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Luxury Kaleidoscopic Kyoto w/Guide Photographer+Private Taxi

Kobe Beef in Kyoto

Mushroom Tempura

Shrimp Tempura

Autumn foliage

Washoku, UNESCO intangible asset, Japanese lunch

In Arashiyama

Even if it rains, I take fantastic pictures.

Afternoon tour is welcome because it's perfect for photoshoot.

Even if it rains, I take artistic pictures.

At Kodaiji Temple

At Arashiyama

Even if it rains, I take wonderful pictures.

Even if it rains, I take beautiful pictures.

At Nijyo Casle(UNESCO World Heritage site)

Afternoon tour is welcome because it's perfect for photoshoot.

At Nijyo Casle(UNESCO World Heritage site)

My shot at Nanzenji Temple covered a University magazine which issues 50,000 copies.

Luxury Kaleidoscopic Kyoto w/Guide Photographer+Private Taxi

Highlights

Joined 2015

Ai A.

4.78 / 5

(32 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Kyoto

Japanese (Native), English, French

6 hours

Private tour (only you and Ai A.)

Up to 8 people

Ancient Artistic Kyoto Highlights Tour!

An award-winning/magazine-cover photographer & an MBA grad (tourism & hospitality management) at Kyoto U will guide you to the iconic places+off-the-beaten tracks by a private taxi to take fantastic pictures.　Knowing the city as a local student, an Eng teacher, and an in-house interpreter at SHIMADZU Corp Group for more than fifteen yrs in total, made me a bonna-fide professional guide in my hometown. I take great pride in my guiding and photography.

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

10:00 AM

Meeting Point

At your hotel or Kyoto Station

10:30 AM

Kinkakuji Ji Temple (Golden Pavilion)

One of the UNESCO World Heritage sites

11:30 AM

Arashiyama

Bamboo groove+scenic Togetsu (moon over) Bridge and riverside walk

01:00 PM

Japanese lunch

Tempura, Kobe Beef etc. (Vegetarians/vegan, gulten-free requests are welcome)

03:00 PM

FUSHIMI Inari Shrine

The most popular destination of thousands vermillion Torii gates

04:00 PM

Kiyomizu Temple+Gion District

Enjoy sunset from one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites and traditional Kyotoite streets on east hills side

Ending Point

At your Hotel, Kyoto Station, or a dinner place

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

★Hotel pick-up & drop off

★entire tour with a private taxi (around 40,000～ 90,000 JPY/day+parking fees, depending on the number of guests and tour length)

★all entrance fees and transportations during the tour (from the meeting point to the ending point)

★My guiding, photography, meals, and transportations

(free & unlimited photo taking & sharing by an award-winnng+magazine-cover photographer)

What‘s not included

★Your Lunch

(from 9,240～66,000 JPY/per, familiar with dietary restrictions, such as vegan, vegetarian, and celiac guests. I'll arrange the finest restaurant in town. )

(Small purchases, such as snacks, drinks, souvenirs, if any.)

Tour Important Information

1. Some potential guests have asked me that they don't need a photographer, therefore, they wanted to get some discount. However, since I am a professional guide and a photographer (only me and a Japanese-speaking private taxi driver will escort you), I am afraid that cannot be a reason for bargening the price.

2. I cannot accept bookings from the guests who stay at 【Ace Hotel Kyoto】 because their reception has ignored and left me for more than twenty minutes after I asked their receptionist to call my guests twenty minutes before the meeting time.

Besides, when I complained that they should have let me know that the guests had not replied their phone call, Mr. Makino called the police in Japanese, saying that I was a weirdo and just an unknown, ridiculous guide who screamed and behaved violently, which is a false claim as you can see in my reviews from my past guests.

In addition, while I was calling a taxi company on behalf of them, Mr. Makino talked to my guests in English to cancel my tours without my consent.

For those acts, I would never, ever accept guests who stay that hotel.

I take great pride with my vocation and promise to serve you high-end professional service.

Important message from the supplier

【Familiar towns】

My main areas are Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe, and Himeji.

Since I used to live in Tokyo and travel around Metropolitan area very often, if you could cover my transportations(+ accomodation if necessary), I can travel(+stay) with you.

【Anyone is welcome!】

If you or your family members/friends are:

Vegetarians/vegans,

LGBTQ,

physically challenged people,

senior citizens and/or babies,

don't hesitate to ask me special requests.

I'm willing to help these guests:)

【Insurance】

Please take out your travel insurance. My insurance will NOT cover your sickness, injury, and/or accident during the tour.

