Kyoto Customized Private Car Tour: English Driver, No Guide

We had a wonderful day with our driver Harry-San. He adapted our day to take into account that I was unexpectantly in a wheelchair. He was friendly, very knowledgeable and a great person to spend the day with. Thank you Harry-San

It is wonderful to have your own driver. You get to cover more places in a shorter amount of time. We highly recommend!

Driver was very pleasant and helpful. We loved Kyoto, although it rained for most of the day, which of course was just bad luck. Only issue was that we did have trouble at times understanding the driver.

Nobu san made our day! Easy meet up location and comfortable van with AC and phone chargers. I gave him a list of places we wanted to see and he helped map out the best route. He spoke English well and added history and interesting facts to each of our locations even though he’s technically not supposed to be our tour guide…but that’s exactly what he was. We wanted to get away from the crowds for lunch and he took us to his favorite neighborhood ramen place and explained to us how their broth is so unique and a traditional Kyoto style broth (pork bone with a little chicken broth that lightens it! So good!). Toward the end of the day we hit Fushimi Inari which I told him felt like a tourist instagram traps and we could wait to get out of there. He suggested a place of the beaten path and we’re so glad we went. It was a Buddhist temple high in a hilltop with views of all of Kyoto, and it was practically empty (probably because you’d need a car to get there). It ended up being our favorite place and had the best pictures. Oh and at every stop he knew the best spots for pictures which my daughter appreciated. She’d even ask him where would make the best picture! And he graciously took pictures for us when asked. For a day trip from Tokyo, I highly recommend booking a car and driver and 5 stars for Nobu San!

Great experience! Our driver was great. We skipped all lines and in one day we visited all major attractions. Mr. Fuji was EXCELLENT!!! Thank you!

We were short on time, so having a private driver helped us fit a lot in 1 day. Took all the stress and confusion out of the day so we could enjoy it more. Definitely was a positive for us.

This was a great experience! Our driver, Harry, picked us up from the hotel and made sure we visited the top sights in Kyoto. At each location, he parked as close as possible, which kept walking to a minimum—much appreciated, especially with family. Harry spoke excellent English and gave us a clear and interesting overview of each landmark we visited. While six hours may sound long, it’s just enough time to visit four locations, considering the driving distances between sites and the walking involved at each one. Since these are very popular attractions, they can be quite crowded. Still, overall this was a fantastic experience and highly recommended, especially for families

We loved our guide, Fuji. He was kind, spoke great English, and offered excellent tips for our trip along the way. Would absolutely recommend booking this service if your time in Kyoto is limited and you want to visit many sites.

My partner and I created a plan to visit Mt Kurama and Kifune. Haruhiko was the PERFECT driver and guide. We were able to experience these sights fully and Haruhiko also suggested including another Temple we had hoped to see. In all I highly recommend him as a guide and driver. We are so grateful for the experience!

I went with my late 60s parents in early November and we had a wonderful time. Our driver was Harry and he was fantastic. He picked us up right on time and went over our itinerary with us. We chose the sights we wanted to see and he planned out the route. He was knowledgeable about each of the sights that we saw and knew the best spots to take pictures. The car was fantastic and very clean. I would highly recommend this tour!

Our family (2 adults and 2 teens) had a great time exploring Kyoto with Sachiko as our driver. She charted out the best route for us to see all the different places on our wish list, and we even got to see an additional place (Ryoan-ji) upon her suggestion, as it was in between two of the places we were visiting. She was wonderful, spoke English quite well, and we would definitely recommend her to anyone visiting Kyoto.

If you want to see the sights in Kyoto, definitely hire a private car and driver. Our family of four got to see and experience the city’s top attractions without having to wait for crowded buses, and we had the flexibility to spend a little or a lot of time at each place. Our driver, Sachiko, was fantastic. She was so friendly, kind, and mapped out the best route for us to see all that we wanted to see within six hours. From picking us up at our hotel to chatting about Japanese culture, food, and everyday life, she was simply the best. Highly recommended!

