Home > Kyoto > Half Day Small-Group Kyoto Cultural Tour
USD $61.00
Half Day Small-Group Kyoto Cultural Tour
Kyoto, Japan
Savor the beauty and charm of Kyoto on this cultural walking tour. An ancient yet elegant city, Kyoto showcases all that is refined and unique about Japanese culture. Wander with your knowledgeable guide through Zen gardens, visit shrines and temples, and catch glimpses of geishas in their kimonos. Numbers are limited to 12 people, ensuring an intimate experience.
While traditional customs and lifestyle remain strong among locals, Kyoto is also a vibrant and modern city, where the old and the new co-exist in perfect harmony. You can soak up this culture on this small-group walking tour of Kyoto.
First, visit Tofukuji Temple, one of the five great Zen temples of Kyoto and a rare example of surviving Zen architecture from the 13th century. Amble through the many gardens, both modern and traditional, of this working monastery. Next, on the outskirts of the city, nestled in a wooded mountain, is the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Wander through the numerous bright red torii (sacred gates), made famous in the film Memoirs of a Geisha, and admire the many smaller shrines and fox statues.
End your tour with a trip to the fascinating Gion District and home of the geisha. As you stroll past the traditional restaurants and tea houses that have remained unchanged over the years, glimpse the geishas with their beautiful and intricate kimonos, and learn the secrets of this ancient traditional art.
The tour was well organised and as per the description, in a small group. I visited a lot in just half a day, perfect for a short stay in Kyoto. I would highly recommend this tour to visitors with limited time onsite.
Review by: Victoria S, May 2018
Knowledgeable guide and it was great to see some of the things that we normally wouldn't be able to on our own
Review by: Agatha P, May 2018
Time well spent! The tour was great and our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. It was a nice walk and a great way to experience the local culture.
Review by: Allan P, April 2018
Meg took us back roads and high roads to the tastiest japanese delights.... okonomiyaki becoming my favouirte japanese dish, yum! An experience well worth the trip, it allowed us to see more of the city than we would have discovered by ourselves, Subarashī desu!
Review by: Cliff S, April 2018
This tour was really good. He was extremely informative and took us to some major areas of Kyoto and explained the culture and gave us some really great info on Kyoto.
Review by: brkiek, March 2018
We really enjoyed this tour with Julian . He was very informative and concerned for the group which was large in number and had to deal with cold and wet conditions. We saw some sights off the beaten track which we would have missed otherwise .
Review by: Toru M, March 2018
despite the bad weather, we had pleasant tour
Review by: Sophie R, March 2018
This was the perfect tour to start off our trip to Kyoto! Our guide Manabu was very friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about Kyoto, it's history and Japanese culture. He was full of interesting and funny stories and facts that we definitely would have missed if seeing these sights on our own. He also showed us how to make offerings at the different shrines and temples. We packed in a lot for one afternoon, and Manabu was extremely generous in continuing the tour for an hour longer than advertised as some of our group were slightly slower walkers. I would highly recommend this tour as an introduction to Kyoto, it is excellent value for money and shout out to Manabu for being such a fantastic guide!
Review by: Michael F, March 2018
The TourGuide Yuta was excellent. He made it a lot of fun
Review by: Wai Ping W, February 2018
Lots of fun and a good value tour
Review by: Patricia R, February 2018
This is purely a walking tour. You take the train and walk up the stairs and streets. It's good if you're on a limited time it's an ok tour. But be warned that the pace is quite fast. The guide should consider the ages of the guests and offer the elevators in climbing up the stairs.
Review by: Ben C, January 2018
it was one of the best tour I went on. The tour guide was very professional and informative.
Review by: earljr, January 2018
A perfect introduction to this beautiful city of Japanese culture and historic sights. Our small group was expertly guided by Nobumasa Miyake. His insights and calm nature were the perfect accompaniment to the Zen Gardens of the Tokufuji temple and the hundreds of beautiful ORANGE Tori Gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Review by: Joy D, January 2018
This tour was fantastic! We really enjoyed the company and rich historical stories of our guide. He was a very interesting and kind man originally from Germany. He spoke English and Japanese like a native, which made it easier for us to navigate attractions and make specific purchases. We enjoyed all the historical sites and shrines. Also, at the end of the tour, our guide was kind enough to walk us to a delicious restaurant with the best Gyoza I'd ever eaten in my life. I highly recommend this tour!
