendo, everyone was fascinated by things such as what each of the thousand-armed Kannon statues was made of, and one of the guests in particular seemed very interested and looked at them slowly. It was also my first time visiting Sanjusangendo in the New Year, and the front of the hall was decorated in a festive New Year style. One of the guests also discovered that the foxes at the Inari shrine had red scarves wrapped around them.

I then suggested visiting Toyokuni Shrine since we were nearby, and spoke about Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Perhaps because it was the New Year, a gate that is usually closed was open, and I explained that today was a special occasion.

Next we took a bus to Gion. The bus was extremely crowded, which surprised everyone, and one of the guests took a selfie of the scene. Since one of the guests followed a vegetarian diet, another of the guests searched online for a vegetarian restaurant on the spot. We headed to a restaurant, but the menu posted outside clearly featured dishes using beef, so I asked the staff, who told us they no longer serve vegetarian meals. In case any guide is not already aware of this, I wanted to share it here.

Next they found a ramen shop, and we walked there. It indeed served vegetarian ramen, which the guests enjoyed, though I learned the correct reading of the master's name is different from what I had assumed — his name is written with a character that is read one way but has apparently come to be pronounced differently over time.

We then moved on to Kenninji. Here too the guests especially enjoyed the gardens and paintings, taking many photos. One of the guests, who apparently aspires to become a film director and enjoys photography, took pictures through the flame-shaped windows.

Afterward we strolled along Hanamikoji, and since we still had some time, we passed by Minamiza. When one of the guests wanted to use the restroom, we arrived at Kyoto Kawaramachi Garden at just the right time, and we said our goodbyes there.

Overall, the guests were a wonderful group, polite and eager to listen to my explanations. I believe this was one of the most enjoyable tours I have ever had the pleasure of guiding.

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

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!