Harry San, our English speaking driver was amazing. He came along with us explaining every place we visited with great detail and also suggested a great place for lunch.

We had the best time with Tanaka Harry san as our driver. After seeing one very crowded shrine we asked for his suggestions on other less crowded spots. He knew all of the best places and even made a lunch reservation for us at a local (hidden secret!) restaurant that had a beautiful garden in the heart of the old town. We were thrilled with our English speaking driver and our day in Kyoto. Highly recommend.

My husband and I had a change in our cruise ship itinerary which lead us basically on our own and I was able to book a private driver in Kyoto Japan for 6 hours and customize our top choices. Our driver Takashi was fantastic! He met us at the train station and we were able to go directly to the Bamboo gardens, Golden Pavilion, stop at a great sushi spot near Gion and then walk the downtown Geisha district. He shared many additional shrines, and many historical sites in Kyoto along the way. Tashiki’s knowledge on Kyoto and being a native of the city allowed us to see more in our short time than if we were there for days. Viator has always been my go to for all my travels because the guides and drivers are the best! Highly recommend.

This was the perfect way to visit special places in Kyoto especially in brutally hot conditions! Harry, our driver, was exceptionally friendly and gracious. He shared a lot of historical knowledge while accompanying us to shrines, temples and gardens. He was much more than just a driver. He even let us detour to the Pokémon store (gifts for the grandkids) and Starbucks as we were worn out from the heat during our outdoor exploring. He has a great sense of humor and enjoyed our time with him immensely.

Perfect way to fit in activities quickly outside the city center! We loved our driver and the convenience of booking this flexible day!

We were lucky enough to get Harry for this tour! We loved all the time we got to spend with him. He was very informative on the history of every place we visited. He knew all the secret ways to get close to the entrances of where we were going, avoiding long walks and long lines on a very hot and humid day in Kyoto. We all really enjoyed this tour, and wished we could have spent more time with Harry. Book this trip, you will not be disappointed!

Hiro is arguably the best driver/tour guide ever. He went the extra mile to give local insights of the area. Highly recommended.

Reserving a car driven by Yutaka was the best experience we could hope for. He was very accommodating, regarding time and route, ensuring we saw everything on our wish list and making suggestions of his own for our remaining time. The car was impeccably clean, confortable, and had great air conditioning, a life-saver on this unseasonably warm and humid June morning. Without having to rely on public transportation and our navigation skills as first time visitors, we were able to visit Fushimi Inari, Kinkakiju, and the Arashiyama Bamboo forest and the nearby Buddhist temple. Yutaka gave us some great pointers on respectful behavior and even though he wasn’t obligated to narrate our trip, he pointed out important landmarks and provided context for what we were seeing. Our last stop was a foot massage spa in Gion, a perfect end to a great tour day. Highly recommended!

Our driver, Hiro, was truly amazing. He also showed us around all the spots and was way more than a driver. His English was great and he made some great suggestions to help with efficiency and maintain my child’s interest. He suggested a great local spot for lunch we all enjoyed. He even spent time with her during lunch to make origami! I highly recommend Hiroshi and this experience. It allowed our family to see all the main sites in Kyoto in 1 day.

Sachi was an amazing and kind guide. She knew all the spots to go to and gave us excellent information. We had a great day and really enjoyed seeing the sites. I recommend!

Our driver was excellent!! Took us to the front of queues and then to a fantastic yakitori restaurant for our lunch.

Sachi was an amazing driver. She is very friendly, professional, accommodating, and flexible. It was wonderful to see all the highlights of Kyoto. Then she found us a place to purchase kimonos and translated for us. We will definitely hire her again in the future.

Our driver was really great, joking around with us and very accommodating. And very informative and helpful as well. Our favorite day in Japan.

Nob was a very good driver & tour guide, friendly, experienced & knowledgeable on Kyoto. Walked with us through sites & gave valuable insights. Brought us to great sushi restaurant

We had the best experience with Hiroshi! He is absolutely amazing! He made sure that we made it to every destination that I wanted and then even took us to some places that he liked which ended up being even better spots than the ones I had! Whenever I mentioned a place, he would immediately write it down and look it up so that he was able to make a plan so as to get the most out of the day and not waste any time.

