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)10:00     Meet at the hotel, then head to Arashiyama by subway and JR
  • 2)10:50~12:50  Bamboo grove, Okochi Sanso Villa, Tenryu-ji Temple, then head to the restaurant by JR and bus
  • 3)13:20~14:00  Lunch, then head to Kinkaku-ji Temple
  • 4)14:10~15:00  To Kinkaku-ji Temple, then head to Nishiki Market by bus and subway
  • 5)15:30~15:50  To Nishiki Market, then head to Takashimaya Department Store
  • 6)16:00     Say goodbye in front of Takashimaya Department Store

What's a Private Kyoto Garden Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, and Nishiki Market

The guests were visiting Japan for the first time. They had recently acquired a home and were working on creating a garden, so they were very interested in Japanese gardens and enthusiastically viewed the gardens at Okochi Sanso Villa and Tenryu-ji Temple. For lunch, since one of the guests preferred vegetarian dishes, I chose a restaurant that also serves vegetarian cuisine, and they said the food was delicious. During the meal, I listened to their ideas for their garden design, and they mentioned they would like to plant a cherry blossom tree. At Kinkaku-ji, they were amazed to learn how much gold is used on the building. The tour was originally scheduled to end at Kinkaku-ji, but since we were making good progress, I asked what they would like to do, and they said they wanted to visit Nishiki Market. So we went to Nishiki Market, where I had them try mame daifuku. Also, since one of the guests was interested in Mario games, I took them to the Takashimaya department store, which has a Nintendo goods shop, and we said goodbye there. It seemed they enjoyed the tour.

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwayMarutamachi (Kyoto Municipal)~Nijo220JPY
Section 2TrainNijo~Saga-Arashiyama200JPY
Section 3TrainSaga-Arashiyama~Enmachi180JPY
Section 4BusNishinokyo-Enmachi (JR Enmachi Station)/Kyoto City Bus~Waratenjin-mae/Kyoto City Bus230JPY
Section 5BusKinkakuji-michi/Kyoto City Bus~Kitaoji Bus Terminal (Subway Kitaoji Station)/Kyoto City Bus230JPY
Section 6SubwayKitaoji~Shijo (Kyoto Municipal)260JPY
Total1,320JPY

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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