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)8:50     Meet, take Keihan to Fushimi Inari
  • 2)9:20~10:00 Fushimi Inari, then take Keihan to Sanjusangendo
  • 3)10:30~11:20 Sanjusangendo, then take a taxi to Takashimaya, Nishiki Market
  • 4)11:40~12:40 Takashimaya, Nishiki Market (lunch), then via subway, JR Kyoto, to Arashiyama
  • 5)13:30~14:40 Arashiyama (Tenryuji, Bamboo Grove, Observation Deck, Togetsukyo Bridge), then take a taxi to the hotel
  • 6)Around 15:20, part ways in front of the hotel

What Can You See on a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report on Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama and Nishiki Market

With the guests, we were able to finalize the itinerary just before the tour by incorporating their wishes, and when I mentioned that this tour would be a little tight on time, they said they didn't mind using a taxi if needed. On the day, since the schedule was tight, I went to the Hotel early and contacted them by SMS, which allowed us to start the tour ten minutes ahead of time. It was the guests' first visit to Japan, and they were both friendly and easygoing, which was a great help. At Fushimi Inari, they tried the Omokaru-ishi stone and were amazed at the sheer number of torii gates. At Sanjusangendo, we took photos with the cherry blossoms that had partly begun to bloom in the background. They were also astonished by the number of Buddhist statues. One of the guests seemed particularly interested and purchased a photo book of Buddhist statues. As one of the guests was interested in Nintendo games, I mentioned the Nintendo game shop at Takashimaya, and since they wanted to go, we visited Takashimaya and Nishiki Market. We had lunch at Nishiki Market (they requested seafood and tempura, and I had lunch as well), shopped at a spice store, and enjoyed some Japanese sweets standing at a shop. In Arashiyama, they took many photos of the flowers blooming at Tenryuji Temple and the bamboo grove. We passed by the observation deck and went to Togetsukyo Bridge, which one of the guests had wished to see, though it turned out to be a little different from what they had imagined. By this point it was around 14:40, so when I suggested that we head back soon, the guests said they would return to the Hotel by taxi. We took a taxi back to the Hotel and said our goodbyes in front of it. They seemed tired at the end, but as we had visited a variety of different types of spots, it appeared they enjoyed themselves.

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1TrainSanjo (Kyoto Prefecture)~Fushimi Inari240JPY
Section 2TrainFushimi Inari~Shichijo180JPY
Section 3SubwayShijo (Kyoto Municipal)~Kyoto220JPY
Section 4TrainKyoto~Saga-Arashiyama240JPY
Total880JPY

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.

Nov 27, 2024
Julianne_A
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