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Offered languages
- English
This tour covers Fushimi Inari, the Arashiyama bamboo grove and Kinkaku-ji in a single morning, starting early enough that you walk the torii gates and the bamboo path before the day's crowds fill them.
What makes it different is that your guide photographs you at every stop, using your own phone. Most couples come home from Kyoto with selfies and pictures of each other taken separately. Here you get pictures of yourselves together, in the places you actually came to see, taken by someone who knows where the light falls.
The group is capped at 8 people and we travel by public transport, so you also get a sense of how the city moves in the morning. Your guide is a local English speaker who can tell you what the torii gates are for and who paid for them, not just where to stand.
Best for couples and photographers, and for anyone who would rather walk quiet streets than queue behind a tour bus.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Kyoto Station, Central Ticket Gate — the gate on the Kyoto Tower side, near a 7-Eleven. Look for a "GuideMe Japan" board. Please arrive 5-10 minutes early; latecomers cannot be admitted. The tour ends at Kinkaku-ji, not Kyoto Station.
The tour ends at Kinkaku-ji, not back at Kyoto Station. From here you can take a bus to central Kyoto or Arashiyama, or continue exploring the northern temples on your own. The bus stop is a short walk from the exit.
Itinerary
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1Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine
Thousands of vermilion torii gates forming tunnels up the hillside. We arrive before the day's visitors, so you can stop and look up without being pushed along. Your guide takes your first photos here.
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
A narrow path with green stalks rising on both sides. We pause for a coffee break nearby, sitting down rather than rushing to the next stop.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
3Kinkakuji Temple
The Golden Pavilion, seen across its pond from the far bank. On a clear morning the reflection is as sharp as the building itself. Admission is ¥500 per adult, not included.
1 hour 5 minutes • Admission ticket not included
Additional info
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- This is a walking tour using public trains between areas. It is not wheelchair accessible: Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera involve many stairs, steep slopes and uneven stone paths, and there is no vehicle. Foldable walkers can be carried but are not practical on the route. The guide can assist with train boarding but cannot provide physical support on stairs.
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Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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