Uncover the best of Nijo Castle the local Way

"Our Kyoto tour with Simone was AMAZING! Simone had great historical information of Kyoto. The places where he took us were incredible! He incorporated food tasting of local delicacies into the tour which made for a very pleasant pace. We have more to experience in Kyoto on our next visit and will reach out to Simone again. Highly recommended!"

"We (millenial couple from the UK) had such a great time with Ryuki as our guide in Kyoto! He was warm, funny, and incredibly knowledgeable — exactly what we were hoping for. We were curious about all the little historical details and Ryuki had answers (and stories) for everything. He also brought us to an amazing local lunch spot and had us tasting all kinds of delicious snacks throughout the day, always honest about what was worth trying. Even though he does these tours often, he was super patient with us stopping for photos at every tourist spot (thanks Ryuki!) and he blended our planned itinerary with his own suggestions perfectly. Plus, being from Kyoto himself, his personal stories really brought everything to life. We would’ve happily done 2–3 more days with him if we could’ve — highly recommend! P.s. we visited like 5 different sites in one day in 8 hours, absolutely insane performance :)"

"Amazing experience! We had a fantastic time with Ryuki as our tour guide! He was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, attentive, and helpful throughout the entire tour. We learned so much, laughed a lot, and truly enjoyed every moment. Thank you, Ryuki, for making our trip so special – you’re the best! 🙏🌟"

"We were touring Kyoto on an extremely hot day. Ryuki, who is a Kyoto local, did an amazing job of taking us to many of the most beautiful and historic places, while also showing us some indoor local restaurants and shops so that we could cool down for a few minutes every now and then. Our whole family loved Ryuki's positive, upbeat personality as well as his many trivia facts about the city. We really enjoyed our experience and would highly recommend Ryuki to anyone! "

"We had booked our full day tour with Ahmed, but he was ill and offered a replacement guide instead. It was a little confusing, I wasn't sure who would show up or what the new guide's name was, but Manabu turned out to be fantastic and we had a great day. It was actually serendipitous, he was a former novice monk, so he had a lot to teach us about Shinto/Buddhism, the temples, the omamori, and even looked up our individual Buddhas. He knew a lot of places to go where the crowds were less intense, but being high season, the crowds were still intense. Ahmed had advised us to hire a driver for USD $500+ for the day to avoid packed public transit, but that wasn't in our budget after paying $700+ for the tour itself (for 3 people). We ended up using taxis instead, which was much more cost effective and much easier. We never had a problem finding a taxi, and it was not expensive. I'd recommend that for anyone, it was very convenient and the best of all worlds. We were able to see more and do more without time wasted on buses and trams, and it was nice to get a break from the crowds. The eight hours flew by, we had a wonderful day despite being jetlagged. Really glad we chose the full day tour, and wish we had more time to explore in Kyoto with what we learned! I think Manabu is not normally a Withlocals guide, but if I could choose him again, I would. "

"She was very informative and she knew a lot of hidden secrets about Kyoto. Also went to really cool Japanese sword shop. Had food a great restaurant and walked a lot and enjoyed every minute."

"We booked Ryuki for a full day tour for 4 people. Ryuki provided clear and easy instructions to meet and was well on-time at the meeting place. He is personable, very easy to talk too, has a good sense of humour and took a real interest in our group, as did we with him, Over the Ryuki took us to multiple sites. While Kyoto is popular, even cramped, every time he had a way of focusing us on the history, scenery and associated stories that brought the sites to life, helping forget all the people. After the first several temples and shrines, he took us to a marvellous place for lunch in the Gion. Then we were off by train to the Thousand Arches. Again Ryushi directed us well to minimize the large crowds. On of our favourites for the day was the hike in the bamboo forest nearby the Shin-Osaka arches. The light was glorious. It also brought peace, calm and the sounds on nature. After the hike, he too us back to Keyoto Station so that he knew that we safely home. We would book Ryuki again. "