Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu

Can You Do a Private Kyoto Day Tour Including Tenryu-ji and Sannen-zaka? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from Oceania. They had been to Japan before, but it was everyone's first time in Kyoto. This time the tour was mainly based on a request from one of the guests, and since Tenryu-ji and the nearby temple grounds were right close by, we strolled around there as well. One of the guests listened to my explanations with great interest throughout and seemed genuinely delighted — very much an "I'm all ears" kind of mood. Another of the guests kept yawning and looked very sleepy. They had spent time in Tokyo and Hakone before coming to Kyoto, so jet lag was starting to set in. I kept talking away regardless, with a laugh. The group普段—well, they told me they are normally extremely busy and had finally been able to take a family vacation together. I couldn't help but say "Congratulations!" My persistence in continuing to talk paid off, as in the latter half the sleepy guest woke up and listened happily. To help shake off the drowsiness, I explained the difference between furisode and tomesode kimono, which went over quite well. I also talked with the guests about many things unrelated to sightseeing. We had a long conversation on the train about whether zero-calorie cola, though calorie-free, is still bad for your health — the point being that while it has no calories and so is not an issue in terms of fat, it contains a lot of chemicals, and drinking it continuously could be harmful. Since it is currently the off-season and there were almost no inbound visitors from Asia, I felt we were able to look around relatively at a leisurely pace. At the end, I explained about Sannen-zaka before we parted ways. We agreed to meet again someday in the future. It was another enjoyable day.

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Tour Report by Kazu

Hello, this is Kazu Akiyama, your tour guide. Nice to meet you and welcome to Japan. Thank you for joining me on the tour. Now I am a retired salaried worker, living in Osaka. I have been very much interested in not only learning Japanese history, culture, religion myself, but also talking about them (sometimes going off topics) in English with tourists from all over the world as well. I am so excited being with you as your guide on coming day! I am very much looking forward to you enjoying with me visiting the must-see places and some of the hidden gems. See you soon. Thank you – Kazu Akiyama