Enjoy Kyoto with this customizable, private guided tour with a vehicle

Kyoto keeps traditional arts and beauty alive, but the busses and subways can be confusing and provide challenges for those with walking limitations. At Japan Eleven Plus, we want everyone to experience Kyoto so we are happy to provide this customizable, private guided tour with a minibus!

Join us on a tour of Kyoto to see Kiyomizu Temple as it towers over the historical Gion district, famous for its rich history of geisha. The bamboo forest of Sagano and the gardens, shrines and temples in Kyoto will provide you with a window into old Japan.

Once your reservation is made, a guide will contact you to plan your personalized tour. Choose 4 to 5 spots from ‘Tour Details’ to visit. Whether you are a history buff, love Japanese architecture, or just want to enjoy a green tea parfait, Kyoto has something for you!

*Maximum 15 participants per tour.
*If you have a child or children in your group, please let us know the number and their age.

This local guided tour takes you to food adventure in the heart of Kyoto! Gain a thoroughly enjoyable introduction to Kyoto’s authentic food culture with a small-group guided tour for the city’s best eating spot, Nishiki Market.

In addition, you will see different faces of this town while walking around the neighborhood and you will learn about not only foods but more about Kyoto such as religion, tradition and history.

Your friendly guide will also give you a lot of tips about Kyoto, such as useful information to travel around, cultural clues which makes your stay more enjoyable.
Let's enjoy one step deeper and get into the local.

Is your pick up point in Kobe? Then book this tour to see Kyoto!

Your guide and private vehicle will pick you up in Osaka for a private Kyoto Tour!

Delve into Kyoto's cherished hanami tradition with a local guide, exploring hidden sakura spots beyond typical tourist paths. Begin at the tranquil Maruyama Park, famous for its cherry blossoms, where you'll experience hanami in a serene setting, away from the crowds.

Next, venture to Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, a less-visited gem where cherry trees bloom in quiet elegance, offering a calm retreat from city life.

The adventure continues at Daimaru's depachika, an underground food paradise. Here, choose a delightful obento, adorned with sakura-themed delicacies, under your guide's expert eye.

Conclude with a hanami picnic at a secluded spot, perhaps within the garden or another hidden gem nearby. Under the cherry blossom canopy, savor your meal, enriched with stories and cultural insights from your host.

This experience offers an authentic immersion into Kyoto’s springtime allure, providing a deeper understanding and appreciation of the hanami culture in Japan's ancient capital.

There is much history in this city that you don’t want to miss so book our Government Licensed and Experienced English-speaking guides for a walking tour of Kyoto!

Temples, shrines, and tea ceremonies. The traditions of ancient Japan are still alive and well in the old capitol, Kyoto. Walking around this beautiful city can feel like you are in a time machine as its architecture has been preserved for centuries. Kiyomizu Temple towers over the historical Gion district, famous for its rich history of geisha. There is much history in this city that you don’t want to miss so book our Government Licensed and Experienced English-speaking guides for a walking tour of Kyoto!

Once your reservation is made, a guide will be in touch to plan your personalized tour. Choose 3 to 4 spots that you wish to visit and your guide will plan a personalized itinerary. If you do not know where to visit, ask the guide to send you their recommended itinerary based on your interests. Whether you are a history buff, love the beauty of old Japanese architecture, or just want to enjoy a green tea parfait, Kyoto has something for you!

For the time and budget-conscious traveler, experience the Gion district with our government-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guides.

You'll start your day by meeting your guide at the Tatsumi Daimyojin Shrine, the center of Gion. While exploring Gion, your guide will show you the history and culture of geisha―from their kimonos and hairstyles to rules and daily rituals.

You'll walk down the cobbled streets of three Geisha areas in total―Gion, Pontocho, and Miyagawacho―while you listen to stories of Kyoto's ancient past. If you're lucky, you may even spot a geisha on the street!

This short but value-packed trip is a fantastic way of experiencing a side of Kyoto that most tourists do not get to see.

This private tour is a walking day tour with a guide. A private vehicle is not included.

This 6hr walking tour includes 2hr Sushi making experience at atelier SUSHI in Kyoto. Atelier SUSHI offers a hands-on experience where you will learn to make Nigiri and Maki sushi using the freshest fish from Kyoto’s Nishiki Market. You will master the art of sushi-making under the guidance of an English-speaking instructor and enjoy your own delicious creations. Before your experience, you will go on a walking tour with our licensed guide! Your guide will drop you off at atelier SUSHI after a 4-hour walking tour.

Please craft your itinerary by choosing 2 to 3 spots on the ‘what to expect’ or ‘itinerary’ list.

Start time: Your start time for the experience may vary. The estimated time for the experience will be about 4 hours from the start of the tour.

The experience time may vary slightly depending on the situation on the day.

A shorter walking tour experience in traditional Kyoto

Staying in Osaka? Book this walking tour to discover Kyoto!

In this tour, we start early to beat the crowds. Temples, shrines, and tea ceremonies. The traditions of ancient Japan are still alive and well in the old capitol, Kyoto. Walking around this beautiful city can feel like you are in a time machine as its architecture has been preserved for centuries. There is much history in this city that you don’t want to miss so book our Government Licensed and Experienced English-speaking guides for a walking tour of Kyoto!

Once your reservation is made, a guide will be in touch to plan your personalized tour. Choose 2 to 3 spots that you wish to visit and your guide will plan a personalized itinerary. If you do not know where to visit, ask the guide to send you their recommended itinerary based on your interests. Whether you are a history buff, love the beauty of old Japanese architecture, or just want to enjoy a green tea parfait, Kyoto has something for you!

Experience Kyoto like a local with a private, customized walking tour designed just for you. This is more than just a tour—this is an intimate, immersive Kyoto experience crafted around you. Explore iconic spots like Kyoto Tower, Togetsu-kyō Bridge, and Ginkaku-ji Temple, along with hidden gems tailored to your interests.

Your guide will craft an itinerary based on your passions, offering insider tips and uncovering the city's top attractions and cultural secrets. Discover sacred sites like Fushimi Inari Taisha, explore the cultural richness of Gion, or venture into historic neighborhoods off the beaten path. Let your guide reveal Kyoto's true essence and charm.

Within 24 hours of booking, you'll receive a questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, we'll assign a like-minded host who will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary and ensure your experience is flexible and tailored to your preferences.

Learn about Kyoto's food and culture on this tour! Maybe try some of Kyoto's pickled veggies!

- Discover Kyoto's special streets with their quaint atmosphere, as if you had time-slipped into ancient times.
Kiyomizuzaka is the name of an area that is composed of several streets with a traditional feel of Kyoto. In the area, we also take you to the most colorful temple in Kyoto called Yasakakoshindo.

- A variety of local street foods will take you to Kiyomizu-Dera
After that, we'll enjoy local snacks and foods there! We'll then visit the Kiyomizu-dera Temple. We'll also visit Otowa Waterfall, which brings you good luck. Let's try the Japanese way of worshipping together.

- Lead yourself into a world of an elegant and peaceful Tea Ceremony
Enjoy traditional-style tea ceremony with Japanese sweets in a sophisticated room surrounded by tea utensils.

Magical Trip is a local tour operator with the TripAdvisor certificate of excellence that offers various types of small-group tours throughout Japan! Check out our Trip Advisor Page for more tours and our reviews!

A 4hr walking tour with a Samurai Lesson & Show!

This 6 hr walking tour includes 90 minutes of Ramen making at Ramen Factory in Kyoto. Ramen Factory is a unique restaurant where you can make original ramen by hand and enjoy its deliciousness. In this experience, you will learn noodle making from scratch and homemade char siu making under the guidance of an English-speaking instructor. Before your experience, you will go on a walking tour with our licensed guide! Your guide will drop you off at Ramen Factory after a 4-hour walking tour.

Please craft your itinerary by choosing 2 to 3 spots on the ‘what to expect’ or ‘itinerary’ list.

Start time: Your start time for the experience may vary. The estimated time for the experience will be about 4 hours from the start of the tour.

You’ll join one of our Kyoto hosts to taste the city’s most delicious meals and street food. Kyoto is a city rich in cultural heritage, and this has directly influenced its culinary tradition.

