Kyoto Private Tours & Local Tour Guides

“A Lovely and Fun day with Michiko”

Oh my goodness, we had such a fun and educational day with Michiko! She is perky, happy, SMART and personable! We had so much fun learning about the culture in Kyoto, going to a private ceramics shop and watching how these beautiful pieces were made, touring the Gion district, watching a Geiko perform! Michiko also brought us to a traditional restaurant in Gion where she taught us about the food we were eating and how to eat it. We loved learning about the many temples we visited, the customs and history. At the end of our day, she brought us to secondhand kimono shop so I could load up on kimono and obi! We enjoyed getting to know Michiko, chatting about the differences in our cultures and best of all: she had a car! I even bought a pair of the same shoes she was wearing because the looked cute and comfortable! I would highly recommend Michiko if you’re looking for a great tour guide in Kyoto!

“1 day family tour Kyoto ”

Our day with Akira was lovely! He's an absolutely fantastic guide. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable and great with kids - our boys (8&10) had the best time and learned so much. Akira made sure to take us to sites with less crowds and at the right times and also took us to a really good lunch spot. We all agreed it was our favorite day in Kyoto and the only regret is not making it two days. Highly recommended!

“Wonderful Time Exploring Kyoto with Masahisa”

My wife and I, from the Chicago area, spent nearly two wonderful days exploring Kyoto with Masahisa M., and we highly recommend him. Masahisa is knowledgeable, energetic, and genuinely enjoys sharing Japan's history and culture. We visited famous sites such as Fushimi Inari, Tenryu-ji, and Katsura Imperial Villa, as well as several beautiful and meaningful places that are less known to tourists. His explanations added so much depth to what we were seeing, and he also gave us great suggestions for places to visit independently. He keeps a brisk pace and knows how to navigate Kyoto efficiently, which allowed us to see far more than we could have managed by ourselves. He also took us to an authentic local restaurant that we would never have found on our own. Masahisa is friendly, personable, and fun to spend time with. We enjoyed hearing his perspectives on Japanese culture and even talking a little about the Chicago Bears. As we got accustomed to each other's speaking styles, Masahisa was always patient and happy to repeat information or jot down notes when helpful. We especially appreciated his thoughtfulness. He took photos of us throughout the tour and later surprised us with printed copies, a gesture that perfectly reflects the extra care he shows his guests. Masahisa is a true gentleman who goes the extra mile to make sure his guests have a memorable experience. Thanks to him, our time in Kyoto was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan.