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Fully customizable your own private tour in Kyoto
There are so many great places in Kyoto that you probably want to visit but perhaps not enough time. Also, Kyoto is getting very crowded due to a lot of foreigners visiting there. It is best to have a local person guiding you to come up with a plan that suits your preference.
I can create a tour with you which includes not only popular places like the Golden Pavilion and Fushimi Inari but small temples with Wabi Sabi such as those in Sagano and the oldest Japanese sweet shop in Murasakino.
Meeting Point
At your hotel or wherever you choose
Your hotel or a place you would like to meet.
I will come and meet there.
Daitokuji including the oldest sweets shop
Will visit three temples inside Daitokuji. Each one has its own unique zen stone garden and interesting history behind it. After that, will visit the oldest sweets shop in Kyoto which started more than 1,000 years ago.
Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion)
Will visit the famous Kinkakuji which is surrounded by gold leaf.
Restaurant for lunch
Will decide where to go together either near Kinkakuji or in Arashiyama.
Arashiyama Monkey Park
Will hike up a small mountain to the top to see Japanese monkeys wondering around freely in the park.
Tenryuji and Bamboo forest/path way
Will go through the garden of Tenryuji and go to the bamboo forest.
Giouji with the beautiful moss garden
Will visit Giouji which is further in the back of Arashiyama to see the beautiful moss garden.
Your hotel
Will go back to your hotel.
Ending Point
At your hotel or wherever you choose
Want to personalize this tour?
- Our tours can be customized according to your needs and preferences
- Click below to tell us what you are looking for:
Inclusions & Exclusions
- Interpretation/guide fee, hotel pick up
- Transportation fee (you and the guide), lunch (you and the guide), entrance fee, experience fee (if included)
Examples of entrance fees: The golden Pavilion ¥500, Daitokuji ¥1,550 for three sub temples,
Arashiyama Monkey Park ¥600
Tour Important Information
- In order to create a fully customized tour, we need enough time to plan together. Please book well ahead of your time of travel to allow
enough time to communicate by email and come up with the best tour for you.
- This tour involves walking and public transportations.
- The guide will not be liable for any injuries or loss incurred during the tour. It is recommended to have overseas travel insurance.
Also, please remember to carry enough cash in Japanese Yen since some small stores do not accept credit card. Thank you.
Important message from the guide
For some tours I can not guide everyday due to store closings. Please check my availability on each tour page. Thank you!
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
Kyoto Tour Reviews
“Best day trip in Kyoto and Arashiyma”
Nori planned the perfect day trip, based on our general guidelines to experience the traditional Tokyo. Nori took us to beautiful zen temples and gardens, that are less popular to the western tourists, as well as to some common attractions as we asked - the golden temple and the bamboo path. We also experienced the local food and sweets - based on Nori’s excellent recommendations. Nori is very knowledgeable and has a very good English. Thank you Nori for Planning this wonderful day trip for us!
Nori I.
(6 reviews)Thanks Maya! It was a pleasure exploring Kyoto with you all. I am really glad that you liked my tour. It is amazing to see how eager you guys are to learn all the new things here in Japan. I learned a lot from you and was able to see the things I need to improve on too. There is a lot more to see here in Kyoto and surrounding areas. Hope you will come back sometime and we take another great adventure together. Thanks again!!
“An Expansive Experience”
Nori, my wife, and I must have taken a cosmic compatibility test before meeting The moment we engaged Nori, we knew Nori understood the essence of what we desired to experience in Kyoto Nori reviewed our list of gardens and temples and orchestrated a schedule with an intuitive sensitivity to what we wanted to experience as well as what we wanted to see (I hope you can understand the nuanced distinction.) Having lived in the US, we were not foreign to him...and Nori never felt foreign to us Nori knew that, after several hours of contemplative exploration, we would enjoy shopping We encourage you to engage Nori Create your Kyoto experience together--your "tour" will be an experience imbued with awareness. Arigato gozaimasu, Nori!!
Nori I.
(6 reviews)Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments! I was concerned about the rain that day but the rain made the day even more precious. I also enjoyed so much by going around the town with you two. I just love thinking of what each person would like to experience the most here in Kyoto. When I see happy faces of my guests, I get more motivation to study further about all the wonderful places surrounding me here. I hope you guys can come back in near future to take another adventure. Also, I appreciate you leaving out your favorite incident just outside Sanjyusangendo! LOL Hope to see you again soon!
“We love Nori!”
If you need a guide in Kyoto, Nori is your man. So lovely, knowledgeable, thoughtful, accommodating… the list goes on! We had the best day of our trip so far and genuinely enjoyed Nori’s company. Thanks for everything (including those delicious sweets)! You really are the best!
Nori I.
(6 reviews)Thanks so much for your kind words. I really appreciate it! I felt bad that I thought I was tiring everyone out with all the walks but I am so glad that you all enjoyed my tour! Please come back in the fall to see the amazing foliages! I will take you to the places even more secluded and nice! Have a safe and happy rest of the trip!!
