Kyoto Highlights & Secrets: Private Van with Local Japanese Guide
4.9
13 Ratings
Kyoto
Embark on a private van tour in Kyoto and Arashiyama with an expert local guide. Avoid the crowds at Fushimi-Inari Grand Shrine, explore temples and shrines, stroll through the uncrowded bamboo forest, and discover the unique Japanese nature. Don't miss the secret roots of Japanese bonsai techniques and the breathtaking Fushimi-Inari Taisha at sunset. Book now for an unforgettable experience!
Duration: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Kinkakuji Temple - Kinkakuji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion, is a must-see destination in Kyoto. Located in the northern part of the city, it’s easily accessible by car, even though the public bus takes about an hour from the main area of Kyoto.

The temple’s main attraction is the stunning golden pavilion that shimmers in the sunlight and is surrounded by a tranquil pond and meticulously maintained gardens. The pavilion is a prime example of the traditional Japanese Zen style, which emphasizes simplicity and natural beauty despite its gorgeous color. You’ll be guided by a local guide with plenty of knowledge about Zen Buddhism and its influence on Japanese culture. (30 min. Transfer Time - 30 min. Walk Around)

  • Arashiyama Bamboo Grove - The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Walk the most iconic path of Arashiyama and hear the sound of Japan! Your guide will explain Japanese bamboo’s origin and how it’s related to the invention of lights by Edison.
  • Gio-ji Temple - This temple, located in Arashiyama, is small but a compilation of true Japanese scenery in one place. The serene Japanese garden covered in moss and modest thatched hut surrounded by a bamboo grove and maple trees make tourists want to stay here forever. The guide will give you a story of its origin, the tragic love story of a nan “Gio” in Japanese history.
  • Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple - This small temple is located in the most well-maintained “old-Kyoto-view” area, the northern part of the Arashiyama historical district. The temple is much less crowded than the main area of Arashiyama because of its distance from the station despite its stunning view of countless Buddha statues.

The guide will explain its unique history and basic information about Japanese traditions of funerals.

(10min Transfer Time + 30min Walk Around)

  • Arashiyama-Takao Parkway - Arashiyama-Takao Parkway is a tourist toll gate starting from north Arashiyama The road gets covered with the 2,000 cherry-blossom trees in April and maple trees in November The beautiful mountains and the Hozu Gorge are breath-taking and experience the nature the Japanese people have been worshiped since ancient era
  • Kitayama Big Daisugi - *Secret spot! “Kitayama Giant Platform Cedar Trees” This area is located in much northern area of Arashiyama, hidden by a narrow cliff road where no strangers will brave to go. But soon you will realize the view gets really weird with all the unique shaped trees, so many skinny and strait Japanese cedar trees coming out from single giant platforms. These 200,300-year-old bonzai cedars are grown by the local farmers, generations to generations, showing the unity of art and nature. This area is famous for the world oldest timber factory, offering sacred wood to imperial buildings until now. The pictures of this area are often introduced on instagram or other medias but people have never actually seen it! Adventure for explorers!
  • Nakagawa-hachimangū Shrine - “Nakagawa Hachiman Shrine” A local shrine build as a guardian of the area, but it has the oldest Japanese Cedar tree of this area, and it’s worshiped as a lord. Touch the tree and get the power the spirit
  • Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine - Fushimi-Inari Shrine is the most popular and iconic tourist attraction in Kyoto, with its famous path of “SenbonTorii” (thousands of gates, but actually it has more than 10,000 gates dedicated now), visited and beloved by Japanese people since 711 A.C. Starting from the giant gates, as the gates get smaller, your ego is believed to get smaller, and you start to feel the unity with nature when you have rounded back to the main shrine. Even while on the way, in the super-spiritual atmosphere, you will meet many unique objects and small shrines to be introduced by the guide leading the way. (60 min Transfer Time + 70 min Walk Around)
What's Included
  • Fuel and Toll Fees
  • Pick-up and Dropping off at anywhere in Kyoto City
  • Knowledgeable Guide with Fluent English
  • Parking fees
  • Comfortable Private Van
What's Not Included
  • Admission Fees (¥300~¥600 at each temples)
Additional Information

Explore Kyoto more deeply with a local Japanese guide, comfortably in a Japanese minivan!

•Visit the best but hidden temples without crowds: private bamboo forest, the best moss garden in Kyoto, Fushimi-Inari Shrine after sunset

•Drive farther to mountains by car, enjoy the unique nature of Japan with stunning views from the mountains and secret bonzai areas in deeper Kyoto

The experienced guide will also take you the best seasonal spots for each seasons, like the best cherryblossom shrines, maple-leaf covered temples or even temples becomes more beautiful on a rainy day

Each spots will be guided with explainations in fluent English, by a friendly local Japanese guide with deep knowledge about Japanese culture, religion and history

This is a private tour, so you can customize the tour flexibly to cover what you missed or omit what you already visited (eg. include Gion area or Nishiki Market)

Book this tour now for an unforgettable experience and have a perfect day in Kyoto!