Review by: Michael I, January 2018
Our tour guide was very good, we were in a group of 8 we were a family of four, as we finished a little early he took us to see a 5 tiered pagoda and another shrine. He was very softly spoken, so if you were not listening you may have missed some of the information.
Review by: fallinsl, January 2018
Great local guide. Lots of local info, very good way of getting your bearings in a new city. Allowed for a good amount of time at each stop. Definitely recommend.
Review by: Sitaram A, December 2017
I had a bad experience with the booking of this tour. I booked it for 28th and then i requested a change to 27th because that was more convenient for me. Viator however sent me a confirmation for the 28th suggesting the change was not approved. However when I got there on the 28th I was told that the tour company had me marked for the previous day and they had waited for me and I had not shown up. I then had to pull out my confirmation email as well as the viator website booking and show that both said the 28th. It was a mess! However the tour guide was very accommodating and allowed me to join the tour for that day. The tour itself was great but the booking experience with Viator was terrible.
Review by: Andrea H, December 2017
Steve our tour guide was able to provide great insights into the attractions we went to. However. There was no mention on the itinerary that we had to make our own way back to Kyoto station from Gion.
Review by: Becky C, December 2017
It was a great length very interesting and a very knowledgeable guide. Manabu made the tour a lot of fun and provided really different types of information and knowledge. We had enough time at each site and even got to see an extra one. I would really recommend this tour. Good value and enjoyable.
Review by: Jane M, December 2017
I would highly recommend this fascinating tour.
Review by: Abhiram, December 2017
Tofukuji temple, Fushimi shrine and the Gion area were lovely. I loved walking through the alleys in Kyoto. This was a good intro to a beautiful city Kyoto. Would have liked a bit more cultural context to the places and engagement with the group.
Review by: Teresa E P, November 2017
Fantastic tour. A large part of our tour was spent at the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine. It's even better than all the photos. Walking through the tori gates was very cool, and our guide timed our arrival just right so that it wasn't very crowded. And there is so much more to this site. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history, the religion, just fascinating. The grounds are beautiful and full of history and really amazing. The details he was able to point-out were amazing.
Review by: Susan L, November 2017
This was a wonderful, wonderful tour. We saw so many beautiful sites and learned the culture and history behind each of them. The pace was not too fast and not too slow. Book this tour!
Review by: Avril K, November 2017
This tour was basically good, interesting shrines and walks along narrow streets and laneways as promised. We even spotted a couple of Geisha after dusk in Gion. The only problem we felt was the guide. Although she seemed fairly knowledgable, there was a lack of warmth, friendliness and interest, then she basically dumped us in Gion which meant we had to get a taxi back to Kyoto station instead of her taking us back. It was stated in the itinerary that the tour ended back at the station. So this tour ended up costing us a lot more than originally planned. Also because one person ended up not joining the tour, we started half an hour late as the guide made us wait for this no-show. Other people on this tour told us they felt the same!!_br/_ Not really good enough which was a shame. A better guide would have made all the difference!!
Review by: Elaine I, October 2017
We were fortunate to have the amazing Rica as our guide. She is a native of Kyoto who lived and worked in the U.S. for several years. In a few hours, she was able to give us a peek at the beauty and spirit of this ancient city. I would recommend a longer tour or more tours if you have time.
Review by: Alexa T, October 2017
Our tour guide Tats was nice, but not quite as enthusiastic as we hadhoped. We fell behind schedule so the main parts of the tour were rushed and quick. We spent a great deal of time at the first temple which made the trip to Fushimi Inari late - we arrived as the sun was setting and couldn't spend too long there. By the time we got to Gion we were even further behind schedule so some of the group had to leave to catch the Shinkansen. We didn't receive much of a tour of Gion, Tats just walked us down the main street and then dropped us off in a side street as he had to host another tour soon after. Overall a good tour, but could be better managed to make sure enough time is spent at each place.
