5-hr Kyoto Arashiyama Bamboo Forest & Hidden Garden Walking Tour

We had a wonderful morning with our guide Hide Nakanishi. He was very friendly and communicated very well with great English. He was so knowledgeable and interesting about the places we visited. The morning was calm and peaceful without the crowds. It was a lovely way to start our day. The Buddhist temple and surrounds were so beautiful. The background to the gardens we saw was explained. The bamboo forest was busier but still amazing. The morning was finished off with a delightful Japanese vegetarian lunch. Hide was so kind and made sure we got back to where we needed to go on the train system.

We had a delightful experience during our Bamboo Forest tour! Kana is a wonderful guide who made the day truly special. She showed us the most beautiful sights and shared fascinating stories about the history behind them. The dinner at an amazing traditional Japanese restaurant was the icing on the cake! We sat on tatami mats (although you can choose Western-style seating if you prefer) and enjoyed a lovely traditional Japanese meal. We highly recommend this tour, especially with Kana as your guide. It was a truly memorable experience!

Akira was a kind and wonderful guide, who were excellent in showing us around the quiet places in arashiyama, with beautiful zen gardens and temples. He was very knowledgable and loved giving us a taste of japanese culture. 10/10 can recommend to others!

We enjoyed the day with Ayu. She was very knowledgeable and thorough. Mostly we appreciated her genuinely friendly personality. The tour sights were peaceful.

Ayu guided our Arashiyama walking tour through historic Kyoto shrines and temples, and the magnificent, nearly mystical, Bamboo Forest. She gave thoughtful historical perspective throughout and answered our group's questions with wit and wisdom. Our experience culminated with a special Michelin-Rated Buddhist "Shojin Ryori" lunch inside Tenryu-ji Temple. Ayu was an excellent guide!

We had an excellent tour with Josh. He was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about our tour. He answered all of our questions and educated us on the culture and history behind the shrines and temples in the the bamboo forest park and surrounding areas. Highly recommend!

Josh was fantastic. He was incredibly knowledgeable and his passion was evident. He shared with us the history, customs, and stories with clear pride. Highly recommend.

Josh was an awesome guide. Very knowledgeable, energetic, and entertaining!

Excellent tour! Josh was an excellent guide. Lunch was excellent. Be prepared: there is a lot of walking!

Yuki was an outstanding guide. She is joyous, welcoming, friendly and so knowledgeable. What an incredible tour. the Temple and gardens were incredible. Yuki put us in zen by calmly explaining everything. The bamboo forest was impressive. This was one of the best tour of our entire trip. Thank you Yuki

This was an extremely enjoyable and informative walking tour. Our guide “T” (Tysei) was so knowledgeable and engaging. He took so many photos of our group along the way and shared them with us. The traditional style authentic Kyoto lunch was a very unique experience, one that brought many different facial expressions and lots of joy. We’d highly recommend this tour, the time passes so quickly and leaves you wanting more.

Lafra was amazing!!!! If you are visiting Kyoto, you must do this tour!!!

Nice chilled walk to see the sites, Yuki was our guide for the day and did a great job of showing us round and being informative. Plus she was an excellent photographer 😁. Lunch was fantastic, sampling a typical monks vegan meal. All in all a great way to spend half a day 😁

Kana was a wonderful guide. Took us to some hidden gems off the typical tourists path to give us a great sense of the area. Would 100% recommend!

This was a great tour and our guide, Ayu, was wonderful. She was so sweet and knowledgeable and made the tour very interesting. She also recommended going to the nearby monkey park after the tour which was an amazing experience. Thank you, Ayu!

Absolutely AMAZING tour. We were guided by Ayuri, who was not only knowledgeable but also incredible at conveying her knowledge and making it easy for people from other cultures to understand. Apart from her vast knowledge she was also kind, generous and engaging. The spots visited were great on their own, but having Ayuri as our guide took it to a whole other level. Cannot recommend it enough.

The tour of the hidden garden and bamboo forest was exceptional, offering a refreshing respite from the crowds for some of the tour. We were particularly impressed by our guide, Ayumi, whose professionalism, extensive knowledge, and proficiency in English greatly enhanced our experience.

