Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Hiro

April, 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)9:20　　　　Meet at the hotel, walk to JR Kyoto
  • 2)9:30～9:40　 Help purchase IC cards at JR Kyoto, then head to Ginkakuji Temple by subway and bus
  • 3)10:30～11:10 Ginkakuji Temple, then head to the Philosopher's Path
  • 4)11:10～12:00 Philosopher's Path, Honen-in Temple, Philosopher's Path, then lunch
  • 5)12:00～12:40 Lunch, then head to Nanzenji Temple
  • 6)12:50～13:40 Nanzenji Temple, then head to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine by subway and Keihan Line
  • 7)14:30～15:10 Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, then head to JR Kyoto by JR
  • 8)Around 15:40　　 End at JR Kyoto Station

What's a Private Day Tour of Kyoto Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Ginkaku-ji, the Philosopher's Path, and Fushimi Inari

We were able to meet earlier than scheduled. One of the guests had visited Japan before, while the others were visiting for the first time. Since I had been asked to help with purchasing IC cards, we bought them at Kyoto Station. I explained that IC cards can generally be used in other regions as well, and that if they became unnecessary, the 500 yen issuance fee would be refunded, and then we took the subway and bus to Ginkaku-ji. At Ginkaku-ji, the guests said they liked its calm atmosphere. One of the guests asked why it is called Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion), so I explained that although the pavilion is not actually coated in silver, it came to be called Ginkaku from the Edo period onward in comparison with Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), which they found convincing. The cherry blossoms along the Philosopher's Path had mostly fallen, but the guests were pleased to see some double-flowered cherry blossoms. After stopping by Honen-in along the way, we headed to lunch. We entered an okonomiyaki restaurant, and the guests were interested, taking photos of it being cooked and asking about the ingredients. They said it was delicious, and they treated me as well. Next, we took the subway and Keihan line to Fushimi Inari. At Fushimi Inari, the countless orange torii gates and the vast number of small shrine mounds seemed to make a strong impression. We then returned to Kyoto Station by JR at around 15:35. Since tomorrow's itinerary was planned to begin by going from Kyoto Station to Arashiyama, we arranged to meet at JR Kyoto Station at 9:00 am rather than at the Hotel, and we said goodbye.

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

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwayKyoto～Karasuma-Imadegawa (Imadegawa Subway Station)／Kyoto City Bus260JPY
Section 2BusKarasuma-Imadegawa (Imadegawa Subway Station)／Kyoto City Bus～Ginkakuji-michi／Kyoto City Bus230JPY
Section 3SubwayKeage～Sanjo-Keihan220JPY
Section 4TrainSanjo (Kyoto Prefecture)～Ryukoku-daimae-Fukakusa240JPY
Section 5TrainInari～Kyoto150JPY
Total1,100JPY

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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