Within this part of Kyoto are the following places, all described in detaile below: Tenryuji, Bamboo Grove, Okochi Sanso. But also, we'll spend some time, as you wish, strolling the town itself, both along the river and through the shopping district.
The lovely, picture-perfect gardens are sure to both astound and bring you a sense of serenity. Timeless beauty, no matter what the season. We also get views of the prayer halls, mediation areas, and the bamboo grove (which we later walk right through).
You've probably seen this pictures of this, and now you get to be a part of it. A narrow road snakes up a gentle hillside, with bamboo towering both to your left and right. A classic, and for good reason.
Perched above Arashiyama's famous bamboo grove is this luxurious former actor's estate, largely built in the 1930s. You'll enjoy some macha (Japanese powdered green tea) and a small sweet, then stroll the gardens, take in the views, and check out the impressive buildings.
We spend a few minutes driving through and stopping for a quick stroll and picture taking in the Gion district.
Arguably the most famous Shinto Shrine in the land, Fushimi Inari entices you ever higher up the mountain with its famous red torii (gates). Don't worry, though -- this is a private tour, so we'll only go as high as you want to! Along the way, we'll talk about what Shintoism, Japan's original religion, and we'll see plenty of significant sights aside from those red torii, too.
The tour was very nice and Hugo was very informative of all the sights we visited. He thought we had more time, but was able to adjust the pace and still get us back to the ship on time.
We were on a Siversea cruise where one of the included tours in Osaka was to take one to Kyoto Station and return 5 hours later. We were both suffering from back problems so long walks and jostling on public transport was not right for us. The cost of a car with guide for 4 hours was eye watering. I searched the internet and found a guide who referred me to another guide. Our driver and guide was Hiroshi Oshima from Kyoto Limo Service. Hiro was great, we had some glitches at the start as I had problems with my phone. Eventually we connected and we saw everything we wanted to and Hiro showed us more on the way. His English is excellent and his explanations were interesting. It was also much cheaper than the ship's offering. We can highly recommend Hiro.
We visited the key highlights even within our short stay. Our guide did a great job explaining the interesting history and also with tailoring each stop for us.
It was a great time for all! Thomas, our guide was amazing! He arrived on time ( actually a bit early) so we got an early start which was great due to the heat. Saw some amazing things in Kyoto, ate a delicious lunch at a restraint he recommended. All was great, highly recommend
We had an absolutely fantastic time with Thomas on our Kyoto tour. The shrine and zen garden were absolutely beautiful. Had a nice lunch in town and could explore the interesting shops. Explored Gion which was really beautiful and then loved the walk through the Torii gates. Thomas was a fantastic guide. So thoughtful and knowledgeable, he explained everything and made it very interesting for the kids. We really loved it and would highly recommend this tour (as well as Thomas) to anyone.
Excellent tour of Kyoto. Lots of walking but worth it. Brian was a great tour guide. Would recommend this tour anytime!!!
We had such a wonderful time on this tour! Our guide Tomas (sp?) was friendly and spoke perfect English. He showed us several of the main tourist sites in Kyoto and shared stories about the city as we traveled between them. He was quick to jump in to offer to take our pictures throughout the day. He was very flexible and compassionate about dealing with our various mobility challenges and did his best to minimize the amount of walking we needed to do. We started the day a bit concerned since it was cold and rainy, plus we knew there would be large crowds due to the local spring break. However our fears were misplaced because we had a wonderful time. The day is a treasured memory of our time in Japan!
Hugo was an amazing guide. He had incredible knowledge and was fun to be with for a whole day. Pinpoint was flexible in adjusting the itinerary for our specific interests. We really enjoyed our excursion.
Pinpoint traveler really had their game on for this tour! Great, continuous upfront communications once the tour was booked and the day of the tour, our tour guide took ill. Pinpoint travel (Kristi) was all over it, regrouping their resources, communicating to us as well as the hotel to ensure that the delay was communicated and all in it was like a 30-minute delay. Our guide showed up, ready to rock and off we went. We had book this tour in hopes of catching the fall colors as well as the many attractions in Kyoto and nothing disappointed. Our guide was highly knowledgeable, had incredible insight on paths better taken to avoid the crowds and still see all the many wonders that were on the list to visit. The fall colors were in full bloom and gave the awe-inspiring tour and extra bit more love to an amazing adventure. This was a last tour of our Japan adventure and it was definitely a case of saving the best for last. Cannot recommend this tour & company enough.
