Kyoto Rickshaw Tour

We had a fantastic rickshaw tour with Kode. It was both fun and informative, and we got to see so much of the beautiful Gion district. Our guide shared fascinating information about the area’s history and landmarks, making the experience even more enjoyable. It was absolutely worth the money, and we would happily do it again. Highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Kyoto!

There were three of us, so we took two rickshaws for a 90-minute tour through Gion and the surrounding historic area. Our rickshaw drivers were absolutely delightful — friendly, energetic, knowledgeable, and a lot of fun to spend the evening with. We happened to be dressed in kimono that day, and even the little bit of walking we had already done in traditional Japanese footwear was pretty much torture. One of the reasons we chose the rickshaw tour was specifically so we would not have to walk much, and we were very glad we did. The tour was a wonderful combination of sightseeing, local history, and simply enjoying the atmosphere of Gion as evening came on. We even had the good fortune to see two geiko and a maiko walking through the neighborhood. One of the highlights of our time in Kyoto. Five stars.

THIS is the rickshaw ride to take! The driver was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, kind and helpful with we two frail elderly people! LOVED this wonderful ride!

It was a wonderful experience with an enthusiastic driver and with colorful Commentary on the local scenes

Great for Families & Tired Feet What We Loved Comfortable way to see more of Kyoto when walking all day starts catching up with you. Our driver, Shiro, was absolutely incredible. Despite the summer heat, he was running uphill, navigating crowded streets, and simultaneously sharing local history and pointing out landmarks. Learned about areas we would have otherwise walked right past without understanding their significance. During Obon, we were able to see people visiting family graves and preparing lanterns for the evening festivities, which gave us a glimpse into local traditions we wouldn't have experienced on our own. Passed through beautiful historic areas and were dropped off at Yasaka Shrine, making it easy to continue exploring afterward. Audrey's Thoughts After several days of sightseeing, Audrey's legs were getting tired, and this turned out to be one of the smartest decisions we made. She loved riding in the rickshaw, seeing Kyoto from a different perspective, and getting a break from walking. Tips Don't think of this as transportation. Think of it as a guided tour and cultural experience. Perfect for families when children start getting tired. Request a knowledgeable guide if possible. Worth every penny on a hot day. Bottom Line One of those experiences that initially feels like a splurge but ends up being completely worth it. Between the history, local insights, beautiful views, and the sheer athleticism of our guide, it became one of our favorite memories from Kyoto. If you're visiting Arashiyama, I highly recommend adding a rickshaw tour to your itinerary. It was an adventure, a history lesson, and a lifesaver for tired legs all in one.

We had the most fabulous tour with Fumi our Guide. He was just wonderful, a very gentle happy soul. Nothing was a trouble,he explained all the sites and the history attached. This tour was one of the highlights on our holiday and we would recommend it as a must to anyone visiting Kyoto.

We had an awesome experience in Kyoto! This was such a unique way to see a lot of areas in the city. Our tour guide, Fumi, was so knowledgeable about the shrines and everything we passed and very entertaining during our tour. Fumi also took a lot of fun pictures of my husband and I during the tour, which was awesome. We did the 70 minute tour and felt like it was a good amount of time. Would highly recommend this tour to anyone!

This 90 minute ride was a highlight in Kyoto. Shiro was amazing as our guide. Beautiful intro to lovely Kyoto! Wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

This was an excellent way to see Gion! We had Ichi as our rickshaw driver and he was knowledgeable, funny and a good photographer. We learnt so much about the district and would highly recommend the tour and Ichi.

Fantastic experience. Fumi and co were so knowledgable, professional and polite , great at showing us the main sites and taking photos. Definitely a highlight and would thoroughly recommend.

We had an excellent experience with our rickshaw driver! He was personable, cheerful, full of information, and just made the whole experience delightful! We really appreciated his personality and kindness. It was a relaxing and entertaining way to see the city.

We had an amazing time on this tour! Much more than we could have ever expected. Our guide was super knowledgeable about the area, and he made sure that we saw many things that we would not have seen by ourselves.

A highlight of our trip. I unexpectedly found myself in a wheelchair unable to walk lots so this was a way to see the city still and it turned out to be one of our best Japanese experiences. We had Fumi and Kai as our guides and they were funny, knowledgeable, chatty and incredibly fit! We saw so much in our 2 hours with time to explore various areas.

We thoroughly enjoyed our rickshaw experience. I understand why other reviewers called it a must-do experience while you're in Kyoto. Your actual route will depend on the length of tour you opt for at booking. We booked 2 hours and our guide / driver asked us what we had already seen and what we were interested in seeing in the area. Our "driver" was friendly and entertaining and we were tucked cozily under warm blankets on a cold day. We really got a sense of Kyoto and enjoyed seeing numerous points of interest along the way, including Kennin-ji Temple (Kyoto's oldest Zen temple), Maruyama Park, and Chionin Temple where we made stops. Our guide also shared information on the places we visited, tips on what we may want to check out later on our own, and took great pictures for us (also showing us good photo spots). 2 hours flew by and we had a great time! Highly recommended!

