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.
Tour Itinerary
- At the guest's request, the tour started at 8:30 and ended at 17:30.
- 8:25 Meet at Kobe Port Terminal 8:45 Board the rapid train bound for Kyoto from JR Sannomiya 10:05 JR Inari Fushimi Inari 11:45 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
- 12:30 Short break at Randen Arashiyama 13:30 Kinkaku-ji 15:00 Gion area 16:00 Head to Kobe by Hankyu train 17:00 Arrive at Kobe Sannomiya Station 17:25 Arrive at Port Terminal Station
- 17:30 Tour ends
Title: What Is a Private Kyoto Tour to Fushimi Inari Like for Cruise Passengers? A Licensed Guide's Report
The group were first-time visitors to Japan. Because the cruise's port time was short, we started early and managed to complete the tour. One of the guests seemed tired but never fussed and quietly kept up with the tour throughout. It was helpful that at times another of the guests carried them on their shoulders as we walked. We were blessed with the weather; although rain had been forecast for the afternoon, we finished the tour without encountering any rain. The moment we boarded the Hankyu train bound for Kobe, heavy rain began to fall. Today, at Fushimi Inari, the guests wrote on a white fox ema votive tablet, but what caught my attention was the large amount of graffiti scribbled on the sheet covering the table. The sheet was completely covered in writing in characters that made it obvious at a glance which country the writers were from. It was the first time I had seen graffiti in such a terrible state at Fushimi Inari. There is also an issue on the shrine's side for not replacing the sheet. The photos were taken at Fushimi Inari Taisha. For the section using JR (Sannomiya to Inari), there was no receipt, so I copied the IC card usage history. The print came out faint due to the station's printing machine, but the parts underlined in red and circled correspond to that transportation cost.
Click here for more details: Kyoto in 1 Day from Kobe: Customized Tour, Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Port Terminal～Sannomiya | 210JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Sannomiya～Inari | 1,300JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Inari～Saga-Arashiyama | 240JPY |
| Section 4 | Other | Saga-Arashiyama～Enmachi | 180JPY |
| Section 5 | Other | Enmachi～Kinkakuji-michi | 230JPY |
| Section 6 | Other | Kinkakuji-michi～Nishioji-Oike | 230JPY |
| Section 7 | Other | Nishioji-Oike～Higashiyama | 260JPY |
| Section 8 | Other | Higashiyama-Sanjo～Gion | 230JPY |
| Section 9 | Train | Kyoto-Kawaramachi～Kobe-Sannomiya (Hankyu・Kobe Rapid) | 640JPY |
| Section 10 | Other | Sannomiya～Port Terminal | 210JPY |
| Total | 3,730JPY | ||
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.
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo.…
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo. He had such insightful knowledge of each area we wanted to visit and had all the best spots to take photos and was very patient with us.
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi…
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi was excellent. We had a wonderful time, learned a lot of new things about Japanese culture and history, practiced navigating transport, enjoyed a perfect lunch. Kazuo-San even facilitated a purchase of a UV blocking umbrella, which was much needed on that sunny day.
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour…
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour with Kazuo, our guide. Days before arrival he communicated directly with me to set up the tour according to sites we wanted to see and he made good suggestions. Besides listening to his Kyoto detailed knowledge, we enjoyed the local walking of streets, taking buses and trains between sites. Kazuo has excellent English and has travelled himself so being with him for the day was a pleasure. I highly recommend using him as your guide
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had…
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had a wonderful experience during our Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide. Our guide, Kazuo, was truly outstanding from start to finish. He shared an impressive amount of knowledge about Kyoto’s history, culture, temples, and daily life. You can feel how passionate he is about his city, and he explains everything with the calm, precision and kindness so typical of Japanese guides. His English was clear and easy to follow, which made the whole day even more enjoyable. Kazuo was also extremely friendly, attentive and careful. He always made sure we were comfortable, took the time to answer all our questions, adapted the pace of the tour, and anticipated our needs without us even asking. Travelling by car made the experience smooth and relaxing, allowing us to see more places without rushing. We felt very well taken care of throughout the day, and we learned so much thanks to him. We highly recommend Kazuo to anyone looking for a personalized, insightful and stress‑free discovery of Kyoto.