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Kyoto Full-Day Tour: Exploring Highlights and Japanese Culture
4.9
62 Ratings
Kyoto
Immerse yourself in Japanese culture and explore the highlights of Kyoto on this full-day tour. Discover the secrets behind Japan's unique customs and traditions, and gain a deeper understanding of the country's philosophy and way of life.
Duration:
7 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Kyoto Station Building - We gather at the left side of the main entrance, after a brief introduction and explanation, we will ride on the train to Saga Arashiyama
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Arashiyama Bamboo Grove - 60 mins
Enjoy the beautiful natural scenery of the bamboo forest, while learning about Japan, Japanese, and why them being them.
40 mins
We will hop on the bus/ train from Arashiyama to Kinkakuji
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Kinkakuji Temple - 40 mins
Enter the 2nd most visited tourist spot in Japan, we will explain to you about Buddhism in Japan, the history of the temple, while taking pictures of you with breathtaking view.
60 mins
Next we will go to Gion with various modes of transportation
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Shijo Kawaramachi - 75 mins
Explore the shopping street of Kyoto, we will have lunch here and you can also enjoy the view of Japanese Shopping Arcade
15 mins
We will walk on foot across the Shijo Bridge while enjoying the view of Kamo river to reach Gion
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Gion Shirakawa - 60 mins
We will go the the quiet side of Gion, entertainment area in Japan where the Geisha works, enjoy the beautiful scenery, learning about Geiko and Maiko and their world, and who knows?! maybe you’re lucky enough to meet them.
10 mins
Next we will take the train to Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine - Explore the number one tourist spot in Japan, we will learn about what is shintoism, the place and it’s history while passing through thousands of vermillion torii gate
- Kyoto Station Building - We will ride on the train to reach Kyoto Station once again and bid our farewell. See you again!
What's Included
- Walking Experience
- Experienced Local Guide
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Lunch
- Transportation Fee (around 1,500 yen)
- Bottled water
- Entrance Ticket (500 yen)
Additional Information
Ideally planned for visitors with a fully booked itinerary and limited duration in Kyoto. Our service provides more than just guided tours to popular tourist attractions, giving you insights into the history of these places. You will gain a profound understanding of Japan, its people, their culture, their philosophies of life, and their thought processes. Post the tour, queries like ‘why are there so few trash cans found’ or ‘why are the roads in Japan so silent’ and the thought process underlying it will be comprehensible. Even the minute elements will become clear if you partake in our tour.
- Not Recommended for pregnant travelers more than first trimester
- This is a walking tour, not recommended for people with bad leg
Location
Starbucks Coffee - Kyoto Tower Sando
At the pillar of Starbucks Kyoto Tower facing Kyoto Station. Please read the message we send you one day before the tour. We will send you the picture of our meeting point and the information regarding our guide.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(62 Ratings)
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John_c
May 21, 2024
The Best Tour Guide - From start to finish, Indra provided an unforgettable experience. From the bamboo forest to multiple temple we visited, Indra’s itinerary was amazing. The great conversations about his perspective and experience living in Japan were so helpful. Along the way, we encountered many tour guides and it wasn’t hard to notice how much better Indra was. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Jenny
May 19, 2024
Fabulous tour of Kyoto - Indra was warm and engaging from the first moment of the tour to the last! Truly a professional with many years of experience as a tour guide. He went above and beyond to show us many great Kyoto highlights, to share with us the best photo spots and insights of each location. The day really flew by. We went as a small group of 4, which kept it intimate. It was very interesting getting Indra’s very unique point of view as an expat who speaks Japanese and has lived here for several years. Absolutely worth the price and we would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the major sites and get to know the city really well in a day.
A tip in hindsight would to by a day pass for public transportation, as we used it a lot on the tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lorna
May 17, 2024
Kyoto Sights & Insights - We had a fantastic day with Indra on this value packed small group tour. We had limited time in Kyoto, but this tour enabled us to see a lot of the key attractions in a short space of time. We learnt a lot about the history from Indra, our knowledgeable & entertaining guide. We also really enjoyed the thought-provoking conversations and insight into Japanese culture. Highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peter_g
May 13, 2024
EXCELLENT - 5 star rating for young Adella our guide
Bright, charismatic,knowledgeable Adella imparted in great detail the history & customs of the areas visited.
We had a pleasant trip & highly recommend
どうもありがとう
Peter & Sandra from Austr
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_c
May 7, 2024
Tour with Indra - Indra was my guide and exceeded my expectations. I am a woman traveling on my own and this was the best tour I had during my trip. He was thoughtful, informative and catered to my requests. I was lucky enough to be the only one on the tour that day. He took some great photos and was incredibly knowledgeable. 10/10.
Review provided by Viator
Beth_s
Apr 26, 2024
Exceptional Japanese Cultural Tour - I was the only participant on the tour that day. I had an experienced, knowledgeable guide who spoke not only the history but the rich Japanese culture.
Having worked for a large Japanese company in North America I found info fascinating.
Review provided by Viator
Amandacb45to
Apr 22, 2024
MUST for people with limited time in Kyoto - This experience was a lot of bang for you buck, we would have never been able to navigate to this many must see locations with out this tour due to our limited time in Kyoto.
If you are like us with finite time and want to learn as much about Kyoto and the history of the attractions as you can, this tour is a MUST.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Saad
Apr 20, 2024
Best walking tour in Kyoto - We had Maureen as our tour guide and she was incredible! Highly recommend her. We became close friends after just knowing her for a very short time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amanda_s
Apr 19, 2024
Best day in kyoto - Indra was absolutely fantastic. Full of knowledge from the Kyoto prefecture and we learnt so much from him it was great. We lived all of the places he took us and loved his energy and the love he has for the Japanese culture. He was easy to get along with and feel like I have made a friend on this tour. I hope he continues to do these tours as he has a gift of knowledge that needs to be shared with the world. We thank you so much for all the insights in japans history in Kyoto Indra hope to see you again one day
Review provided by Viator
Leena_e
Apr 18, 2024
Cultural Immersion - It was a wonderful experience! Indra is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic; I learned so much about Japan’s history and culture. I highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
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