Review by: Melissa M, October 2017
Great guide, Juraj was not Japanese but helpful, knowledgable on religon and temples and patient with some of the less experienced travellers.........walking was great nice way way to see Kyoto and on back streeets that we would not have seen on our own. Would have liked more time on cultural end ' rather then temples though ...... All in alll for price couldn't fault it WELL WORTH IT
Review by: lisa m, October 2017
Enjoyable half day tour. We had a great guide.
Review by: Mayin C, October 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: dmccullo, October 2017
Outstanding! What a wonderful way to learn about the Japanese culture, customs, and religions. I liked the personal attention provided by a small tour group. We got to see many sights you can only see on foot. Highly recommended!
Review by: Sally C, September 2017
It was great to see a lot of interesting parts of Kyoto with a friendly guide who was able to answer our questions and point out details that we would not have noticed if alone.
Review by: Suzan S, September 2017
It was a great tour! I learned so much and it was nice to walk the streets and experience the local life at night!
Review by: Kristin M, September 2017
We had a great 1/2 day walking tour with Juraj. He was extremely informative about the temples and shrines that we visited. We learned so much more about them having had Juraj to explain it to us. It was great to walk through some of the Kyoto neighborhoods as well to get to the various sites. He guided the group of 12 seamlessly through the crowds and we had a very nice afternoon. We could not have done it on our own, so we were all very glad we had joined Juraj on this tour. Juraj could not have been more accommodating or helpful.
Review by: Sansal O, September 2017
Short tour but efficient. knowledgeable guide.
Review by: Helen A, September 2017
A fantastic experience walking through areas I would not have gone and explaining things I would not have known. Also my only real Geisha sighting!
Review by: Samantha S, September 2017
We were a small group of 7 people so it was very easy to keep within hearing distance of our guide who did a brilliant job of narrating the cultural and historic story of Kyoto through the ages. His anecdotes and personal experiences added to the story. Yes, there was quite a bit of walking but at no time did we feel we were being rushed and everybody was able to keep up the pace quite easily. For those visitors who don't have time for a more extensive tour of Kyoto we can highly recommend this tour. This tour is designed to keep you off the most travelled tour routes and favours back alleys with cultural stories and charm. A really well designed experience!
Review by: Michelle B, September 2017
Tour was wonderful! Our guide was knowledgeable and interesting.
Review by: Richard S, August 2017
Manabu was amazing! We had a great time, one of the highlights of our trip! We did do a lot of walking but there was even a young girl in our group and she made the trek with out complaint. Our guide had so much information to share with us and was really open to answering questions and having a laugh with the group - one of the best guides I have had the pleasure of coming across. A great itinerary, we got to see so much and off the beaten path a little which was great - HIGHLY recommend this tour to anyone
Review by: David, August 2017
Having been to Kyoto on a number of occasions this was the first time we had invested any real effort by walking! The guide was great and very knowledgeable taking us to sites we had never visited before.
Review by: Brandon L, August 2017
Great guide and fantastic tour with some really unique paths throughout the city.
Review by: anicaonnen, August 2017
One of the best tours I had. She was so great about explaining shrines and temples, geishas and maikos. We went to some really popular places and some off the beaten path places. She was also great about making sure we all got where we needed to be after the tour.
Review by: Raymond M, August 2017
Excellent tour, very knowledgable tour guide Juraj who regailed us with history and background of the temples we visited. As someone with a more than passing acquaintance with Japan and Japanese culture lived in Japan 6 years, speak Japanese I could see he was the real deal. His knowledge really made the difference. Tour is very worthwhile and walking is definitely the best way too see this part of Kyoto. Highly recommended.
Review by: Christopher H Y L, August 2017
Good way to see and learn some basics about Kyoto before embarking on other adventures
Review by: karen_s1984, July 2017
We saw a two geishas which was a bonus!
