Exploring Kyoto in Rakusai (West) and Rakuchu (Central)
Kyoto is known as exotic sightseeing places and numerous historic, quaint old monuments are seen all over the town. This tour covers part of Rakusai (West district) and Central district. Visiting Rakusai , Tenryu-ji temple represents the Kitayama culture. Nijyo-jo castle, Kyoto Imperial Palace in Rakuchu (Central district) are the cultural center during Heian, Momoyama and Edo periods.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel in Kansai district (Kansai district = City of Osaka, Kyoto or Nara)
To meet you at your hotel lobby, with Gowithguide welcome sign board your name on. Followed after brief tour orientation, we start the tour of the day
We take you to Osaka METRO station or JR, private railway station to lead JR Osaka station whichever closer to your hotel. If you stay in Kyoto or Nara, we can save 30 ~ 45 min travel by train to JR Saga Arashiyama Station. 20 min walk from JR Saga Arashiyama Station to Bamboo Grove. Tenryu-ji Temple is located annexed in halfway walking through Bamboo Grove.
Bamboo Grove, Arashiyama and Tenryu-ji Temple
Nijo-jo castle
30 min ride from Arashiyama station, Keifuku line to Nijo-jo-Mae, Kyoto METRO station.
Kyoto Imperial Palace
10 min ride from Nijo-jo-Mae Kyoto METRO station to Maruta-machi Kyoto METRO station.
End of this day tour at your hotel in Osaka. Will arrive at your hotel earlier if you stay in Kyoto or Nara.
Ending Point
At your hotel in Kansai district (Kansai district = City of Osaka, Kyoto or Nara)
Want to personalize this tour?
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This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Included:
*Guide fee, hotel pick-up fee in Kansai district (Kansai district = City of Osaka, Nara and Kyoto)
*Travel expense for the guide as required to travel with customers by means of public transportation such as train, subway, bus.
Travel expenses included herein are limited within Kansai district (Kansai district = City of Osaka, Nara, Kyoto)
*Admission fees, tickets for the guide as might be incurred at temples, shrines or the like.
*Meals , drinks or the like for the guide during the tour
*Any tax or the like as might be incurred by the guide in Japan
*Gratuity
Not included:
*Fees to cruise river or sea or the like for the guide
*Tickets for Universal Studio Japan, museum or the like as might be required for the guide at private or public entertainment facilities.
Tour Important Information
Arashiyama changes its color from season to season and Sagano is a tranquil spot, beloved by emperors and nobles. Bamboo grove make you feel romantic and become a movie star. A shrine called Nonomiya-shrine built in the midst of grove, may help you find a partner for life soon. Fantastic to walk a beautiful bridge, Togetsu Bridge and listen to the murmuring of the Katsura river. Carefully maintained and preserved Bamboo grove is also a must-see spot. The head temple of the Tenryu-ji branch of the Rinzai Sect of Zen Buddhism has both a botanic garden and a gorge-water garden, borrowed landscape from Mt Arashiyama to part of the garden. Tokugawa shogunate came to an end in this castle, Nijo-jo castle in 1867 with the announcement of hand over the authority back to the Emperor by last Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Kyoto Imperial Palace was partly open to public from July 26, 2016 and is held in high regard as a piece of Japan’s cultural heritage. Nijo-jo castle and Kyoto Imperial Palace will tell you long historical tale in Kyoto from 794 to 1867.
- IMPORTANT -
Not suitable for tours with infants, children, senior people, wheelchairs and strollers.
Take your shoes off before stepping on designated area (Nijo-jo Castle) and tatami mat.
Be quiet and respectful in Shrines and Temples
Remove hats and sunglasses in front of main sanctuary in Shrines and Temples
Not to touch old buildings, old remains and objects
Not to take pictures where prohibited in Shrines, Temples, Castles and Imperial Palace.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
About Tour Guide Masahisa M.
Lived in Chicago (5 years), Toronto (1 year), Singapore (2 years), Indonesia (4 years) and Birmingham, UK (11 years) to construct business platform, now retired after 40
years employment in Japan. Dynamic tour guide who develops many different ways along with rich experience overseas to entertain large or small tour groups. Enjoys the interaction with tour groups, very strong group presentation and communication skills, finds each guest question as an opportunity to learn anything new. Constantly learning information about each tour spot to enhance tours. Guided 9,618 guests all over the world across Japan as of September 30, 2026 since Feb 2015.
Reviews
Carly A.
“Osaka tour with Masahisa”
*****An Unforgettable Osaka Experience with Masahisa!** Our tour with Masahisa was absolutely fantastic and one of the highlights of our time in Osaka. From the very start, he tailored the day to our interests and showed us parts of the city we would never have discovered on our own. His knowledge of Osaka’s history, culture, and traditions was incredible. Every location came alive with fascinating stories and insights that gave us a much deeper appreciation of the city. Masahisa truly takes the time to show you the “real” Osaka, far beyond the typical tourist attractions. What impressed us most was his expertise navigating the city. We travelled by train throughout the day, and he seemed to know every station, platform, and exit by heart without ever needing to stop and check directions! His organisation made the day seamless and stress-free. Masahisa was warm, friendly, patient, and genuinely passionate about sharing his city with us. Just be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes because you’ll be exploring plenty and making the most of every moment! Thank you, Masahisa-san, for an amazing day and unforgettable memories. **Arigatou gozaimasu, Masahisa-san! We highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Osaka.