My family and I had an awesome trip around Kyoto with Kevin! The weather was absolutely perfect, allowing us to fully enjoy the breathtaking autumn colors. Every stop was more stunning than the last, with Kevin expertly guiding us to the best spots to take in the seasonal beauty. The food was another highlight—delicious and perfectly matched to the atmosphere of Kyoto. Kevin’s recommendations were spot on, and the meal felt like a cultural experience in itself. Kevin is a fantastic guide—knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive. He went above and beyond to make the trip enjoyable and informative. I highly recommend this experience to anyone looking to explore Kyoto in the best way possible!
It was a great day. Our guide Hugo was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and gave us an insight into the history and culture of the place, as well as an insight into way of life in Japan. Although we had much less time than originally planned for our visit to Kyoto (due to Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas shortening our stay in port), we have managed to see most of what was on our bespoke itinerary and get a proper taste of the city. We enjoyed our visit to Kyoto very much indeed :-)
It was a great day. Our guide Hugo was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and good at describing the way of life in Japan, giving us insight into day-to-day living, as well as interesting facts about the history and culture of the place. Although we had much less time than originally planned for our visit to Kyoto (due to Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas, shortening our stay in port), we have managed to see most of what was on our bespoke itinerary and get a proper taste of the city and the area. We enjoyed our visit to Kyoto very much indeed :-)
Everywhere we went was incredible. Kevin provided so much great information and history. My 10 year old grandson was very impressed
Our driver:tour guide picked us on time took us and guide us and gave us background history of each site as well as took us to a fantastic local place for lunch as well as squeezed in a few unique places that wasn’t on the itinerary in addition to a few places that were on my list. Thank you Kevin for the fantastic tour for myself and my kids.
It was a hot and humid day but Thomas took us to beautiful and interesting places in Kyoto. Thomas has excellent English and great knowledge of the Japanese history. We learned a lot from him about life in Japan and history.
Our guide Lito met us at Osaka port & drove us to Kyoto. We connected with him straight away- easy going, fun. We loved his sense of humour & took outstanding photos. Lito understood what we would like to do in our private tour & more than delivered. He set the standards high for our next booking in a couple days time visiting Osaka. We highly recommend Lito & has been our best guide in Japan. Thanks for such an awesome day
Thomas was a great tour guide. Although French, he spoke Japanese fluently and was well versed in English as well. He navigated the busy streets of Osaka and Kyoto with ease and showed us the highlights of Kyoto. We would recommend Thomas as a friendly well organized and helpful guide
Our group (6 adults) had such an amazing time with Kevin doing this tour! Kevin was a great guide (shared good information, was timely, and just all-around great guy!) and drove us to Arashiyama, Kinkakuji and the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine. It was wonderful day and we all had a great time :)
Kevin R. was an amazing guide! He took us to the highlights of Kyoto (nice balance for our group, which included first timers in Japan and folks who had been there before). He had a lot of info to share, was very patient with our group which wanted to take tons of pics. Thank you, Kevin and Pinpoint Travels (esp Kristy, very responsive to emails before the tour). Private tour was so worth it!
A fun and interesting tour lead by Kevin R. From the beginning to end, this tour was great. Kevin’s friendly personality and knowledge made this tour a memorable experience. I highly recommend this tour as it fulfilled all our expectations and more. He took the time to show us Kyoto and never rushed us. His laidback style was exactly what I had hoped for. If you want a personal guide that is not boring then book this tour. Every place on this tour was amazing. Autumn fall colors and beautiful scenery. Unbelievably gorgeous! Five stars!
We booked this private tour for our family to go on a day trip to Kyoto with additional side trip to Nara Park. The tour itself isnt cheap but it was worth it to have a private car / driver /local guide / photographer to bring you around, which isnt easy to do as a tourist. Our guide Kevin is a caucasian who’s been living in Japan since 1996. Having an english speaking guide made this tour more fun since theres no language barrier. Kevin is also easy going and flexible. We always allot extra with every travel destination to get a private tour and so far, it proves to be well spent every time.
