Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Satoko

Title: What's a Private One-Day Walking Tour of Kyoto Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group of three visiting Japan. Since they were staying at a hotel near Sanjusangendo, we started there. All three were deeply moved by the carved Kannon statues inside the hall and listened attentively to my explanations. They appeared to be spiritually devout, offering candles and placing donations before the large Buddha statues as they prayed. They also listened enthusiastically to my explanation of the exhibits at the back. Most guests do not touch the model of the Thousand-Armed Kannon at the end, but one of the guests, seeing others touching it, felt it was acceptable and actually turned it to view its various features. Few guests usually show interest when I explain the Taiko-bei wall, but they had visited Osaka Castle the day before and knew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. So when I later took them to the actual Taiko-bei wall, they took photographs. They were also interested in the Inari shrine on the grounds, and all three made an offering and prayed. It was generally a quiet place, and everyone liked it very much.

Since they knew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, I suggested visiting Toyokuni Shrine and Hoko-ji Temple. Of course, they made offerings and prayed here as well. We then moved on to Hoko-ji. In the past, one could climb the bell tower, but at some point a rope had been placed to prevent access. There was nothing to be done, so I explained the "Kokka Anko" story from a distance. Next we moved by bus to Kiyomizu-dera. On the way, at Chawanzaka, one of the guests bought a souvenir. For lunch they had udon dishes at a restaurant, along with desserts such as mitarashi dango, hiyashi-ame, and Uji matcha shaved ice. Since it was not midsummer, they left about half of the shaved ice.

Then on to Kiyomizu-dera. I felt sorry that there were so many people, but I guided them there as a must-see of Kyoto sightseeing. Everything is a reconstruction by the Tokugawa shogunate, but they were still surprised that it was architecture from the 1600s. At last we reached the main hall. Perhaps because it was crowded, the metal railing had been removed. There was a long line, and I thought it was for the railing, but it turned out to be for worshipping Daikokuten. As usual, they made an offering and prayed. They also lined up to ring the keiko inside the main hall. One of the guests found it curious that sake was offered and asked, "Why is sake offered here?" After visiting the main hall, opinions were divided on whether to go all the way around or take a shortcut, but since they wanted to see the scenery, we decided to go all the way around. Many of the guests I have attended recently choose the shortcut, and seeing this crowd, that is understandable. After visiting the Koyasu Pagoda, one of the guests was quick to find an Inari shrine and, as usual, made an offering and prayed. Finally we saw the Otowa Waterfall. They joked that since the group already got along well, there was no need to line up, but perhaps there was a need to line up for their friend — that they could just put the water in a plastic bottle and take it home!

Next we moved down Kiyomizu-zaka. Perhaps because it was Golden Week, it was especially crowded, so I urged them to be careful not to get separated. One of the guests had taken a liking to the Hotei figure seen at Sanjusangendo and bought a Hotei figurine for the group at a Buddhist goods shop. Behind me, some of the group kept talking about wanting to eat ice cream, and one of them bought matcha ice cream. It was a very cute ice cream, and when I pointed that out, they said that this guest loved ice cream and was always like this. Since they had also had matcha-flavored shaved ice for dessert at lunch, it seemed they were fond of matcha. Having done plenty of shopping, we continued down Kiyomizu-zaka, turned partway, and headed to Yasaka Pagoda. Here too one of the guests asked when it was built. As it was already 3:30, we headed to Yasaka Shrine.

Just as I was about to have a leisurely conversation at Yasaka Shrine, it suddenly began to rain. For the moment, all four of us squeezed under my small folding umbrella, and I explained things hurriedly. I suggested visiting the Kanji Museum to see the Gion Festival floats, but the group said they wanted to return to the hotel, so we boarded a bus and headed back. We returned to the hotel before the scheduled tour time, and when I asked how they would like to proceed, they said, "It's because of the rain, so it's fine to end here. It was a fun tour. Thank you," and we said goodbye. Everyone was calm and relaxed, and I was able to guide them comfortably.

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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!