Ebisu rickshaw tour is an absolute must for first-timers in Kyoto and was one of the highlights of our trip. It’s the perfect way to experience the Higashiyama district’s ancient alleys, architecture, and shrines such as Yasaka and Kodaiji, while truly understanding the history and culture behind them. Our experience was made exceptional by Mr Fumi and Mr Moto. Mr Fumi guided my husband and me, sharing rich historical insights with fluent English, warmth, and humour. He was jovial, polite, and incredibly knowledgeable, stopping at scenic spots to take beautiful photos and even creating a lovely edited video at the end—a wonderful keepsake. Mr Moto was the rickshaw guide for our two teenage kids. Young, caring, and eloquent in English, he connected effortlessly with them by chatting about anime and modern Japanese culture, tailoring the tour perfectly to suit teenagers. Our kids absolutely loved the ride and couldn’t stop raving about the experience. We’ve done rickshaw tours in other countries, but this was by far the best. Thoughtful, professional, and memorable—thank you Mr Fumi and Mr Moto for making our Kyoto trip so special. Overall, this is a very big must-try—especially if you have limited time in Kyoto. It gives you a wonderful glimpse into the city’s culture and history, and you appreciate it even more after seeing it for yourself: the atmosphere, daily life, and everything happening as you glide through the alleys.

Best way to see the old town and learn about the culture, conventions and folk lore. Our operators speak great English and take beautiful photos.

Our guide, Fuji, was absolutely amazing! We really enjoyed our time with him. We saw some beautiful parks and he took some great pictures. Highly recommend.

Fabulous Rickshaw tour of Gion with Kanta - he showed us some of the loveliest streets and temples in the district and his English is excellent. He explained what we saw well and happily answered all of our questions. We were fortunate to see a real Geisha arriving for her lunch appointment and were able to take a few discreet photos. All in all an excellent experience that we would recommend to all of our friends and family.

Intelligent and informative rickshaw operator. Was entertaining and also had to moved two heavy gentlemen up a very demanding course over an hours' time on a very hot and humid day .

We thoroughly enjoyed the hard work and conversation and explanation on our Rickshaw. The area is amazing and crowded and certainly the Rick show makes it more enjoyable. The only thing I would question against is when it’s near the end they offer for another $50 another 45 minutes. They take you to a spot park the rickshaw and you walk most of the 45 minutes into the bamboo forest and then they take you back. Felt the second part for the additional $50 was not worth it. Skip it in my opinion.

This rickshaw tour was one of the highlights of our time in Kyoto. Fumi, our guide (and powerhouse!), brought the city’s history to life with stories that were heartfelt, vivid, and full of local insight. We stopped at tucked-away temples, shrines, streets and scenic spots we would never have found on our own, and Fumi’s passion for Kyoto’s heritage was infectious. Yes, we felt a little guilty being pulled around—but his pride in sharing this tradition and reassurance it was his pleasure to do so made it a beautiful way to experience old Kyoto through the eyes of someone who clearly loves it.

We had a excellent rickshaw operator,Yoshi was very informative and his English was excellent.Highly recommended

This was truly the best way to see the beautiful streets of Kyoto! Yoshi, Daichi and Takumi were the nicest, fittest and lovely guides. They even walked us to the shrine and explained the whole history and customs. I would do it again in a heart beat.

Really enjoy the ride, very nice team! We lucky to see Miko Geisha. My son and I love this experience! 5-star service!

Outstanding tour and experience. Our guide was an expert in the streets of Kyoto. Physically fit, perhaps the hardest working man in Kyoto. Again, outstanding.

Hina was such a knowledgable person and patient in answering all my questions. I would highly recommend this activity to my friends but really i want to thank Hina for being the best tour guide ive come across Japan, such a hard worker! I felt like a princess that day for how attentive he was and making sure i was comfortable throughout my tour🩵

We only took the 1/2 hour tour and had the most lovely time. Our driver was extremely helpful and took pictures for us and of us. Totally recommend this experience!!

What better way to take a moment to absorb your surroundings whilst in the hustle and bustle of Japan. Amazing guides (Fumi & Hina), fascinating history and memories to last a lifetime.

They have a stretch of private road through the bamboo forest so you can easily get awesome pictures without tons of people in the background. They are flexible and customize the length of ride and take walk ups.

We had 3 rickshaws for our family. Before the trip, my teens asked 'what's a rickshaw?'. After the trip, they were laughing and talking about how much fun our guides Dairhic, Riyu, and Makoto were. The guides did an excellent job relating with everyone in the group...all while hefting several hundred pounds up a hill and in a second language!

