Our tours are private tours and the tour fee is for the group of your own. We do not mix tours with other groups.
This tour is highly recommended for those who would like to soak yourselves in the traditional Japanese that are difficult to find on your own. Some of the major sites in Kyoto are recently filled with loads of tourists. Thus, as a start of your trip in Kyoto, we would like to take you to northern area where you can see some quiet Zen gardens, moss and bamboo gardens and a local shrine with a quick stop at a tea house for a quick sweet and hoji-cha tea, which is in business for over 600 years. Both first visitors and re-visitors can enjoy this serene ambiance in Kyoto.
At 9am in the lobby of your Kyoto hotel/ryokan or in the lobby of Kyoto Granvia Hotel in the Kyoto Station Building.
We will use Kyoto buses and subways so you will learn to make a good use of them during your stay in Kyoto.
(Area directly north of the city center closer to the Golden Pavilion Temple.)
- One small local Shinto shrine and a small local chaya (tea house), which is a popular stop after a shrine visit.
- Two quiet Buddhist temples, each with its own unique style of garden: a Zen gravel and a green garden with moss, bamboo and maple trees. These sub-temples are in a very large Zen temple complex. (In case one of the small temples is closed, we will include another site such as Golden Pavilion Temple or Nijo-jo Castle visit.)
We will help you choose a lunch venue, e.g. soba/udon noodle, Buddhist vegan lunch in a temple, local family-run restaurant for typical home cuisine, etc.
***Please let us know in advance if you have any dietary restrictions. In Japan, most of the food are cooked in a broth made of kelp and dried bonito flakes (dashi broth).
At 2pm. Please discuss with your guide where to end the tour.
Extended tour fees are 6-Hour Tour: total JPY33,000.
An old house visit: Admission JPY1,000 per person.
Please also pay for the guide’s admission for this house visit. The house was built 150 years ago and is still used by the same family. You will learn not only about the architecture of the traditional Kyoto’s wealthy merchant’s house but also how people’s life has changed over 300 years. (Require booking in advance. 100% Cancellation charge from one-month prior to the visit.)
This tour is recommended for those who would like to visit the major sites, especially if you only have one day to spend in Kyoto. You will visit world heritage sites, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka Taisha Shrine, and the famous Higashiyama area through Sannenzaka slope filled with shops and cafes. We will then show you the street of lively Nishiki Food Market Street. The market is for good lunch venues. Thus, we will help you choose a good lunch near-by. For those who have more days in Kyoto, we suggest that the best way is to take our Tour 1 first and then take this Tour 2 on the second day as this route is almost all the time crowded with loads of tourists.
***Please note that with recent extreme crowd at Nishiki Food Market street, if the guide felt it is not possible to enjoy the walk through the market, the guide will make a small arrangement to include another place and will show you the location of the market so that you can come back on your own after the tour, preferably between 5pm and 6pm.
At 9am in the lobby of your Kyoto hotel/ryokan or in the lobby of Kyoto Granvia Hotel in the Kyoto Station Building.
We will use Kyoto buses and subways so that you can make a good use of them during your stay in Kyoto.
We will use Kyoto buses and subways so you will learn how to make a good use of them during your stay in Kyoto. Visit (Area directly east of the city center)
Kiyomizu-dera Temple is the most popular temple in Kyoto on the hill top.
The walk down the hill from Kiyomizudera is filled with many souvenir stores.
Yasaka Shrine is a famous shrine located at the bottom of the hill near Gion area. (The guide will also show you where you can enjoy strolling in the evening.) You will then take a short bus ride to Nishiki Food Market area which is known as ‘the kitchen for Kyoto people’.
We will help you choose a lunch venue, e.g. soba/udon noodle, ramen noodle, sushi, tonkatsu (pork, prawn or tofu cutlets) or okonomiyaki etc.
***Please let us know in advance if you have any dietary restrictions. In Japan, most of the food are cooked in a broth made of kelp and dried bonito flakes (dashi broth).
At 2pm. Please discuss with your guide where to end the tour.
Extended tour fees are 6-Hour Tour: total JPY33,000.