We had great time in Kyoto.Amazing place to visit. Our guide Kevin was great.Very knowledgeable and funny.Took us some amazing places which was not part of our itinerary. Also found a nice place for lunch since we wanted vegetarian food. For the company our car was small and not comfortable even though we booked for private tour. We think it was bit pricey. Overall excellent 👍🏻
Had a great day trip to Kyoto. Our guide, Levi, was very informative and funny and looked after us well. The gardens were beautiful and Kyoto was stunning. I would recommend this trip to anyone. Thank you Matt, Angela,Nathan and Louise
We had an excellent day with Daniel who took into consideration my mobility limitations and our interests to tailor a day that showed us the wonderful sights and experiences of Kyoto. Communication with this company was easy with very good response time.
Lito arranged a custom day for us based on our interests, and despite the drizzling weather, we had such a fantastic day. We saw beautiful gardens, shrines, bamboo forests, mountain trails with thousands of red Tori’s gates, and he even found an organic vegetarian restaurant that met my wife’s dietary restrictions. Thanks for the great day Lito!
We had a "confirmed" tour booked with this tour operator for April 6th 2023. 12 hours before we were set to leave on the tour, the operator (Kevin) sends us a message through Viator and cancels our Kyoto tour (at 6pm the evening prior) with no time left to make alternate arrangements when we were supposed to leave at 8am the next morning. This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip and we underwent significant stress at the last minute since many people cannot just change plans or find last-minute tours with another operator in the busiest travel season of the year. If the customer cancels the tour, it is non-refundable but if the operator cancels the tour within 24 hours, there is no penalty. Advanced notice should be required or the operator should be prepared to make other arrangements for the traveler. We want to warn other travelers who are planning to book with this company in the future. Do not trust your vacation plans with Pinpoint Traveler.
Shoji, our guide, was great. Very knowledgeable and fun to speak with. We have a three-generation family and he was very flexible in adapting to our requests for adjustment to the itinerary. We really enjoyed the experience.
Kelvin the guide was helpful and knowledgeable. We have enjoyed the day tour. A suitable tour for family.
Levy was a great guide, personable, knowledgeable and great with kids. Place was magical. Abundant in nature and preserved culture and history.
We had a great time . Tour guide Levy made it interesting and fun. Vehicle was new and clean. Would definitely recommend my friends.
Levy our tour guide was informative and made the tour interesting and fun. We had a great time and will definitely recommend our friends.
We had the most friendly and knowledgeable, English speaking guide, Levy, who showed us the most beautiful places. We had a fun filled lunch at sushi restaurant where we experienced interesting dishes from the ' sushi train'. Arashiyama is a showcase of beautiful Japanese gardening and Fushimi Inari one amazing place to visit. We were lucky not to have it too crowded. All in all, a memorable day and highly recommended. I have awesome memories and photos of this trip!
Our whole tour was amazing! Our guide, Levy, was very informative, funny and friendly. He took us to all the places I have included in the list and explained little things about our next destination while driving. He took us to a very good lunch and even suggested another good place for dinner. We had a blast in Kyoto and Levy made it even more special.
Dan was great. Knowledgeable, friendly and funny. The vehicle was not very clean though, not up to Japanese standard. This is not by a Japanese operator.
This was an amazing experience for our family. Shoji, we cannot thank you enough for showing us the best places in Kyoto, and for sharing the culture and general history of the area. Shoji really took care of us, and we had enough time to appreciate each spot. We highly recommend this tour!
Our group was picked up at our hotel in Osaka and driven to Kyoto to see the bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Kinkakuji, and Fushimi Inari. It was crazy hot but the air conditioned van made traveling much more bearable. Shoji is from Canada but now lives in Japan so his English was great! Super nice guy, the kind you'd sit down and have a beer with. He is very accommodating and also flexible as our plans changed, given some of our group got too tired and didn't want to walk around with the rest. He gave little tidbits of information for all the places we visited and even some of the places we drove past. We all had a great time and look forward to seeing him again for that beer!
This is my first review on Trip Advisor and feel Pinpoint Traveler deserves that honor. They planned 2 amazing days in Kyoto for our family (pleasing everyone is never easy especially a teenager). In addition, we had one adult with mobility issues which was also handled with care. We highly recommend their services, Kevin, Levy and Mardi are a pleasure to work with. We look forward to our next trip with them.
Excellent! The guide, Javi, was very dedicated, kind and allowed us our wishes. We recommend it!! We had two fabulous days in Kyoto.
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