Review by: JDeV1988, July 2017
The cultural tour in Kyoto was very amazing. I thought Kyoto itself was very beautiful. I seen the Kinkaku-ji Temple before meeting up with the tour. I thought Yumi was pretty nice, she made the tour very interesting. I seen a lot especially spots and locations where Memiors Of A Geisha had taken place. The temples during the tour were beautiful and walking through the streets to get to them were good too! Yumi is defintely recommendable for the Kyoto Cultural Tour. I enjoyed her as the tour guide.
Review by: Miriam C, May 2017
We enjoyed this tour very much and the tour guide Manabu was amazing- we would highly recommend taking this tour.
Review by: Ferenc B, May 2017
Our guide, Manabu is not only a skilled guide, but also a person good to talk with, and he has a vast knowledge of the world. Our members arrived from various countries all over the world, yet Manabu could talk about the countries like he spent years in each. The tour went as described, we visited the Buddhist temple grounds, the Fushimi Inari shrine, and finally the Gion district. Manabu told us a lot about each place getting into interesting details, and also gave us a short introduction to the history of eastern religions. We also had the luck to bump into a matsuri while visiting the shrine. Whether it's bad or good luck is a matter of perspective, since it was hard to move around thanks to the crowd, and some places were closed down from traffic forcing us to take a different approach into the shrine, but it was a lot more lively and enjoyable than on a regular day. We were rushing between the places, but stopped enough times at certain points to take breaks. I find this positive, as we spent less time on the uninteresting part of the trip, that is, things like getting through the train stations. Although officially the trip ended at the theatre, Manabu offered us to escort us back to Kyoto station on our expense of course, as this was not part of the deal.
Review by: Andrea K, May 2017
This 3.5-hour cultural walking tour of Kyoto was in fact in the end nearly four and a half hours! Jurai, our guide was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and inspiring. Our group initially consisted of just 8 people, but after the first temple we were just 6 which was a perfect size. We took the JR train to this temple, just a couple of stops I seem to remember. Jurai gave us great insights and a lot of anecdotal information into all the various details of the impressive Tokufuji temple and its beautifully peaceful zen gardens. _br/_ Next we walked to the Fushimi Inari Shrine and as it was the night before the Golden Week holiday, there were hundreds of tourists there. It still did not distract from the beauty of the vermillion torii gates. Jurai advised us to take photos on the way down and we got some very impressive pictures. What an amazing place. No wonder it's the Nr 1 tourist attraction of Kyoto. Jurai also explained the significance of the fox statues and lots more. Next we took a local train to the Geisha district of Gion where Jurai explained how it developed and gave us some background information about the Geikos as they are called here, as well as the young apprentice girls called Maikos. We were lucky to see three real ones, rather than the touristy ones who hire a kimono and parade the streets. The real ones are amazingly elegant and very different. Also, with their little bells you can hear them approaching, walking past at a fast pace to their appointments._br/_ As our group was so small, Jurai could tailor the tour to our individual needs and I have to say that this tour was one of the highlights of my 14 day Japan tour._br/_ Highly recommendable!
Review by: viviennekay, May 2017
I had done the 5-hour walking tour two days prior which was amazing and I was expecting this to be of the same quality but I was sorely disappointed. Unfortunately this tour was more like a march. The guide ?Kas rushed us constantly and provided hardly any information about where we were, where we were going or the history of places. It was only when asked that he spoke up. He walked so quickly at the front of the group and did not wait for all of us. I noticed he did speak to those at the front but we could not all hear what he was saying. I actually asked if he could slow down this appeared to have had little effect. I left the tour prior to the finish as I was learning nothing. I think the tour could be great with another guide.
Review by: Grace S, May 2017
the tour covered a lot of great spots: Fushimi Inari, Gion and Temple. the guide was well informed and efficient. However, I was with my mom in her 70s and she got tired walking. I think it was a bit much for older people, there were maybe 3 seniors in my group, the walking part. If you are up for walking, this is the tour for you: Be prepared to walk and have a bit of snack with you.
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