Arashiyama is the hottest tourist destination. It is incredibly beautiful in spring and fall because of its cherry blossoms and autumn leaves.
In the fall, the leaves turn brown or red! In the outstanding Tenryuji, you will see a beautiful garden with beautiful mountains in the background. There are many other beautiful places with touching stories in this area. On the way back to downtown, we can visit two world heritage sites, Kinkakuji and Ryoanji. What a wonderful route!
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At you hotel lobby
Your hotel or the station
At your Hotel Lobby in Kyoto, etc.
Togetsukyo Bridge
Symbol of the Arashiyama area. The moon crossing bridge.
Tenryuji Temple
You will see the beautiful garden with beautiful Arashiyama and Kameyama in the backdrop.
The Bamboo Grove and the Kameyama Park
A Hot spot among foreign tourists! You must feel it's exotic.
And panoramic views from the Kameyama Park.
Lunch
We can spend time in a small, quiet, home-like restaurant
We will use some gorgeous restaurants when we need to book during the high season.
Jojakkoji Temple/ or other temple
Beautiful temple with stunning autumn foliage.
Ryoanji temple
Zen Buddhist temple, famous for its dry garden, admired by Queen Elizabeth. Please feel the universe of Zen Buddhism.
Kinkakuji Temple
Golden Temple. Top of the must-see list in Japan.
Visit at the best time of the day.
Hotel
Your hotel or the station
Ending Point
At you hotel or train station
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee, hotel pick-up
transportation fee (you and the guide): taxi(about 4,800 yen) bus or metro( depends)
lunch (you and the guide) of about 3,000 yen /per person, or a more reasonable lunch of about 1,200 yen
admission fees of about 3,000 yen (Tenryuji 500, Jojakkoji 500, Kinkakuji 500 yen)/per person, no guide required
If you have any food allergies, please let me know at least 3 days in advance.
This tour is mostly flat or downhill, but there are a few uphills. Please wear comfortable walking shoes.
To avoid being in a hurry, let's use taxis. Taxis are not expensive in Japan, and you can easily catch one in Kyoto.
We will visit many must-sees efficiently in limited hours.
I will plan to visit scenic beauties at a good time of the day.
I will take some photos of you, and you will see a lot of photogenic spots.
You will have a happy time in Kyoto.
Hi, I am Shuji, a licensed tour guide living near Kansai International Airport.
I taught world history in high schools for four decades. So, I can explain Japanese culture or history in an easier way tailored to you who have different cultural and historical backgrounds.
I also practiced Kendo, Japanese fencing, for more than four decades, and now I enjoy growing vegetables and going fishing. Therefore, I can also share some Japanese culture and its nature.
I have traveled to more than 25 countries and all over Japan. I’m also passionate about photography and know many photogenic places in Japan.
If you prefer to go off the beaten track, I can take you to hidden gems, including some cozy restaurants. Of course, I also know how to enjoy the crowded, most popular tourist sites. I am here to make your trip stress-free. See you soon!
Kathleen S.
“Mount Koya and Koyasan Temple complex ”
Shuji was an exceptional guide for our excursion to Mount Koya. He met us in Kyoto and road the bus up with us (3 hours) then provided a very thorough tour. Sushi is very knowledgeable and a charming companion. Our tour included the Danjo Garan complex of temples, the Chuman and Daiman Gates, Kongobubuji and then an unexpected hike along a section of the Nyonin-michi Trail, which links the original 7 entrances into the complex. I had expressed an interest in doing this and he managed to incorporate a rather rigorous section of the trail for about an hour. We stayed the night in a Shukubo but Shuji helped us plan our agenda for the next day and purchased our tickets for us and made sure we knew how to get back on our own. The communication in advance of the trip was excellent. Shuji reserved the bus tickets and took care of all the details. It is an out of the way place and it was comforting to have him taking the lead. I always received a reply from Shuji very promptly as we planned the trip. It was an exceptional excursion and Shuji made it very memorable. He followed up with pictures and some additional advice for our travels. Highly recommend the destination and Shuji as a guide.
Shuji O.
I am so thrilled to receive such a wonderful review! Although the Mount Koya tour from Kyoto is inherently time-sensitive, you had done such thorough research on Mount Koya that I just needed to pull everything together to create the itinerary. It was like a treasure chest full of treasures. You certainly know how to enjoy a trip. You turned even a little hard Nyonin-michi walk into a nice hike surrounded by the sounds of wild birds. You also enjoyed the lunch, which made me enjoy it too. Yes, we had a great time! Travelling is really fun!
Beate H.
“„Wonderful Day“ in Kyoto”
My wife Beate and I had a wonderful day with Shuji. He is a perfect guide and very knowledgeable in respect of tradition and history. He took us to many wonderful places and hidden gems around Kyoto. The Tofu lunch was wonderful. We had such an enjoyable day. Thank you.
Shuji O.
Thank you for your great review. I also enjoyed this "hidden gem" that was the best time to visit there. Yes, we rarely experience such a beautiful tour. If it was not so crowded, we could have enjoyed more. I hope this would be a dream like memory for both of you.
Katherine L.
“Fantastic ”
Shuji is a wonderful tour guide spoke English very well. I would recommend him to anyone. He is very knowledgeable and excellent historian explaining the history of temples and shrines as we visited. Lunch was lovely. Thank you
Shuji O.
Thank you for your kind words. We enjoyed eastern Kyoto with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Every place was so beautiful and you were so curious about the history. I also enjoyed the tour very much. It really was the best season to visit Kyoto!
$347/ per group