Kyoto in 1 Day from Osaka: Private Car Tour — Guide Nori

Title: What's a Private One-Day Kyoto Tour from Osaka Like, Including a Kimono Experience? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests this time were a group visiting Japan from Europe for sightseeing. Regarding the destinations, communication was handled not directly with the guests but through a travel agency, and the itinerary had initially been confirmed as "Arashiyama (bamboo grove ⇒ Tenryu-ji Temple) ⇒ Kinkaku-ji ⇒ Nijo Castle ⇒ lunch ⇒ Fushimi Inari." However, since it was also necessary to confirm the guests' own wishes, I contacted them directly via the messaging app designated by the travel agency one week before the tour. Their reply mentioned that, after doing some research, they would also like to try a kimono experience. I explained to them that since the tour departed from and returned to Osaka, the actual tour time was only about six hours, and that adding a kimono experience would require about one hour for selecting the kimono and getting dressed, so one of the destinations would have to be cancelled — and I asked how they would like to proceed. The guests replied that they would like to cancel Kinkaku-ji, so the final plan became "four destinations plus a kimono experience."

On the day of the tour, although it was somewhat cloudy, it was neither too cold nor too hot, making for comfortable tour weather. After enjoying the Arashiyama bamboo grove and Tenryu-ji Temple, they changed into traditional clothing for the long-awaited kimono experience. The kimono suited both of them remarkably well, and they looked very pleased. Dressed in traditional attire, they visited Nijo Castle and Fushimi Inari Taisha, and their kimono looked wonderful at each location (see photos).

The guests had a strong interest in Japanese culture and history, and some of the guests were studying Japanese and Chinese. In the taxi on the way there, they listened attentively to my explanations (on Japanese religion, samurai government, and the imperial system) and asked many questions. Also, during our conversation over lunch, some of the guests mentioned wanting to study design and urban planning in Japan in the future.

It turned out to be an enjoyable tour with a close and friendly group.

Click here for more details: Kyoto in 1 Day from Osaka: Private Car Tour, Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Nori

Hi, everyone! I’m Norifumi Kamon, a government registered guide interpreter. Please call me “Nori”, or “Kamon-san”.
Let me introdece myself. I was born on April 17th in 1952 in Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu island. I used to be an English teacher of Osaka Prefectural high school. When I retired from a teacher ten years ago, I decided to get a professional guide license. I wanted to play a role of the bridge between Japanese people and the people from all over the world as a second life of mine. After two years efforts, I finally got the guide license. Since then, I have guided several handreds of foreign people mainly in Kyoto and Nara for about five years except Corona Pandemic period. Almost all the tourists were deeply impressed by the beauty of nature, traditoin, culture, and art of Japan. I can surely help you enjoy and be satisfied with the sightseeing in Japan. And I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.