An old house visit: Admission JPY1,000 per person. Please also pay for the guide’s admission for this house visit. The house was built 150 years ago and is still used by the same family. You will learn not only about the architecture of the traditional Kyoto’s wealthy merchant’s house but also how people’s life has changed from the 300 years ago to present time.
(Require booking in advance. 100% Cancellation charge from one month prior to the visit)
This tour is recommended for those who would like to visit the famous bamboo grove in Arashiyama area. You will also visit some other sites in the area.
At 9am in the lobby of your Kyoto hotel/ryokan or in the lobby of Kyoto Granvia Hotel in the Kyoto Station Building.
We will use JR train, subways, trams and/or buses. If you have JR Passes, please bring them. You can also try trams, which unlike other large cities, are still running in Kyoto.
In this tour, you will also use a short taxi ride (max. 4 passengers in one taxi.).
(Area directly west of the city center)
Temples (Daikaki-ji, Seiryo-ji and Tenryu-ji) in Arashiyama area
Bamboo forest
In this area, good lunch venues are slightly limited as we are picky about not choosing touristy restaurants. We also recommend a big tofu lunch with tempura and many other small dishes made of soy beans. Approximately JPY3,500 per person. Otherwise, our guide will recommend another place to accommodate to your requests, either in the area or on the way back from the area to the city center.
***Please let us know in advance if you have any dietary restrictions. In Japan, most of the food are cooked in a broth made of kelp and dried bonito flakes (dashi broth).
At 2pm. Please discuss with your guide where to end the tour.
Extended tour fees are 6-Hour Tour: total JPY33,000
An old house visit: Admission JPY1,000 per person. Please also pay for the guide’s admission for this house visit. The house was built 150 years ago and is still used by the same family. You will learn not only about the architecture of the traditional Kyoto’s wealthy merchant’s house but also how people’s life has changed from the 300 years ago to present time.
(Require booking in advance. 100% Cancellation charge from 2 weeks prior to visit.)
Iwatayama Monkey Park visit at the start of the tour.
The Nara tour is possible as a day trip from either Kyoto or Osaka areas. You will visit Nara Park, the Great Buddha Hall in Todai-ji Temple and if requested, we will walk through the back alleys of Nara old town.
1) 7-Hour Tour: Meet our guide in Kyoto or Osaka and travel to Nara (Tour fee is JPY35,000)
2) 5-Hour tour: Meet our guide in Nara and end in Nara (Tour fee is JPY28,000.)
For a tour 1) starting in Kyoto:
● At 9am in the lobby of Kyoto Gravia Hotel in the JR Kyoto Station building
For a tour 1) starting in Osaka:
● At 9am in front of the Tourist Information at JR Osaka Station just outside the Bridge Exit (one floor above the platforms) in the JR Osaka Station building
For a tour 2) starting in Nara, for those using Kintetsu-line to Nara:
● At 10:10am at the exit of Kintetsu-line Nara Station.
For a tour 2) starting in Nara, for those using JR trains to Nara:
● At 10:15am at the exit of JR Nara Station
We use a short bus ride or one or two short taxi rides to spend the time efficiently. However, it is your choice and the guide will explain more about the choices during the tour.
Nara Park, Todai-ji Temple with the Great Buddha Hall, Kofuku-ji Temple and old town of Naramachi area
We will help you choose a lunch venue in downtown Nara, e.g. wagyu beef-grilling lunch, okonomiyaki, unagi eel lunch.
***Please let us know in advance if you have any dietary restrictions. In Japan, most of the food are cooked in a broth made of kelp and dried bonito flakes (dashi broth).
The tours will end at the starting point after 5 hours (or 7 hours) from the starting time.
Extended tour fees are 6-Hour Tour: total JPY33,000, 8-Hour Tour: JPY38,000
Horyu-ji Temple, the oldest wooden structure in the world, is approximately 20-minutes from JR Nara Station. This visit requires another full one-hour to/from Nara Station. Thus, in order to include Horyu-ji Temple visit within the one-hour extended tour, we may shorten the Naramachi area visit.
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