Hide is the best guide!! Great tour that touches on several amazing spots. I learned a lot and had a great time.

The experience was really great! Our guides, Ayuri and Linda, were extremely friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. They took great care of us throughout the entire tour and made us feel comfortable and welcome at every moment. The tour itself was wonderful, especially because it included not only the most famous spots, but also some less-known and less crowded places. I really appreciated this, as it made the experience feel more authentic and allowed us to discover a different side of Japan away from the usual tourist crowds. We received lots of interesting information, but everything was explained in a very simple, clear, and enjoyable way, which made it easy to follow and learn without ever feeling overwhelming. The lunch experience was also a lovely part of the tour, with a truly authentic Japanese style and atmosphere. Overall, it was a very enjoyable and well-organized experience, and I would definitely recommend it!

Fantastic tour through the bamboo Forrest, local temples and I learnt lots about the local history.

The tour started out slow inside the city of Kyoto. However, by the time it ended w/ a vegitarian lunch, we had been in the mountains visiting temples & shrines. Some overlooked the city. Some included water gardens. While some were based on Zen principles. This tour/hike was sometimes rigorous and required a little more stamina than other city tours of temples & shrines. I highly recommend it (Kyoto Arashiyama Bamboo forest & Hidden Garden Walking Tour)

From start to end, Hide made this tour friendly, intimate and personal. Very educational and largely away from the larger crowds. Excellent way to see and learn about some of the Buddhist temple history and view the amazing zen gardens. The traditional lunch at the end was simply amazing.

Tea was our guide. The tour was amazing. He was there on time, was extremily polite and kind. Explained about the neighbourhood and the tamples, making us to understand a little bit more about Japanese culture. He was really helpfull and patient, both in our ritm and with our questions. The lunch was amazing, it was also explained for us how to eat and each plate. In the end he guided us to the right train and indicated us on how to arrive at the hotel. P.s. he helped us with the pictures, and they were amazing.

It's a wonderful tour to discover the wonders of Arashiyama and the bamboo forest. Our guide, Hide, illustrated and explained everything to us with patience and dedication. He is also a very good person who immediately made us feel at ease. Highly recommended!!!

The tour was pleasant, the time flew by with a competent and very good person like Hide.

Absolutely wonderful tour, we really enjoyed our day. Our tour guide, Taisei, was extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and we immediately felt comfortable with him. He offered to take pictures for us and he did a wonderful job - he also had some excellent ideas of picture placements and poses. He consistently checked in with us to make sure we were having a great experience and was flexible to things we wanted to take more time with. The food on the tour was also excellent and really added to the experience. It was a wonderful and enriching day for us because Taisei was such a fantastic guide. Thank you Taisei for such an amazing experience and a day we will always treasure! Amy

Akira-san was amazing! He is incredibly patient and knowledgeable about Kyoto and the rich history of its temples.

We explored the temples and the bamboo forest with Akira. He is an incredibly knowledgeable and genuinely friendly guide. We learned so much about Japanese religion and the country’s feudal history. I highly recommend this tour, especially if you choose the option that includes lunch. Akira took us to a wonderful restaurant with breathtaking views, where we had the chance to try authentic Japanese specialties that, as tourists, we would never have known to order on our own. Thank you, Akira. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and may life always smile upon you! Stefano

If I could give 10 stars, I absolutely would! Josh was an incredible tour guide who made the entire experience unforgettable. His knowledge, passion, and friendly personality brought every stop to life. The Kyoto Arashiyama Bamboo Forest & Hidden Garden Walking Tour was so well organised that it genuinely left us speechless. The highlight was finishing the tour at a traditional Japanese restaurant, where we experienced authentic Japanese dining the proper way. It was the perfect ending to an amazing day. I can't recommend this tour—and especially Josh—highly enough. A must-do if you're visiting Kyoto!

Great guided tour, very knowledgeable guides

We had a wonderful tour with the best guides. Totally recommend the experience to all!

We had an amazing experience with our tour guide Hide. He was knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and made the entire tour enjoyable from start to finish. His explanations were clear and interesting, and he made sure we felt comfortable and included throughout the day. You can tell he genuinely enjoys what he does, and it made a big difference in our trip. Highly recommend this tour experience!