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Masahisa M.
Carly It was my great pleasure to show you a different side of Osaka as per your request, especially its traditional shopping arcades that fortunately survived the air raids of World War II. I imagine you all must be quite tired after walking through so many shopping streets over such a long day, especially while still adjusting to the time difference. Please take good care of yourselves and make sure to get enough rest as you continue exploring Kyoto and the other destinations in Japan. I sincerely hope you all enjoy every remaining moment of your journey in Japan and return home safely with many happy and unforgettable memories. Thank you again for visiting us from afar. Thanks Masahisa
Carmen R.
“A perfect day with Masahisa. ”
Masahisa really went out of his way to show us some beautiful sites away from the touristy route and spent over his time schedule to show us more interesting areas of the city and to pass on to us his love and knowledge of the country. He was very energetic, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We throughly recomend booking with Masahisa.
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Masahisa M.
Carmen Thank you for coming all the way to Kyoto from so far away, and it was truly my pleasure to share Kyoto with you. The Rakusai area still preserves, albeit only in small traces, the refined court culture of the Imperial Family and the aristocracy of old Japan. I hope you were able to catch a glimpse of its elegant atmosphere and feel a little of its lingering spirit. I also hope you enjoyed experiencing the contrast between European stone culture and Japanese wooden culture. While European beauty is often found in grand, solid, symmetrical and seemingly eternal structures, Japanese aesthetics traditionally find beauty in simplicity, imperfection, asymmetry, fragility and the transience of life. These are, in many ways, two very different ways of appreciating beauty. As you continue your journey through Nara and Osaka before returning home, I sincerely wish you all a safe and memorable trip, and hope you all return home safely with wonderful memories of Japan. Thanks Masahisa
Jonathan Y.
“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.
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Masahisa M.
Jonathan I truly enjoyed spending those two wonderful days with you in Kyoto. It was especially enjoyable for me to meet a couple from the Windy City, where I once lived, and to share memories of the golden era of the Chicago Bears. Sadly, Mike Ditka passed away this year, and there have also been some upsetting reports that the Chicago Bears might eventually become the Hammond Bears. Although much of Kyoto's traditional atmosphere has unfortunately been lost through commercialization and modern tourism, I was very happy that I could introduce you to a few special places where the elegance and tranquility of Kyoto's imperial court culture have been carefully preserved, thanks in part to the efforts of the Japanese government. It was a real pleasure and an honor to share some of Kyoto's history and culture with you. Thank again for visiting Kyoto all the way from Wilmette. Thanks Masahisa
$285/ per group
More tours by Masahisa M.
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Exploring Kyoto in Rakutou (East) and Rakuchu (Central)
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Exploring Osaka
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Exploring Nara, Nara Pref
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Other Popular Highlights Tours in Kyoto
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Let's enjoy your Half-day Kyoto Tour!
Half-day Kyoto Tour would be personalized according to your interests and preferences. If you don't like the busy sightseeing spots, I'm happy to suggest the suitable itinerary for you on your requests. Let's enjoy your own tour to experience a wider variety of cultures in Kyoto! The meeting time would be flexible based on your schedule, for example, 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM (or 1:00 PM) would be available. === I would appreciate it if you could visit my page on Facebook by my name "Tohru Shimagaki".
Let's enjoy your Half-day Kyoto Tour!
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訪問代表日本古都之一,“京都"的代表性的景點。在這裡可以親身體驗日本的傳統文化。 京都是被美國Travel+Leisure公司被認定為在世界人氣觀光城市排行榜中2014年與2015年 連續兩年獲得了第一名的國際觀光城市。 "伏見稻荷(神社)"是被美國Trip Advisor(世界權威性的旅遊雜誌)認定為2014,2015年 連續兩年在日本的景點排行榜中外國遊客最多的景點。 "清水寺"是代表京都,甚至代表日本的寺廟。"清水寺舞台"是表達人們的“覺悟"的地方。 "清水坡道",沿途的房屋多建於江戶時代(17~19世紀),被列為國家級傳統建築保存區,當中 既有民居,也有很多商店。這些商店賣的多是一些極具京都特色的雜貨,特產,工藝品等,還有 不少賣小吃如雪糕,燒餅,綠茶與陶瓷器("清水燒")。 在"祇園"地區,如果碰運氣,可以看見"舞妓"(她們白天練歌舞,看不到)。
京都一日精彩遊 ~ 伏見稻荷,東山地區,祇園
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Kyoto's must-see attractions and World Heritage sites in one day.
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Kyoto's most popular sightseeing spots tour and enjoy a various kinds of Kyoto's specialities
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