This course has four choices. Please select one of the four courses shown below. Rick will guide you deep inside the Kyoto history, culture, tradition and nature in each course. Each course can be customized upon your request as far as possible. Every course has spectacular spots which will satisfy you with visiting Kyoto!
At your hotel in central kyoto
Theme: History, Garden, Nature
Please enjoy the history and beautiful garden in Nijo castle, Tenryuji temple, Golden pavilion and please breath the nature in Bamboo groove.
Theme: History, Garden, Tradition
Please enjoy the history and beautiful garden in Nijo castle, Kyoto Imperial Palace and Heian shrine and please feel the Kyoto tradition in Gion area.
Theme: Zen, Garden, Tradition
Please enjoy the Zen culture and the beautiful gardens at Silver Pavilion, Kenninji temple and please feel the Kyoto tradition in Gion area.
Theme: Japanese religions and Tradition
Please touch the Japanese Shintoism at Fushimi Inari shrine and Buddhism at Sanjusangendo temple and please feel the Kyoto tradition in Gion area.
At your hotel or anywhere requested
guide fee, hotel pick-up in central Kyoto area
transportation fee(apx. 1,500JPY by subway/bus/local train per person or apx.6,000JPY by taxi), entrance fee(apx. 1,000 to 2,300JPY per person), lunch(apx. 1,500 to 2,000JPY per person)
The transportation for this course is public transportation as bus, subway, local train. Taxi may be used depending on the situation.
The total walking distance of each course is about 5 to 6Km, so please confirm if you are ready for the walking.
The tour order for visiting each spots might be changed depending the location of your hotel or starting point / time.
West course and central course will not be operated on every Tuesday in January, July, August, December and between Dec.26 to Jan.3 because Ninomaru Palace of Nijo castle will be closed. In central course, Kyoto Imperial palace will be closed every Monday or the next day (when a Monday is holiday) and between Dec.28 and Jan.3. Also it might be closed on some specified days for some events. In this case, Kenninji temple, etc. will be replaced to Kyoto Imperial Palace.
In case you want to book my tour for two or more consecutive days, please send me a message in advance.
Alexander R.
Customized tour for Alexander R on Dec. 21, 2023
Customized
“Amazing Kyoto Tour with Rick”
I had an amazing full day Kyoto tour with Rick. We visited Golden Temple, Honnoji temple, Heian Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera temple, Sannen-Zaka, Ninnen-zaka and sutes relating to Ryoma Sakamoto and the Shinsengumi. Rick is very kind, knowledgable and willing to accommodate any changes in the tour. I certainly had a wonderful time in Kyoto thanks to his guidance and I would definitely use him again in future.
Rick I.
(56 reviews)Dear Alex, Thank you very much for the nice review! I'm very glad that you enjoyed the tour. Actually I like Japanese history very much and the sites you requested which relates Ryoma Sakamoto or Shinsengumi were exactly what I wanted to show to the history lovers. So I had enjoyed the tour with you, too and had a very nice time. I hope you will come back to Kyoto sometime in future for enjoying other more historical sites. Best regards, Rick
Cathy W.
Customized tour for Cathy W. on Nov.21, 22, 2023
Customized
“Personal concierge ”
Rick guided us around some of the hidden jewels in Kyoto for 2 full days. He was very flexible as I only gave him our wish list the night before but he planned both days so we would have enough time to see everything on the list. With his expert knowledge of the train, subway and bus systems - we were able to visit four destinations each day with enough time for a delightful lunch in quaint local restaurants. He was knowledgeable about our destinations and shared the history and importance of each one along the way. Rick was so very kind, polite and knowledgeable and made both days most enjoyable. Thank you Rick for being a great guide and helping us learn so much about Kyoto.
Rick I.
(56 reviews)Dear Cathy, Thank you very much for the nice review! I'm glad that you enjoyed the tour. I also enjoyed Sake tasting, Netsuke museum, etc. with all of you who are so nice and friendly. I hope all the places we visited will be your unforgettable memories in Kyoto and you will be back to this city sometime in future. Best regards, Rick
“Full Day in Kyoto”
We had a wonderful day in Kyoto with Rick. We visited some beautiful places including the Golden Pavillion and Nijo Castle and Rick had many interesting stories to tell. He was very knowledgable, friendly, polite and we would recommend him to everyone. Thank you again for such a lovely day! Katie and Andrew.
Rick I.
(56 reviews)Dear Katie and Andrew, Thank you very much for writing a nice review! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the tour. I also had a nice time of talking with you both. I hope Kyoto will be your nice memory and you will come back to this nice city sometime in future. Best regards, Rick