🏆 **2025 GOLDEN GUIDE AWARD WINNER**
Selected as one of only **25 recipients from more than 5,000 guides worldwide.**
🌸 **EXPLORE KYOTO WITH A BUDDHIST MONK & NATIONALLY LICENSED GUIDE**
**Buddhism • Gardens • Geisha Culture • Mindfulness • History**
Hello, and thank you for visiting my profile!
I am a **Buddhist monk, National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter, and holder of a Master’s degree in Buddhist Studies**, based in Kyoto. I also teach Japanese Buddhism and cultural history to international university students.
My goal is not simply to show you famous places, but to help you understand the **history, ideas, philosophy and living traditions behind them.**
**Kyoto itself becomes our classroom.**
A temple garden may lead us into a conversation about Zen philosophy, wabi-sabi or impermanence. A walk through Gion may open the door to Kyoto’s geisha traditions.
Whether this is your first visit or your fifth, I hope to help you discover a deeper Kyoto.
🧘♂️ **BUDDHISM, MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS**
Buddhism is both my academic field and part of my everyday life.
Depending on your interests, we can explore **Buddhist philosophy and history, different Japanese Buddhist traditions, Zen, meditation, temple gardens, wabi-sabi, monastic life, mindfulness, and how Buddhist ideas may relate to modern life.**
For guests with a deeper interest, I also offer tours exploring **Buddhism, Mindfulness & Personal Transformation**.
🌿 **INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE**
In addition to guiding in Kyoto, I teach meditation to international visitors, universities and professional organizations. I also occasionally travel to **California to teach meditation**, including Cupertino and Los Angeles.
Selected experience:
• **National Geographic** — Meditation program for its Kyoto tour
• **Apple HQ** — Meditation workshop for 150 employees
• **Microsoft** — Meditation program for 15 Southeast Asian CEOs
• **USC Marshall School of Business**
• **Kwansei Gakuin University**
🏮 **GEISHA CULTURE & THE GION FESTIVAL**
I serve as an **official board member of the Gion Festival**, one of Japan’s most celebrated festivals, with a history of more than 1,150 years.
I offer insight into Kyoto’s **geiko and maiko culture**, including its history, arts, customs and continuing role in contemporary Kyoto.
🌸 **MY STYLE OF GUIDING**
My tours are **private, flexible and conversation-based** — not simply a checklist of famous attractions.
I adjust the experience to your **interests, pace, previous visits, the season and local conditions.**
Interested in Buddhism? We can go deeper into philosophy and history.
Love gardens? We can explore Japanese aesthetics and the relationship between **nature and the mind**.
Fascinated by traditional Kyoto? We can explore **Gion and geisha culture**.
Already visited Kyoto? Let’s go beyond the standard sightseeing routes.
**Tell me what fascinates you about Japan, and we can build the day around it.**
🚕 **PRACTICAL INFORMATION**
I do not drive. We normally travel by **walking, taxi/Uber and public transportation**. I can also accompany guests with a private vehicle or assist in arranging one upon request.
Please note that I cannot provide cruise-port pick-up or drop-off in Kobe or Osaka.
Availability can change quickly, especially during **spring (March–April)** and **autumn (November–December)**, and additional fees may apply during peak periods.
🌸 **GO BEYOND SIGHTSEEING**
Behind Kyoto’s temples, gardens and traditions are more than a thousand years of **ideas, beliefs, aesthetics and human stories**.
**Come not only to see Kyoto, but to understand it.**
I look forward to welcoming you to Kyoto!
**Daisuke**