This was such a fun way to get around! Our rickshaw driver, Yoppy, was very energetic, knowledgeable, and spoke very well. Despite the glaring sun he was very cheerful and passionate about what he does. Even in dragging around two big Latinos in the June heat. Highly Recommended!

This was our favorite part of the trip. I wish I could remember our guide’s name but he was wonderful! Totally worth it. It was pouring raining the entire time yet he still seemed to love what he does. We had a great time. Highly recommend.

We bumped into Yohei in Kyoto to escape the rain and avoid getting our lovely kimonos wet. Truly lovely experience of luxury to be driven to various sites around Kyoto, stopping to take awesome photos and short videos that will be fantastic memories to keep forever. We did a 45min ride, saw the famous pagoda, rode around the streets of Gion, spotted some geishas and paid our respects to some shrines

This was a great way to tour around a part of Kyoto! Daichi, our tour guide, was incredibly informative and spoke clear English! He is a professional level cinematographer and photographer!! We left the tour with great pictures, videos, knowledge, and tips on how to spend the rest of our day in Kyoto. I would definitely recommend!

We ended up doing the Rickshaw ride at Arashiyama. WOW WOW a must if you are in Kyoto. I cannot say enough about my gratitude to Larissa who made it all possible. Her customer service is amazing. We had Yoshi and he’s the best. So engaging and fun and loved our interaction with him. If you want the best pictures in Bamboo forest try to get Yoshi. He works magic with all the pictures he took from our ride. We have great memories from this tour.

We had 2 rickshaws. Both guys were great (Fumi & Su). They are knowledgeable and hospitable. We saw and learned a lot during the two hours ride.

We had the 70 minute Higashiyama tour with our guide Shuhei and he was fantastic. We saw a lot in the beautiful district of Gion with its many buddhist temples and shinto shrines. Fun, interesting and romantic... highly recommended!

From the very start, this was a great experience. We were warmly greeted by our driver, Moto and the trip started. These “drivers” work so hard, both physically and as a guide to make the trip great. We had taken a night time walking tour the night before of the same general area and it was great to see it during the day. This is a must do experience.

Kai was our very knowledgeable guide whose high level of fitness enabled him to haul around two six footers for 90 minutes. He gave, literally, a running commentary around the beautiful, narrow streets of old Kyoto, alowing us to stop and take photos. Kai was such a lovely, personable young man, laughing all the way round and learned, from us, the all important new word "chimney"! A highly recommended tour. Be warned, the rickshaw seats are only 29" wide!

Our rickshaw puller was Kota and he was friendly, informative and impressively strong. His English was good and we had a wonderful 2 hour tour where we visited shrines, temples and very picturesque areas. He was also a very good photographer!

This was such fun. We had 2 rickshaws for our family of 4 and our 2 drivers - Yasusei and apologies but forgot the 2nd driver's name - could not have been more hospitable. They asked us which area we wanted to see and after deciding to go through the Geisha district we were on our way. Along the route we stopped at various temples and shrines to take photos with the guides providing us insightful bits of history and information. You do feel like a bit of a royal being pulled through the streets and we finished with smiles all round. Would definitely recommend.

This rickshaw tour/rise was amazing. Humi was wonderful and our time with him will be a cherished highlight of our trip to Japan. Must book!

Very cool way to get around the Kyoto we hadn’t seen yet. Our drivers took us to Sakura park with hundreds of beautiful cherry blossoms and street vendors and taught us the history behind Temples and shrines in that area. We went through the geisha district and learned so much. We loved this experience.

We had a fantastic time on our Rickshaw tour! Our drivers were so nice, and knowledgeable not to mention they were the best photographers and videographers we could’ve asked for! We did a 70 minute tour and it was perfect!

This was a highlight of our trip. Knowlegable driver. Amazing photographer. Loved the special path with no crowds to get great photos. Loved how flexible our driver was and dropped us at the Rickshaw cafe for brunch. Highly recommend.

An extraordinary experience! We have lots of fun. Our rickshaw drives were very knowledgeable and polite. We learned so much about Kyoto.

My husband was not very enthused about going on this tour but changed his mind after we went on it. We had chosen the 70 minute tour and we both had our own rickshaw. It was good to explore Gion this way. Both of our drivers were fun. Daichi and Kai were funny. I would highly recommend.

This experience was fantastic. We reserved 3 hours for 4 people and had 2 rickshaws. Kota and Fumi were our drivers and we had so much fun we added on an additional 3 hours. They were great guides with so much knowledge. I would highly recommend this tour especially if it’s your first time to Kyoto. They are great photographers too with a good sense of humor.

Please, if you’re in Kyoto must do this experience. We have the three hour trip our guide Kota was excellent. His knowledge about the city and history was amazing. What a very friendly lad he was I couldn’t believe how fit he was pulling around that rickshaw. Again, what an amazing experience, thank you.