Kyoto Private Tours & Local Tour Guides

Hi. My name is Yoshihisa. Call me "Yoshie", please. It means good or O.K. in Japanese. I live in Joyo City, Kyoto Prefecture, located just in between Kyoto and Nara. I was born and raised in Iga, Mie Prefecture. Iga is a birthplace of ninja and a renowned haiku poet, Matsuo Basho. I might be a descendant of ninja. I aim at becoming a linguistic ninja, following a part of Basho's lifestyle with the incorporation of seasonal changes into my tours. In addition to visiting famous temples and shrines, I invite you to lesser-known places of historic interest. Once in a month I go hiking or mountain climbing with some friends mainly in mountains surrounding Kyoto and Nara basins. Recently I have got intrigued by the charms of Buddhist statues, which are manifestations of people's wishes and prayers. I also like izakaya (Japanese-style taverns) hopping, tasting delicious dishes and locally brewed sake at reasonable prices. Especially I like communicating with people from home and abroad, talking face to face. Some of the above-mentioned elements are included in my walking tours. I hope you will discover new aspects of cultural and natural beauty in Kansai area through one of my tours which you could never gain otherwise. One of my favorite phrases that come from Zen Buddhism is Ichigo Ichie or this meeting-but only once in a lifetime. My interpretation goes this way: This place and this moment never cross again. Each and every good encounter, however, lingers on like the sound of a temple bell. Won't you explore a deeper world of Japanese culture in Kyoto, Nara and Osaka with me?

Hello, I'm HIDEo YOSHIda. Please call me HIDEYOSHI, the same name as the famous shogun who built the Osaka Castle in 1585. I was born in Kobe and worked in Osaka for nearly 40 years. I would like to introduce the Kansai region to you ,including Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama. Kobe is one of the two largest ports in Japan, along with Yokohama. After the opening of the Port of Kobe in 1868, foreigners built their residences on the hillside of the Kitano-cho area, overlooking the ocean. Many of the foreign residences are now open to the public as museums, including the Weathercock House, with it's symbol weathercock on the triangle-shaped roof. In Meriken Park, the red Port Tower (the city's landmark), creates a beautiful contrast against the white Kobe Marine Museum. The museum's design was inspired by the waves and sailing ships. When you have a chance to visit Osaka, please join my tour. I'm sure you'll enjoy the interesting and historical, scenic spots. For example, Shin-Sekai is a downtown area with a strange mix of nostalgic atmosphere and contemporary energy. You can try local foods (kushikatsu, sushi, tempura) at a reasonable price. Billiken (a famous statue of the spirit of luck) will be waiting for you!!. Dotombori is a popular street with a lot of flashy signboards. Osaka is widely known as a "Kuidaore-no-machi", or literally "drinking and eating luxuriously to death." Osaka Castle was built by Toyotomi HIDEYOSHI in 1585. Oh, it's my residence, isn't it ! These days "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" area in USJ, or Universal Studios Japan, is also attracting more and more people. I'll be looking forward to seeing you !!

Hi, I'm Mari, a government certified English Tour Guide. I attended high school in Georgia, USA, then studied Biology at State University of New York. My lifelong passion has always been traveling and meeting people; it would be my sincere pleasure to show you JAPAN! If you wish, as we travel, I can provide mini cultural lectures introducing you to such things as Origami (Japanese art of paper folding), and the writing of Kanji - those complex Chinese characters you see in our Japanese sentences.

Hi,I'm Hiroyuki Fukui. Please call me Hiro. I'm a government certified guide interpreter. I'm originally from Gifu Prefecture located in Central Japan and have lived in Nara city for more than twenty years. I used to be a civil engineer working for a construction company and experienced overseas projects mainly in South Pacific region for about nine years. During my stay abroad, I had an opportunity to look Japan from outside and realized the beauty of Japan from different point of view. Now I retired from the company and I'm guiding foreign visitors mainly over Kansai district including Nara, Kyoto and Osaka to help them know more about the history, the culture and the people of Japan. I'm looking forward to serving you soon. Thank you.