Hiroshi is by far the absolute best at what he does! He is professional, dedicated, thorough and above all else incredibly nice. This is the second time that Hiroshi has helped my mom and I while in Kyoto and he never disappoints! He truly goes above and beyond to please and is always trying to make sure that the guests are happy and comfortable. This second time around I had a couple of places that I wanted to go to and Hiroshi made sure that we visited everything I wanted and then added some amazing spots that he recommended which were absolutely beautiful! He made it his mission to make sure that we had enough time to get to everything! There is absolutely no one like him!

Hari/Harry was excellent. He went at our pace, taking into account our age and mobility. He was very knowledgeable and a perfect gentleman.

We had a very memorable experience in Kyoto due to the hospitality of Haruhito “Harry” Teramura. Harry was much more than a driver. He was a friend, a tour escort, and a historian of Kyoto. My wife and I depart Kyoto having a very positive feeling of Kyoto. Thank you Harry for sharing an extraordinary day with us in Kyoto! We look forward to another meeting with you in the near future!

We were incredibly fortunate to have Mr. Yutaka Ito as our driver for the day. His vehicle was a very spacious and comfortable minivan. Yutaka was so much more than a driver as he very efficiently conveyed us around Kyoto and accommodated my wife's mobility issues. We provided Yutaka with our desired sights and he planned the best route for us. We started at the Arashiyama bamboo grove. Yutaka dropped us off at the top of the walkway and we could enjoy the stroll down with minimal numbers of other tourists. We then went through the lovely Tenryu-ji garden. Yutaka had noted some rain had started and he met us in the garden with two umbrellas, so very thoughtful! Then a short drive to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) for a beautiful scene. Yutaka walked in with us and guided us back to avoid walking the entire circumference of the garden. He pointed out some unique items for us. On to the Fushimi-Inari tori gates. Yutaka once again directed us to the somewhat hidden elevator so we could avoid a number of steps to the gates. He recommended a family style Japanese restaurant for a quick lunch. Our final stop was Daigo-ji to see the oldest wooden structure (5 story pagoda) in Kyoto. This was an incredible tour that allowed us to see sights that are widely spread out and which otherwise would be difficult given our mobility constraint. Yutaka was so much more than a driver and he took outstanding care of us throughout the tour and provided very informative background information. I highly recommend this tour and Yutaka Ito in particular.

Saw exact sites we wanted to see in a timely basis. great photos. Great having a WiFi hotspot in the car easy to meet the driver from the cruise ship. He was very prompt

Taka our driver was very responsive and communicative prior to our trip so we would be clear with the details and instructions of the tour. He picked us up from our Airbnb and we went to four places, Arashiyama bamboo forest, Kinkaku-ji, Nijo castle and Ginkaku-ji. He spoke English very well and told such interesting facts while on route to all the locations and even gave us a guided tour while we were at the sites. He’s a great photographer and he has a wonderful sense of humor! highly recommended Taka if you’re on a limited schedule or even if you’re not, but want to see the beautiful sights of Kyoto. He takes away the hassle of trying to figure out how to get from one place to another. We were safely driven in an air conditioned, impeccably clean car to the four parts of Kyoto in 6 hours with plenty of time to take in the beauty and information of each one. He is so reasonably priced compared to his competitors. Definitely choose Taka! He’s 6 stars!!⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We are absolutely delighted that we booked this private tour. Our driver, Mr. Fuji, was exceptional! When he arrived to pick us up at the hotel, we shared our interests, and he crafted an itinerary that efficiently covered the best route in just 6 hours. Mr. Fuji was incredibly thorough and detail-oriented. He took us to the prime photo spots, and when we got lost at one location, he patiently communicated with us via WhatsApp and guided us through the maze. Truly amazing! If we had any doubts in the beginning due to the limited number of reviews, we now wholeheartedly recommend this tour. By the way, this is the first review I’ve ever posted, and it’s only because I was so impressed with Mr. Fuji’s top-notch service and work ethic.

