Kyoto in One Day: Nijo Castle & Kimono Forest — Guide Satoko

Kyoto Private Family Day Tour: A Licensed Guide's Report on Nijo Castle, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and More

The guests had requested in advance that some places be included where younger members of the group would not get bored, so I thought Nijo Castle and Shinsen-en, where they could surely see carp, would be enjoyable. I then suggested either a monkey park or the Arashiyama bamboo grove, and since they chose the bamboo grove, the course was set as above. As Nijo Castle was within walking distance, I suggested we go on foot. Along the way, the white torii gate of Takamatsu Shinmei Shrine caught our eye, so we stopped there. There was a small Tenjin shrine, and I had the guests stroke the head of the ox, the messenger of the deity, which made for a pleasant start to the tour. We then arrived at Nijo Castle. Right at the entrance, at the guardhouse, we watched a video explaining the Kan'ei Imperial Visit, which also described the buildings of the time, so I believe they were able to enter the castle with a deeper understanding. While some of the guests did not seem very interested, others were moved by the scenery and the fine details of the architecture, and listened attentively to the explanations. Normally I would view the Ninomaru Garden and then turn back, but thinking that showing higher ground would keep the group from getting bored, I suggested a walk toward the Honmaru as well. As expected, they spotted carp in the moat surrounding the Honmaru and looked on with interest. I do not usually see so many carp, so when I counted them myself, 37 gathered around the bridge. Next, we moved on to Shinsen-en. A local woman saw us and approached carrying a turtle. She said she had been caring for turtles abandoned in the pond and, thinking it was about time for the temple to take over, had asked them to do so but had been refused. I listened while thinking it was a strange thing to say, given that there was a turtle mound beside the pond. As the Shinsen-en festival was to begin the following day, a mikoshi (portable shrine) had been placed in the main hall where the deity Zennyo Ryuo is enshrined. The guests were delighted to take photographs. For lunch we went to a set-meal restaurant. All of the set meals came with tofu, but it did not seem to suit their taste, and they left most of it after eating just a little. We then took the JR line to Saga-Arashiyama. That day there happened to be a Kyoto Sanga match at the Kameoka stadium starting at 14:00, so the train was crowded with supporters, and I was asked, "Who are all those people wearing purple uniforms?" We then made our way to the Togetsukyo Bridge. To avoid the crowds a little, we passed in front of some private houses before coming out at the bridge, which they enjoyed very much. Here I was asked, "Do many Japanese people own their own homes?" Arashiyama was crowded, for which I felt apologetic, but we entered the bamboo grove from Kameyama Park while enjoying pleasant conversation. I had them take photographs at the well-known spot, and we entered Tenryu-ji through the north gate. I had actually wanted to explain things in detail, but kept the explanation brief so as not to bore the group. We rested a little at Tenryu-ji and then headed to the Kimono Forest. As expected, they seemed to like the scenery of the Kimono Forest. Once the itinerary was complete, I asked what they would like to do next, and they said they would stroll around the area. I gave the guests some character stickers and we said our goodbyes.

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Tour Report by Satoko

I am a 53-year-old woman, living in Kyoto for nearly 40 years. I got the license in 2001. Since then, I worked as an interpreter or a translator in several companies, secretary at universities, and now work for a company on weekdays at the international dept.I do guiding job only weekend now. I started full swing guiding career after COVID-19 pandemic. I have gotten good review from many of my guests. I love my hometown, Kyoto which has a lot of interesting and historical sites to see. Particularly, I am native to Arashiyama which is famous for bamboo forest. So, I know a lot of places where you can relax yourself around this area. Other than that, Kyoto has many attractive sites which surely interest you.Also, I like meeting many people from different cultural background. I am very happy if I learn about your culture as well. Let’s enjoy exploring around Kyoto!