Quiet Zen Temple Gardens of Daitokuji - Kyoto Half Day Tour

I was so thrilled that we found Brian and were able to take multiple tours with him (four days in total) throughout our stay in Kyoto. My husband and I are both artists with a deep interest in sacred art and architecture, and we wanted to better understand the religious ideas that gave rise to the extraordinary temples and shrines in and around Kyoto. Brian was a font of knowledge, helping us understand the histories and dynamics of each place we visited, including the fascinating relationship between Buddhist and Shinto practices, the contrasting beliefs of the various Buddhist sects, and the interplay of religion and politics throughout Japanese history. At every turn, Brian’s commentary provided insights that deepened what we saw and experienced. Not only was he a wonderful and patient teacher, but he was also generous, funny, and genuinely a joy to spend time with. He made our visit to Kyoto unforgettable, and we will never forget him. If what you are after is simple sightseeing and photo opportunities, Brian’s tours might not be for you. But if you are interested in understanding the religious concepts and practices that have shaped Japanese history, art, and culture, I cannot recommend him highly enough. Each tour with Brian was wonderful and deserving of recognition in its own right, so please forgive me for posting versions of this review multiple times. I honestly can’t recommend one tour over another because they were all exceptional. I do, however, strongly recommend discussing your interests and preferences with Brian beforehand, as we did, so he can thoughtfully tailor the experience to your personal interests.

We had high expectations for this tour given all the 5 star reviews yet our time with Brian exceeded our expectation. We learned so much in such a short period of time. Brian was warm , interesting and we loved his style of sharing his knowledge. The temple he took us to was a wonderful setting for what we wanted an understanding of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan. Highly recommend this tour or anything with Brian

Brian is such a knowledgeable tour guide — the go-to person if you want to really understand Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan. We had an unforgettable time sitting in front of the dry landscape garden (Zen garden) at Daitoku-ji Temple, talking about Buddhist teachings. It was a great chance for my husband to learn about Japan’s history, and for me, an eye-opening moment to rediscover my own roots.

Very interesting tour Brian provides lots of knowledge and insight on Budisim religion, history and philosophy

Brian is an expert regarding Japanese history and religions. He will take you on a deep dive. We loved learning in such depth and visiting a temple and shrine that were not crowded. I think it's important to know that you will be sitting and listening a lot on this tour - we didn't walk a huge amount - so this is on the academic side of things. If that's your thing, this tour is for you. We kept it to 3.5 hrs which was enough for our group. If we are lucky enough to return to Kyoto, we will reach out again to Brian to learn more.

Brian offers a unique perspective as an academic and Buddhist monk and we enjoyed engaging with his deep, critical insights. However, logistics made the tour uncomfortable. When booking, I asked to extend the half-day tour and offered to pay extra, but Brian didn’t clarify details, leading to misunderstandings. Brian’s physical limitations weren’t clear in the description and his slower pace limited our destinations despite touring all day. Despite doubling the time, we didn’t even visit all the gardens in the half-day description. We also had to pay for taxis because Brian couldn’t use public transport. The biggest issue was when Brian asked, in a taxi after the tour, for double the fee—despite the timing being largely due to his pace and inclusion of information beyond a garden tour. I therefore recommend clarifying physical, logistical, and financial limits before confirming.