Our driver was flexible and did a great job showing us Kyoto. His English was not the easiest to understand but he was knowledgeable about all the history of our stops.

Yutkata Ito was great to work with. In advance of our trip, I corresponded via What's App to send our desired itinerary. We were picked up promptly at our hotel at 7am and went to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Tenryu-ji, Monkey Park, Kinkaku-ji. While we had more temples on our original itinerary, my family was all templed out at that point so we ended early for lunch. The car was very clean and comfortable, and our pickups and what's app correspondences were easy. Overall, our day was seamless!

Harry drive us to the locations in Kyoto He was a good guide and give us good guidance with the timings and history of the places even though his role was not meant to be a guide for this tour We really had an awesome experience on this tour.

Nob was fabulous. He was prompt, helpful, gave us water, had a fire to hold our flyers from various stops and adapted as we went I think it was well worth the money and took away all the stress of a new town. I wish we had spent longer with him.

Excellent tour with lots of interesting sites visited . Although our drive was supported to just drive , he joined us in all the sites and gave us detailed information. He also took us to an excellent local Sushi specialized restaurant for lunch .

This was an excellent way for us to see Kyoto sights efficiently and comfortably. I do not think it could be done in one day taking public transit. Kan was a an excellent driven and shared lots of history and context to what we were seeing as well. Worth every penny!

Very professional driver, made sure we always knew where to go in the shrines, very flexible with our schedule, spoke good English, punctual and very nice and clean car. Recommended!

Absolutely recommend this service! We were able to see so much in the 6 hours especially with how some places are a bit difficult to get to. Our driver Kan Hyodo was absolutely amazing! Not only did he get us to all of our spots, he showed us some extra spots and gave us really nice history about a lot of places. It’s totally worth it, especially if you are only in Kyoto for a day or 2!

Driver never showed up. Your company said they didn’t get the booking from Viator. Reluctant to use Viator in Japan now hoping the Hakone trip we booked with Viator works out.

Flexibility and advice from the driver. Great pace and activity level. Travelled with kids aged 11 and 13 as well as 80year old grandma…

We had a fantastic day with our driver Nobu-san! My husband and I are not really into major tourist destinations and we specifically didn't want to go on a tour. And whilst we understand that tourists will always be a part of a popular country to visit, our wonderful driver made sure that we visited the places we wanted, as well as some other lovely quiet, less popular spots around Kyoto. Nobu-san spoke fantastic English, was genuinely interested in us and very engaging. He even took me to a famous little tea shop because I love green tea. Honestly, couldn't have asked for a better day to experience Kyoto for the first time. Arigatou gozaimasu!

This was a very special experience for first timers to Kyoto! Hiroshi made the experience extra special with his knowledge and sharing and suggestions for altering and improving on our original itinerary to make most of time. It insured that we made the best use of our time and experience of the wonderful temples and shrines in Kyoto. His alertness avoided a medical situation with blood sugar issue with one in our party and ended our tour safely. It was a very informative, enjoyable, and educational experience overseen by a special driver/guide. Thank you Hiroshi!

Our driver Harry was excellent. He was our driver, tour guide and photographer. He was very knowledgeable and courteous. He was an excellent driver as well. I recommend this tour.

We had a great time visiting Gion, the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the Bamboo Forest and the Golden Pavilion. The scenery was spectacular and we were able to see a lot in just six hours. Our driver, Harry was fabulous, and we learned a great deal from him. We would recommend this tour, especially with Harry!

Mr. Fujii was excellent! He did everything to accommodate us and our schedule. We traveled with my mom in a wheelchair. Mr. Fujii dropped us off at the closest possible entrance where our walking was limited. He even brought a handicap placard so we were able to park very close. Mr. Fujii escorted us to the entrances and even took our pictures! Such great service! After we parted, my husband realized he left his phone in the van. Mr. Fujii met us to return his phone! Can’t say enough good things about Mr. Fujii. He went over and beyond making our day trip to Kyoto so memorable! Thank you Mr. Fujii!!!