Keep things moving with a quick trip to a 100-yen sushi bar and have a draft beer in an intimate izakaya. At this small local bar, you’ll share small plates of local specialties your local Host will be happy to introduce you to.
And for a uniquely Kyoto experience shared with your local insider, enjoy a steaming bowl of Nishin-soba and a cold drink as the sun sets over the Kamo River.

Within 24 hours after booking, you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a local host who will get in touch with the best food recommendations to create a bespoke itinerary to your taste and requests.

Join one of our local Hosts to get yourself comfortable in Kyoto. You’ll feel like you’re being welcomed into the city by a friend who can’t wait to show you all its highlights, as well as hidden gems. They could take you to see some famous attractions like The Golden Pavilion or Fushimi Inari Shrine, or you could explore the area where you’re staying and receive plenty of recommendations on where to eat, drink and explore!

You’ll explore Kyoto with the guidance of a local Host, experiencing a taste of what makes it so unmissable. Walk through its enchanting, historic streets and marvel at the traditional wooden architecture. Discover iconic attractions like the Golden Pavilion, or immerse yourself in the lush greenery of Arashiyama bamboo grove.

Within 24 hours after booking, you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host who will suggest a personalized itinerary to your personality and interests.

Travel to Japan’s 8th century capital and immerse yourself in Nara’s ancient heritage and leafy green surroundings. With one of our hosts by your side, you will make the short journey from Kyoto to this city, which plays home to some of the most significant Zen temples and Shinto shrines in all of Japan. When lunch rolls around (which it inevitably does), you can enjoy authentic Kansai cuisine at a tranquil spot.

Within 24 hours after booking you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

Join one of our hosts to explore Kyoto after dark. Amble through the wooden alleyways of historic Gion and see the picturesque streets of old Pontocho. Discover sacred shrines hidden in cosmopolitan shopping areas and share small dishes and beers with your host in a traditional izakaya or tachinomiya (standing bar). Kyoto after dark is more a feeling than a place, and with your host by your side, you’ll tap right into that.

Within 24 hours after booking you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

Spend time with one of our hosts exploring Kyoto. Half a day is not nearly enough time to see the whole city, but with a host by your side you will get a feel for its energy. Explore one of Kyoto's traditional neighborhoods, and see Kyoto as you would if you were coming to visit a friend who lived here.

Within 24 hours after booking, you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

You’ll spend the night bar hopping through the historic Gion district with one of our hosts. This neighborhood has been entertaining locals for centuries, so you can imagine they’ve perfected the craft. There’s no more authentic way to experience Kyoto’s nightlife than by visiting a few traditional izakaya (bars)! With paper lanterns and quaint wooden houses to set the scene, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into another time (or maybe that’s the sake talking).

Within 24 hours after booking you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

You must be itching to explore Kyoto’s temples, gardens and scenery the city is famous for, but figuring out how to keep an entire family entertained is tough. Join one of our hosts, who will take the reins so you can enjoy your family trip. From the Kyoto Railway Museum to the Shoren-in Temple with gardens for the kids to play, your host will plan a day which reflects your family’s interests. And when tummies start rumbling, your host will show you where to slurp away on ramen - yum!

Within 24 hours after booking you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

Spend the day with one of our friendly hosts as you take to the streets of Kyoto and unleash your inner explorer! Visit iconic and sacred sites, or explore the culturally rich entertainment district of Kamishichiken and Gion together. Not your vibe? Get off the beaten tourist track and explore hidden gems in the city that only a local would know about. Wherever you roam, keep your eyes open to the astonishing natural beauty of Kyoto.

Within 24 hours after booking, you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded local host. Your local host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do

Enjoy a dreamy day trip to the tranquil district of Arashiyama, home to famous Bamboo Grove and some very cheeky monkeys! Visit some of the temples and explore the riverbanks around the Togetsukyo Bridge. Venture to the well-preserved, Saga-Toriimoto Street and smaller sites like Gioji. Sample an authentic meal at a neighborhood eatery - we find that lunch always seems to roll around eventually.

Within 24 hours after booking you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

Accompanied by a government-licensed and experienced multilingual guide, explore the area of Arashiyama and Sagano, where aristocrats once unwound in their villas more than 1,000 years ago.

