Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Hiro

March, 2026

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)8:30 　　　Meet (hotel), then go to Ginkaku-ji by subway and bus
  • 2)9:10～9:50　Ginkaku-ji, then to the Philosopher's Path and Honen-in
  • 3)10:00～10:40 Philosopher's Path, Honen-in, then to Nanzen-ji
  • 4)11:00～11:40 Nanzen-ji・Suirokaku, then to Sanjo by subway
  • 5)12:00～12:40 Lunch near Sanjo Station, then to Nijo Castle by subway
  • 6)13:00～14:15 Nijo Castle, then to the hotel by subway
  • 7)14:40 　　　Farewell in front of the hotel

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Kyoto Cherry Blossom Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were from the Middle East and were visiting Japan for the first time. Based on the guests' request beforehand for spots that would not be too crowded, I set a course covering Ginkaku-ji, the Philosopher's Path, Honen-in, Nanzen-ji, and finally Nijo Castle. After touring Ginkaku-ji, they enjoyed some shopping at the shops. This year the cherry blossoms bloomed early, and the blossoms along the Philosopher's Path were already open, which delighted them. They climbed the Sanmon gate at Nanzen-ji and enjoyed the view. The guests followed a vegetarian diet but said they eat cooked fish, so for lunch I guided them to a restaurant serving nishin soba (herring soba), which they finished completely, saying it was delicious. I chose a different dish, and they treated me to lunch. Since the guests seemed interested in Japanese food, in return I had them try strawberry daifuku, which they said was delicious. They remarked that the wall paintings of the Ninomaru Palace in the two gardens of Nijo Castle were beautiful. In the garden they were also able to see cherry blossoms in near-full bloom, which pleased them. We finished touring Nijo Castle at around 14:10, and when I asked what they would like to do next, they said they wanted to return to the Hotel, so I accompanied them to the Hotel and said goodbye there. On the day, we were blessed with clear weather, it was not too crowded, and cherry blossoms could be seen in many places, so it seems they enjoyed themselves.

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

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwayGojo (Kyoto Municipal)～Imadegawa260JPY
Section 2BusKarasuma Imadegawa (Subway Imadegawa Station)／Kyoto City Bus～Ginkaku-ji-michi／Kyoto City Bus230JPY
Section 3SubwayKeage～Sanjo Keihan220JPY
Section 4SubwaySanjo Keihan～Nijojo-mae220JPY
Section 5SubwayNijojo-mae～Gojo (Kyoto Municipal)220JPY
Total1,150JPY

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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