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

Joined 2015

Ai A.

4.78 / 5

(32 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Ai A.

Ai obtained her MBA from Kyoto U in 2020, major in tourism & hospitality management.

She is currently a graduate student at Columbia U, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences(GSAS), Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, goes back-and-forth between NYC and Osaka.

She passed a national license of English guide interpreter exam in 2015 and speaks French.

In her tour, she offers you free photo taking & sharing digital data by using her award-winning + magazine-cover photography skill.

-cited by Columbia's Official Instagrams four times during her fist summer at Columbia (2022)

-got interviewed by Nikkei WOMAN, June issue of 2021, a monthly magazine that publishes 150,000 copies nationwide, and two other magazine and book, published in the same year

-won a top prize in Photo Contest at Tourism Expo in Osaka, hosted by SriLanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (in 2019)

-received Gold Award in CONRAD OSAKA opening Art Photo Contest among 367 entries

-coverered "NU7(top 7 national universities)" magazine, 50,000 copies (in 2018 and 2020)

-2nd Prize in Festival Tower West Opening Photo Contest and her shot became a billboard advertisement

(both in 2017)

She was raised in Kobe, had attended schools and universities in Kyoto for twelve years.

Before enrolling to Columbia, since COVID19 forced her to suspend her vocation, she had served as a contract in-house interpreter at an IT department of SHIMADZU Corporation group(2020-2022), waiting her opportunity to fly to Manhattan.

She resides in her hometown Osaka now and lands on Upper West in May 2024.

Tours in Japan are available in Spring, early summer(May), Autumn, and Winter.

…………………………………………………………………

Feel free to contact me! Just inquiry is totally fine.

Let's have fun together☆★＊* Ai

Reviews

Romina A.

3 / 5

Oct 10, 2023

Kyoto Tour Guiding & Photography Fee

Oct 10, 2023

Kyoto

Customized

“Tour feedback from a group of 46 people. ”

Hi Ai, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share some feedback from our recent tour. Overall, we appreciate your efforts in managing a group as large as ours — it's no small feat, and you handled it admirably. However, there are a couple of areas where we believe there's room for improvement. While your interactive approach of asking questions was engaging, we noticed that the responses given by participants weren't always repeated into the microphone. This made it challenging for those at the back of the bus to follow the conversation. Perhaps a slight adjustment in amplification or repeating crucial responses could enhance the overall experience for everyone. Another point is that we felt a bit underinformed about the places we visited, particularly Kinkaku-Ji and Arashiyama. It would have been beneficial to receive more detailed briefings before arriving at these locations. For instance, a pre-visit overview would have greatly assisted us in navigating Arashiyama, what to see, expect and look for. While we did receive information after the visits through a flyer, having you telling us a story, facts or experiences beforehand would have added to the experience. We understand the complexity of managing such a large group and acknowledge your overall great job. These suggestions are merely aimed at enhancing the experience for all participants. We look forward to future opportunities with improved logistics and communication. Thank you for your understanding and for your services accommodating our requests and managing our group. We appreciate your help. Best regards, Romina

Malose K.

5 / 5

Oct 3, 2023

Outstanding Osaka w/Guide Photographer

Oct 3, 2023

Osaka

6 hours

“AI - a great tour guide who fits in with young people”

It was great to have a tour guide who was able to connect with my 16 and 14 year old kids. Initially the idea of using public transport / rail to go to our excursions seemed a bit too much but it was the best idea. We were after that able to use rail to move around which saved us time. Her tips for the rest of the travel were invaluable. And what an amazing photographer. We got very beautiful pictures taken with her camera.

Ai A.

Dear Malose, Thanks for having me and writing me a great review. It was a great place to have your family all the way from South Africa. I hope to meet you again when your children enter universities in NYC and/or study in Japan in the near future. Visiting your country has become my bucket list. Until then, please keep in touch. Thank you very much once again. your guide and new friend, Ai

Zain G.

5 / 5

May 19, 2023

Luxury Kaleidoscopic Kyoto w/Guide Photographer+Private Taxi

May 19, 2023

Kyoto

6 hours

“100% Would Recommend and Use Again”

The highlight of our trip. We had an amazing time working with Ai to create a custom trip for our group for 3 days. The photos she took were such high quality which was a great perk of booking with her. She showed us places and gave us the history, as well as helped us book private taxis to make it easier to keep the whole group together. We 100% recommend working with her!