This is a wonderful tour, where you can see many scenic and beautiful temples, shrines and gardens. This day I was the only guest, which didn't seem to worry my guide, Josh. He did an amazing job, explaining all the little details and was very patient and cheerful. Great experience, thank you so much! I need to come back in autumn/fall :)

We had Tony O and he was wonderful. Very knowledgeable of the history and showed us the ins and outs of many gardens. Made great conversation and went out of the way to help us find where to go after the tour. Was a wonderful guide and tour. Highly recommend!

Our trip to Kyoto was incredibly exciting, and our guide, Moeka, made it even more memorable. She was professional, kind, funny, and very personable throughout the tour. Her knowledge of the Bamboo Forest and the surrounding tea gardens added so much depth to the experience. One of my favorite moments was visiting a calligraphy studio in the Bamboo Forest. Moeka kindly helped us write our names in Katakana, which was such a unique and fun cultural experience. She was patient, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel comfortable. It was also a wonderful way to relax and recharge after exploring the area on foot. The tour was informative, engaging, and ended on a perfect note. I highly recommend Moeka to anyone looking for an unforgettable experience in Kyoto!

Yumi was a wonderful guide for our trip and found lots of out of the way places. My young son adored her and loved the places we went.

Our tour experience was absolutely excellent! We learned so much about Kyoto and wrapped up the day with an amazing meal. Our guide, Yuki, was incredibly friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. She even went out of her way to help us get to our next destination. We are extremely grateful for her hospitality and highly recommend both this tour and Yuki—she is truly the best guide we’ve ever had!

Very beautifull views. Guided through hidden gems where you suddenly escape the busy tourism into a beautifull sight with a long private moment of silence. Great explanations from our guide. A lot of information thanks to her being a devour believer. Showing us how to meditate and how to show courtesy towards temples.

Amy was fun and informative and a fantastic guide.

Bamboo Forest and Hidden Garden Tour - Tour Guide: Amy ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A wonderful tour that took us to the hidden gems including the most magnificent gardens, Shrines and Temples The highlight for us was the quiet gardens that were off the usual tourist routes. Amy shared her extensive knowledge of culture, history and the local stories. The lunch was fabulous and Amy took time to take us through the foods and dishes Overall one of the best walking tours we have been on Debra & Stephen A

a beautiful walk along the streets, we enjoyed seeing the new houses built in the old traditional way. the gardens and temples were beautiful. we had a lovely guide, who spoke excellent english, with lots of great information of what we were seeing. we learnt a lot of new information today. with the bamboo forest near the end of the tour was a magical site. and a most enjoyable lunch. thank you

Kana was spectacular. Very informative and great person.

Today was my first day in Kyoto and had a wonderful day with the amazing guide Lafra. We visited the Zen gardens, the house of the poet which will remain in my memory forever along with the haiku poetry about persimons. Lafra was very knowledgable, super friendly and apple excellent English. We have also wonderful Matcha. We have finished the tour with the windeful lunch. Highly recommend this tour with Lafra!

Yuki was amazing and had a lot of knowledge to share. She took us to less crowded temples and a beautiful Zen garden. It was 100%must book.

We had a wonderful day in Kyoto, Marie was our tour guide. She was very knowledgable about the city and explained everything to us in great detail. We appreciated her depth of information, her sense of humor and her non-stop energy. We enjoyed the entire experience. The Bamboo Forest, the Arashiyama area, the religious history and customs.

Kana was very informative, spent an enjoyable morning walking and hearing about the local area. We saw much more than if we had walked ourselves. Very friendly, we would recommend the experience

Had an amazing day with Josh, such a lovely guide. Really showed me so many beautiful places. I really felt super relaxed and zen after all the amazing walks in nature.

Was a unique experience through gorgeous scenery that we were not expecting, supported by Akira who was lovely and helpful in making the day special.

We had an amazing experience with Tea as our guide and couldn’t recommend him more highly. From the moment we met him, he was warm, knowledgeable, and incredibly attentive to every detail of our day. He  brought each place to life with his deep understanding of the history and culture, while also making everything feel relaxed and personal.