Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for many torii gates like an orange tunnel. But most tourists just visit only the entrance. I would like to show you the deep inside of Fushimi Inari Shrine through tunnel and take you to the top of mountain. From Inari mountain, we will walk a part of “Higashiyama trail” hiking course, then we will visit the family temple of imperial house and Sanjusangen-do temple.
Check out what we are going to do.
Feel free to personalize this offer.
JR Kyoto Station
Meet you at JR Kyoto Station
First, we will visit Fushimi-Inari Shrine which is famous for many orange gates called Torii. Torii literally means that your wishes will be granted. Let's go there and wish for something.
We are climbing up to the top of Mt.Inari walking through many Torii gates just like an orange tunnel. You may feel a strange atmosphere in the sacred mountain.
Let's enjoy trekking on the mountain path and historical street. You can enjoy panoramic views from the path.
It can be said that Sennyuji Temple is not so well known temple even among Japanese people, but I think It is the one of hidden gems in Kyoto. Because this temple has been family temple of the emperors and their families since olden times.You can see some beautiful wooden buildings with chrysanthemum crests on the ground.
After having lunch, we are going to Sanjusangen-do temple. This temple is very famous for many statues of Kanon Bodhisattva, deity of mercy. It houses 1001 life-sized statues of Kanon and one main image, originally constructed in Heian period( 12th century). It's also famous for Japan's major archery contest.
See you off at Sanjusangen-do temple or Kyoto station
JR Kyoto Station
This tour is a walking tour, but not so tough. It includes Fushimi Inari Shrine, the most popular tourist’s destination and the top of Inari Mountain. Walking under the thousands of Torii gates, we will enter the sacred world of Mt. Inari where the deity came to earth.
Sennyuji temple might be a lesser known place even for Japanese people, but this temple is very venerable because it has been worshiped by aristocrats and imperial house for a long time. I will take you to old mausoleums of the emperor and aristocrats, in confidence.
At Sanjusangen-do temple you may be mesmerized by the 1001 statues of Kanon Bodhisattva and guardian deities from India in the old wooden hall. It’s also well known as a venue for the famous Japanese Archery contest called "Toshiya". My ancestor "Daihahiro WASA", he is a record holder of the contest. I will show you the evidence of it at the temple!!
-My services as your Tour Guide
-My transportation fare
* This tour might be extended due to various circumstances such as weather conditions etc. In such case, I would NOT charge any extra guide fee.
-Transportation fare (140JPY for JR from Kyoto Sta. to Inari Sta.)
-"Bento" Boxed Lunch,drinks, and snacks
-Entrance fees (Sennyuji(500JPY) temple and Sanjusangendo(600JPY) temple)
-Personal expenses
-Taxi fare from Sanjusangen-Do temle to JR Kyoto Station: around 1,000 JPY (if needed)
*It takes you about 20 minutes to walk to Kyoto Station.
You are going to walk in Inari Mountain area for about three hours. So I recommend you should wear sneakers or hiking shoes and bring a rain wear or umbrella in case of shower, and also bring some water and snacks to appease your thirst and hunger temporarily.
You can have Obento lunch (Boxed lunch) in the Inariyama mountain if you like. Some good Obento and bottles of drink are sold at Kyoto station.
In case of rain, I would like to take you to Fushimi Inari shrine (the main hall and a part of orange tunnel ), Tofukuji big Zen temple, Sennyuji, and Sanjusangen-do by car.
We, family of 5, engaged Koichi for 2 days in Osaka and Kyoto. Taking a public transport with someone on wheelchair always needs extra time and sometimes can be challenging. Koichi is very familiar with the train routes and he knows where the lifts in the train station are located. He always came prepared with a plan of the places that we wanted to go and explained all the background/history well. Furthermore, he knows where the good spots for photos are and helped us take many nice pictures. Overall, he is a fun and caring guy and took care of all our needs. Without him, we would not have been able to visit so many places in 2 days. Thanks, my friend, Koichi!
Koichi gave our family a day we wont forget. His thoughtful itinerary kept the day fun and interesting. We never went in and out the same way to any area - he took us on interesting side streets or along beautiful waterways. We even stopped at a great mochi place and a very old green tea restaurant. Koichi was interesting; always having explanations backed up with pamphlets to help us understand anything we had questions about about. We enjoyed our time and would highly recommend him to anyone.
Hi! Thank you for giving me such a nice review. I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour. I was also able to have a pleasant time with you , your husband and lovely cute daughters. Well, I will never forget your face when I ate a chocolate ball like a deer’s poop in Nara park. That was very fun! Anyway I hope to see you again in the near future. Thanks again, Anna san.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Koichi and would have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone looking for a guide. We had 7 hours in Osaka and we communicated prior to our arrival on how best to plan our time there. We visited Osaka castle, Shitennoji Buddhist temple and beautiful gardens and a tea ceremony at Maikoya. Koichi found us a great place to have some “Japanese fast food”, udon noodles and tempura. We were a party of six and included in the group was my mother who has limited mobility. Koichi was patient and understanding and and I truly appreciate that he sought out the use of elevators and slopes for her to use on the public transport and at tourist sights. Koichi is easy to understand and happy to show tourists around his beautiful country, he even brought us origami cranes that his wife made for us all. I appreciate the fact that Koichi included his transportation fees in the itinerary and I was able to prepay that. Thank you Koichi for taking photos along the way...we will always remember our time in Osaka with you. Next time we come to Japan we will book you for a tour of Kyoto.
We were very pleased with Koichi as our guide for a day in Nara and another in Kyoto. He was knowledgeable, energetic, flexible, attentive - and kind! - and escorted us to many fascinating and beautiful sights over the two days that we hired him. He is well-educated, speaks English well, and has diverse life experiences which broaden his guiding capabilities. Highly recommended!
Hi! Frederick san, Thank you for giving me such a nice review. I was able to have a great time with you. Well, During the tour I was amazed by your enthusiasm for photography. If I have a chance to attend you, I would like to show you more interesting places where you might be interested in.