The highlights of this tour include the scenic countryside views from Togetsukyo bridge; Tenryu-ji temple with its beautiful traditional gardens; the enchanting world from within the Bamboo Grove; and Jojakko-ji Temple with its breathtaking green moss. During the tour you will also visit some secret spots unfamiliar to the usual tourists.

Enjoy the walk and delicious food while learning about Japanese culture and history. Our guides are looking forward to arranging a tour that’s best for you!

Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.
Note*2: The National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

Join one of our hosts to immerse yourself in the delicious world of traditional Japanese wagashi - sweet confections. Japanese culinary pursuits are precise and packed with extraordinary flavor, and wagashi is no different. Visit Nishiki Market, a food market as well as a traditional tea house to find the staple ingredients of Kyoto’s cuisine and try some of the yummy sweets. You won’t know whether you should devour or Instagram these beauties.

Within 24 hours after booking you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

The life of a geisha is shrouded in secrecy, but you’ll be offered a rare glimpse into this ‘Floating World’ as you explore Gion with one of our hosts. Visit the famous Pontocho alley; a narrow passageway lined with bars, restaurants, and traditional geisha tea houses. You’ll also explore the scenic street of Shimbashi. Enjoy this ethereal evening with your host, as you travel back in time together (figuratively, of course).

After booking, you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host who will personalize the itinerary to your requests and interests.

Traditional and historical Japanese gardens are best sites to see Japanese aesthetics. Both artistic landscape gardens with seasonal plants and dry landscape gardens at Zen temples help you get relaxed for meditation. Visiting various styled gardens and experiencing traditional Japanese spirits which are represented in plants, rocks, and total design.

Our government-licensed and experienced multilingual guides will help you efficiently enjoy a one-day private tour of the best Japanese gardens in Kyoto.

Select gardens from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary. In addition to gardens, you may also choose any famous site in Kyoto for a truly memorable experience!

Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.
Note*2: National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

- Our knowledgeable local guide will lead you to a hidden gem, a serene Japanese temple, and a picturesque garden that often eludes tourists' radars. We'll provide insights on appreciating Japanese garden aesthetics, drawing intriguing comparisons between Eastern and Western beauty. The morning ambiance is truly invigorating, allowing for a leisurely stroll through this enchanting area, with delightful stops at traditional shops along the way.

- We'll explore some of Arashiyama's renowned landmarks, including the iconic bamboo grove and the scenic Okawauchi Sanso garden, where we can relish a serene garden walk.

- Our next destination is the UNESCO World Heritage site, Tenryu-ji Temple, where we'll immerse ourselves in the tranquility and elegance of Zen. Inside the temple grounds, you'll discover a restaurant serving authentic Syo-jin cuisine, originally crafted for Buddhist monks, providing an opportunity to savor authentic Kyoto dishes.

Kyoto's No.1 Fushimi Inari tour, through a hidden hiking trail up the mountain.

This private and customizable tour for Kyoto is perfect for guests who would like to have their own itinerary planned based on their interests and preferences, allowing guests to experience the city at their own pace.

This private and customizable tour for Kyoto is perfect for guests who would like to have their own itinerary planned based on their interests and preferences, allowing guests to experience the city at their own pace.

The ideal tour for independent travelers that wish to discover Kyoto on their own, but prefer the ease of travelling in a private vehicle with an English-speaking chauffer.

Pub crawl through the hidden local izakaya bars & eateries in Pontocho at night

You’ll join one of our friendly hosts to journey to Osaka, a city which frankly needs no introduction. You’ll explore this spirited city’s highlights and hidden gems - it’s all going down. Traditionally home to Japan’s merchant class, you’ll find Osaka to be less traditional in its approach to food and life - the locals have a wild sense of humor and sure know how to have a good time, and how to make good food!

Within 24 hours after booking, you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

Enjoy the local Kyoto oasis that is Kamogawa river with a relaxing cycle

5hr guided walking tour with 1h foot spa& massage near Fushimi Inari temple

Stroll around Kyoto's classic district, Gion, before enjoying breakfast

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Try Kyoto's traditional, seasoned dishes at a hidden restaurant in Gion