Kyoto Highlights and Hidden Gems in Nature

Overview

A private van day in Kyoto, about 6 hours, with a local guide who speaks fluent English. Only your group goes. The van is air-conditioned. The day starts at 1:00 pm.

Pickup and drop-off are anywhere in Kyoto City, including Hilton Kyoto in Kawaramachi Sanjo and the Hyatt Regency Kyoto in Higashiyama. Fuel, tolls, and parking are covered.

You pay temple admission. The listing puts that at about ¥1,400 per person. Admission for the Arashiyama-Takao Parkway stop is covered. Fushimi Inari Taisha does not charge admission. Some temple stops have walks and stairs. Ask the guide if you need to avoid stairs. Fushimi Inari is also a stop on the sample Japan tour, on a shared day from Osaka. This page is the private van from Kyoto.

• Private day — only your group
• Offered in English
• Some temples need walks and stairs
• Cancel at least 24 hours before the start for a full refund, in local time

Itinerary

Stop lengths below are the ones on the listing. The day is about 6 hours and starts at 1:00 pm. The guide can change the order with traffic.

Kinkaku-ji

About 45 minutes at Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion. You arrive by van. You pay admission at this stop.

Arashiyama

About 15 minutes in the Arashiyama bamboo grove. Gio-ji is a short stop, with a moss garden, a thatched hut, and bamboo around it. Otagi Nenbutsu-ji is another short stop, off the main Arashiyama path. You pay admission where the temple charges it.

Arashiyama-Takao Parkway

About 45 minutes on the Arashiyama-Takao Parkway, a mountain road. Cherry trees line it in April, and maples color it in November. Admission for this stop is covered.

Mountain views

About 5 minutes at Mount Ogura Observatory, looking over the city. About 5 minutes at Hozukyo Observatory, over the Hozu Gorge. Traditional river boats run in the gorge. This stop is the view.

Shrines and cedars

Nakagawa Hachimangu Shrine is a local guardian shrine. The listing describes an old Japanese cedar there, and guests may touch the tree. Kitayama Big Daisugi is a short stop at giant platform cedars, reached on a narrow cliff road.

Geiko street and Heian Jingu

A 600-year-old street known for geiko and maiko, seen from the van so you are not walking in the crowd. Photos of geiko and maiko need their permission. Then a brief stop at the Heian Jingu Otorii, the great gate of Heian Jingu. The listing gives its height as 24.4 meters (about 80 feet).

Fushimi Inari

About 40 minutes at Fushimi Inari Taisha, the shrine of the vermilion torii gates. Admission is free. The walk is the gate corridor. Shoes matter, even on the shorter route.