Uncover the best of Kyoto Day Trip the local Way

"My husband and I booked a private 3-hour tour with Tiro recently while we were in Kyoto. We weren’t sure what we wanted to see, but we knew we wanted to learn some things about the culture and spend some time in nature and Tiro delivered! He listened to our likes/dislikes and quickly came up with an agenda that ticked all the boxes, from a leisurely stroll through the outskirts of a geisha district—we were lucky enough to encounter a couple geisha walking down the street with no one else in sight!—to a Buddhist Temple and, our favorite, a visit to a beautiful Shinto Shrine in a forest. Tiro isn’t native but he’s lived in Japan a long time and is fluent in Japanese. It was perfect as he knows the culture but also pointed out things that he knew would be especially interesting to us being from another country. Really glad we chose Tiro; it was a great way to spend a few hours. And now I know that tatami mats are a standard size and they sometimes measure rooms as such: i.e. 3 tatami mats wide by 5 tatami mats long. Little fun facts like this make me super happy! LOL"

"Tour with Naoki was the best possible way to experience Kyoto! He is kind and open-hearted, witty and speaks excellent English. As soon as we met, we knew we want to book another tour with him :) he went above and beyond to take care of everyone in our mixed age group. Naoki took us to many amazing places with few or almost no tourists. Authentical Kyoto, magical, interesting, quiet…without the crowds we heard so much about. We appreciated the opportunity to spend some time with a local and talk about everyday life, too. Naoki lived abroad for a while, so he’s very open-minded and easy to connect with. We really enjoyed his company! Don’t think twice, just book any tour with Naoki, he will do his best to tailor it according to your wishes ❤️"

"We couldn’t have been more pleased with Naoki as our guide. From the reports we’d read about the crowds making it feel like Disneyland, were preparing ourselves for chaos in Kyoto. Our experience was the opposite. Naoki took us to a Shinto shrine which was not only peaceful, but beautiful and fascinating. Naoki explained the Shinto and Buddhist faiths to us—and their differences—in a clear, easy-to-digest way that captivated even the less history-minded members of our group. Not only that, Naoki was kind and fun to spend three hours with. The tour was over in a flash! Later, I went to Fushimi Inari and the visit was much more meaningful after learning about Shinto practices from Naoki. Highly recommend Naoki for your guide in Kyoto. You won’t be disappointed!! "

"Naoki-San is an incredible, knowledgeable and entertaining guide! We have a certain knowledge about Japan and we even know bits and pieces about Kyoto. Still, Naoki gave us great additional information, gave us a lot of social-historical background and let us see really hidden gems of Kyoto. Great links from the “past” to the “present”. Yet, his tour is extremely entertaining, he fully caters for the needs of his clients and he does this in an entertaining and witty way. We did not only learn a lot, but we also had a lot of fun a good laugh! The tour was brilliant and we even had an immediate second booking with Naoki (a food tour including an extraordinary bicycle tour) that manifested our extremely positive impression of the first day. I strongly recommend Naoki-san. Naoki: YOU ARE BRILLIANT! "

"Ahmed was an excellent tour guide in Kyoto. He gave us a private tour - we were a group of four people. He had a solid command of Japanese history, culture and politics. He took us on a fascinating walking tour of Kiyomizu-dera and Gion. We were interested in the history of Japan - imperial and modern - and he did a wonderful job of explaining the connections between Shintoism and Buddhism in the context of Japanese history, politics and culture. His unique background allowed him to provide a fresh perspective on the sociocultural norms in Japan, providing his inside experiences as a newcomer. He was able to answer all of our questions in-depth, and adjust the course of the tour to accommodate our unique interests (e.g., the rituals involving Gaishas). We found Ahmed a very knowledgeable and thoughtful tour guide with exceptional communication and storytelling skills. "

"My wife and our two boys did a guided tour with Naoki during our trip to Kyoto. He was incredibly knowledgeable, interacted well with our two teenage sons, and taught us a tremendous amount about both the area, its history, and broader history of the interaction between Shinto and Buddhist traditions in Japan. He was able to tailor our tour to the questions we asked and parts that sparked our interest. Would highly recommend and would do another tour with him if the opportunity presented itself. Thanks Naoki!"

"Naoki has made our first time in Japan as he made it a truly rich and memorable experience! We booked 2 days with Naoki - one in Kyoto and another in Nara. He curated a great itinerary that connected history, culture, nature and food across both cities and was inclusive to my sister who is disabled. We particularly enjoyed seeing the quieter sides of busy tourist sites, and visiting Uji, which we hadn't thought of doing until Naoki had made the suggestion.  His communication was fantastic when organising the tour, even letting us know what the weather would be like on the day! During the tour, he was flexible and adjusted the tour to our pace without it feeling cut short. Even on our days without him, he provided us with amazing recommendations for food, shows and shrines to visit.  Please book with Naoki if you want a guide with great local knowledge and who will go above and beyond! "

"We had a 2 1/2 hour tour with Ted. Ted was very kind and knowledgeable. He speaks both Japanese and English and gave an authentic and interesting tour of the Gion District. He was able to talk to both adults and children equally well. He went out of his way to give recommendations for things we could do later in the day and week. Can’t wait to return and take another tour with Ted!"