Tomoko's Customized Kyoto Full Day Tour

Our tour guide Tomoko was very knowledgeable and patient with us as we adjusted our itinerary throughout the day. We took away the relevant history and back story of every site with visited and was able to answer whatever additional questions we had. If you're looking for an intimate experience then consider booking a tour with Tomoko. We were a party of four, five with the tour guide so we had to take two cabs in some cases however, Tomoko was always on top of hailing cabs or recommending the use of ride share apps.

Tomo was a wonderful guide. There is so much to see and the sites are a bit spread out so she helped really focus on the must-see places. In the morning, we focused on the western side of Kyoto (several UNESCO Heritage). We preferred to spend more time in fewer places, esp. given the heat, and Tomo was able to provide detailed historical and cultural information throughout the day. In the afternoon we focused on Arashiyama, with a wonderful lunch spot she picked, visiting the famed bamboo forest, and the Tenryu-ji Temple, where we enjoyed an extended stay overlooking the beautiful Sogenchi garden pond while a thunderstorm passed. We enjoyed some selected shopping and ended the day with a short trip to Gion. She gave us some great recommendations for the next day on our own and we felt comfortable navigating the city after a day with her. Thank you, Tomo!

Tomoko was very accommodating with our tour wishes. We were able to fit in everything we wanted to see. She’s very knowledgeable about the history of her home town. We thoroughly enjoyed our day. We would definitely book with Tomoko again.

Tomo was incredible! Prior to arriving in Kyoto she communicated with us and planned the perfect day for our family of 4. We were able to see many sites and she has so much knowledge about each place we visited. She brought us to a fantastic lunch soba/udon restaurant as well. This has easily been one of the best tours we have been on and we will totally be using her in the future when we return!

Tomoko (Tomo) is absolutely fantastic! Our tour was completely magical even on a day where the rain was fairly steady at times. We requested some "off the normal path" type of stuff and she did just that! She is highly immersed in her culture and helps to clear some of the misconceptions with truths about the culture in Kyoto. We did no feel rushed and her English is very proficient. Highly recommend! When we go back we will use Tomo again!

Helen M.United States

Tomoko was a wonderful, friendly and very knowledgeable tour guide. She shared her love of her home town and expertly guided us as we traveled to the Kinkokuji Temple, Ryoanji zen garden, the Fushimi Inari shrine, and Kiyomizu -dera temple. We traveled by subway, bus and even taxi. It was a very full day of touring, and we were just enchanted by the amazing history of Kyoto. She even went out of her way to ask the proprietor of a local cafe (where we had lunch) about the type of tea they were serving. We then decided to purchase the same tea from the local tea shop right before we traveled on to Osaka the following day! Thank you so much and we hope to return to Kyoto to learn more about the beautiful city plus surrounding areas>