Kyoto in 1 Day from Kobe: Customized Tour — Guide Kazu

Title: What Is a Private Kyoto Day Tour Like for a Cruise Group? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from South America, arriving by cruise ship. On this day the tour was for a group of guests. They tended to move around separately in smaller subgroups, so it took some effort to gather everyone together for explanations. Everyone chatted freely and talked a lot, even while I was giving explanations. I often had to be careful to keep the group from spreading out too far, so that those at the front and those at the back would not be too far apart. However, everyone understood that the schedule was tight (arriving at port at 8:00 and departing at 17:30), and they were very cooperative — buying sandwiches at a station kiosk and eating standing up for lunch, which was a great help. They also had transportation IC passes, so we were able to pass through the ticket gates smoothly. As a result, we had some extra time to spare, and after arriving in Sannomiya they went shopping. For JR transportation fares exceeding 1,000 yen, I submitted the ICOCA usage history in place of receipts. After visiting Kinkaku-ji, we split into taxis to reach JR Enmachi Station (paid by the guests). The photo was taken at Fushimi Inari.

Click here for more details: Kyoto in 1 Day from Kobe: Customized Tour, Licensed Guide

Tour Report by KAZU

I was born and grew up in Kyoto and now live near Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. I used to be a schoolteacher of English and welcome a lot of students from foreign countries. I really enjoyed showing them around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima. I have been a professional tour guide for about 8 years. I always try to let my guests learn Japanese traditional and modern culture. Since I was born in Kyoto, I know a lot about its culture and people. I myself enjoyed several sports, such as soccer, judo, and marathon when I was young. I’m much interested in baseball and sumo. My motto as a tour guide is to let my guests learn about our tradition and culture precisely and really enjoy themselves. I strongly hope you will enjoy the tour in Japan with me.