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
- 9:00 Meet @ DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Higashiyama
- 9:08-9:15 Kiyomizu-Gojo → Fushimi Inari, Keihan 240 yen
- 9:20-10:20 Sightseeing at Fushimi Inari Taisha
- 10:28-10:59 Inari → Saga-Arashiyama, JR 240 yen
- 11:10-12:10 Arashiyama sightseeing (Tenryu-ji, Bamboo Grove Path, Kimono Forest, etc.)
- 12:20-13:10 Lunch @ Gyatei
- 13:23-13:48 Arashiyama → Kitano-Hakubaicho, Keifuku Electric Railway 250 yen
- Kitano-Hakubaicho – Kinkaku-ji-michi 230 yen
- 14:00-14:40 Sightseeing at Kinkaku-ji
- Travel by taxi
- 15:15 Dismissal @ DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Higashiyama
Title: What's a Private Day Tour of Kyoto Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, and Kinkaku-ji
The guests were visitors from North America. Since one of them did not speak much English, I communicated through the other, who kindly translated. At Fushimi Inari Taisha, I explained the differences between Shinto and Buddhism, and then we moved on to Arashiyama to visit the Bamboo Grove Path and Tenryu-ji Temple. Lunch was at the usual restaurant, Gyatei. I was surprised to see them pour pudding over their rice, which they said is a North American style. After lunch, we traveled via the Randen tram and bus to Kinkaku-ji. They found it fascinating that someone would renovate their own residence to build something like this to remain after their death. It made me realize how many different sets of values there are in the world.
Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Kiyomizu-Gojo～Fushimi Inari | 240JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Inari～Saga-Arashiyama | 240JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Arashiyama (Keifuku Line)～Kitano-Hakubaicho | 250JPY |
| Section 4 | Bus | Kitano-Hakubaicho / Kyoto City Bus～Kinkaku-ji-michi / Kyoto City Bus | 230JPY |
| Total | 960JPY | ||
Hello! I am Andy Murao. I love this job as I can visit various destinations with the people from all over the world. I am always thinking that I could help you know more about Japan and understand the attractiveness of Japan.
I would like to provide a tour in accordance with your request and preference. Please let me know what you want to see, eat, experience, etc. and then I will propose a schedule based on them.
There is one point to note. I like walking very much, so I might be a guide who forces you to take long walks.
I look forward to attending you in Japan.
Best regards,
Andy Murao
Jul 13, 2026
webstere2025
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Excellent
Andy(Atsushi) was great and communicated with us beforehand about our…
Jul 13, 2026
webstere2025
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Excellent
Andy(Atsushi) was great and communicated with us beforehand about our itinerary. He was flexible with changes we requested. Andy was very informative during the tour. He also was willing to take our family’s pictures. We were able to stop and check out shops as we pleased along the way. He also accommodated lunch requests(as our daughter has food allergies).
One thing I wish we realized was that there is quite a bit of walking. We were fine but for people who are perhaps older or with young children you may want to consider taking a cab between different sites.
Jun 21, 2026
Catherine_D
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
First time in Osaka
Andy was great . On time and patience…
Jun 21, 2026
Catherine_D
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
First time in Osaka
Andy was great . On time and patience with our walking tour since we had a 14 yr old with
us. Very informative and picked us up and dropped us off our hotel. Thank you Andy for
showing us Osaka
Jun 6, 2026
eyeessess
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Early Morning Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour!
Andy Murao was an amazing and wonderful tour guide.…
Jun 6, 2026
eyeessess
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Early Morning Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour!
Andy Murao was an amazing and wonderful tour guide. He reached out to us with some ideas for our private tour. He worked with us as we made the tour perfectly suited to our needs. He met us on time. He navigated the crowds and the sites perfectly. He was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. He even put together a nice photo collection of photos he emailed us after. Highly recommend.
Jun 5, 2026
Janice_W
Viator review: Kyoto 9hr Private Tour (Kobe Dep. ) with Licensed Guide
Great tour of Kyoto
It was a good tour…
Jun 5, 2026
Janice_W
Viator review: Kyoto 9hr Private Tour (Kobe Dep. ) with Licensed Guide
Great tour of Kyoto
It was a good tour & Andy looked after us well. He managed to change things to suite our
walking limitations & we had a good day.