  • Some temples need walks and walking up stairs to visit
Location
Kinkakuji Temple
1 Kinkakujicho, Kita-ku,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(13 Ratings)
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Amy_o
Aug 22, 2024
Excellent way to spend the day! - Daiki was fantastic! His van is comfortable and air conditioned. He is very friendly and easy going. He took us to some amazing spots that we would have never found on our own. He is a very good driver and my son and two teenage boys and I had a wonderful day.
Review provided by Viator
Gracesw1781ty
Jun 12, 2024
Excellent value - best tours in Kyoto and Osaka - Daiki was an excellent tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and has clearly done.a lot of research in order to provide customers with fun and educational insight into Kyoto. The private tour was comfortable and allowed flexibility that would be impossible in a group tour. Definitely great value! Strongly recommend this service!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
425jannee
May 16, 2024
Amazing day full of wonderful discoveries - We had an amazing day! Daiki was a great guide, friendly and fun. He took us to all the sights and walked around with us which was great. Also found a great solution to including an extra stop without missing out on any of the planned agenda. Getting to see some secret places was a bonus treat. I haven’t included photos of these to avoid spoiling :) Well worth the money!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janne_e
May 8, 2024
Amazing day full of wonderful discoveries - We had an amazing day! Daiki was a great guide, friendly and fun. He took us to all the sights and walked around with us which was great. Getting to see some secret places was a bonus treat. I haven’t included photos of these to avoid spoiling :) Well worth the money!
Review provided by Viator
Eiyhlee
May 3, 2024
Must Book! - Daiki was great! He picked us up from our hotel on time and gave us the insider’s tour of Kyoto’s highlights. There were many stops and he worked with our pace - such a wonderful experience. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Burgo808
Apr 5, 2024
Best day tour of Kyoto - Daiki Was the BEST guide, really knowledgeable and took us to the most beautiful places around Kyoto. We went in a super busy period yet he managed to take us to places in the bamboo Forrest and shrines with barely any tourists. We will 100% book with Daiki again, very professional and spoke great English :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Malony_s
Mar 2, 2024
Amazing! - What I like the most is the Arashimaya Bamboo Forest. The operator was knowledgeable about the different sites and was even flexible if you want to viist other sites aside from what is listed in his Itinerary. I will definitely recommend this to my friends in the Philippines.
Review provided by Viator
Sharla_c
Feb 19, 2024
The best Kyoto tour! - Our private tour with Daiki Fukashi was a wonderful way to spend the day in Kyoto. He was very easy to communicate with arranging our tour and pick up location. Daiki has such an easy going and friendly personality. It felt very natural to talk to him and ask him questions about Kyoto and beyond. He shared such great information with us about all of the sights we went to, not only was he versed in the history, but he was very knowledgable on the deeper meaning and ritual behind what we were seeing and experiencing. We packed in a lot in the time that we had, including a spectacular view of Kyoto at night. We ended our day just hanging out and having a meal together and getting to know each other better. We would definitely recommend Daiki's tour to anyone who is looking for a catered experience and a deeper look into Kyoto history and culture.
Review provided by Viator
Kristen_j
Jan 19, 2024
Great efficient way to see the sites - A wonderful way to see the sites in Kyoto. Our tune was limited in Kyoto & this made all the difference. Thanks Daiki.
Review provided by Viator
Jenny_y
Mar 30, 2024
Less than half - Our tour guide’s name is Daiki Daiki was about 10 minutes late picking us up. The advertised itinerary (8 locations): Rokuon—ji temple (golden temple), Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (didn’t go, too crowded), Tenryu-ji Temple (closed at 4:30pm), Giouji Temple, Otagi Nenbutsu-ji temple (closed at 4:30pm), Arashiyama Takao Parkway (never went but probably drove past and didn’t get pointed out), Fushimi Inari Taisha (too dark to take pictures), and Shogunzuka Seiryuden Temple (closed at 4:30pm). Places we actually visited (5 locations): Rokuon-ji temple, Adashino Nenbutsuji temple, Giou-ji temple, Nishiki Market, and Fushimi Inari Taisha. It was a cold day and rained for the second half of the tour. My group was tired and miserable so we opted not to continue after Fushimi Inari Taisha. Had the weather been nicer, my group probably would have liked to see the city view from the higher mountain top. Pro: 1) Daiki came prepared with umbrellas for each person 2) super nice and talk-a-time 3) we got to see monkeys at the Giou-ji temple 4) clean van for up to 6 passengers + 1 driver 5) never rushed us, but probably should have so we could see everything listed on itinerary. 6) Nishiki market was alternative to visiting the temples that closed at 4:30pm. Cons: 1) didn’t get to see about 50% of the listed itinerary. Not enough time to visit each site throughly 2) very broken English Luckily my group had 2 Japanese speaking friends who would better translate for us what was going on. I chose to give it a 4 star because my group looked like they were having a good time. Lots of laughs and smiles. It was expected of us to pay our own admission tickets and any parking fees that were required. This was also the cheapest tour I could find on Viator. The price definitely represents the quality.
Review provided by Viator
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August 2024
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