Private Car Tour: Unveil the Secrets of Majestic Kyoto's Unexplored Historical Sites

Uncover the hidden historical sites of Kyoto on a private car tour. Explore off the beaten path spots with a passionate guide, and enjoy personalized service and insider tips.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine - This shrine offers a breathtaking view of thousands of torii gates. The entire mountain is part of the shrine grounds, featuring a long stretch of bamboo forest trail and the peaceful sounds of birds chirping. The large gates and buildings at the entrance are pristine and beautiful, but as you venture deeper, you will…
What's Included
  • Completely private and personalized experience
  • Hotel pickup and dropoff
  • Tips of local good restaurants for lunch and dessert shops
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Gas, toll, and parking fee
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Dessert
  • admission fee
Additional Information

The English-speaking Japanese guide offers a unique experience with a 10-passenger van ride. Kyoto, known as the former capital before Tokyo, has a history spanning 1,000 years. While it’s a beautiful place, the main sights are often too concentrated. My mission is to take you to lesser-known spots and immerse you in the culture.
This tour will give you…

Location
Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine
68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi-ku,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(30 Ratings)
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Global00113847194
Nov 25, 2024
So Grateful we chose Takashi! - The day we had with Takashi was one we will always cherish. We had heard that many of the popular temples & shrines in Kyoto were experiencing high volumes of tourism & crowds. My teenage son & I knew we wanted to experience Kyoto in a more peaceful & authentic way while still seeing very special & sacred places. Spending the day with Takashi was like spending the day with a friend that knows all the best places to visit & eat. It felt easy! It was wonderful to visit these hidden gems, and experience them as they were meant to be. Being able to ride in the car between locations was relaxing. Takashi’s energy is calm, fun & easy going. We learned a lot but in the most relaxed way. He knows the perfect balance between sharing history, culture, stories & just letting us experience the place we were visiting. This was the best money we spent on our trip & set the tone for the rest of our time in Kyoto. I can’t wait to return & spend another day having Takashi show us around. My son, who is 18, said that he loved it because it was more like spending the day with a companion than a tour guide. Takashi is a very special person & anyone who gets to spend a day with him will leave loving Kyoto.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tony_c
Nov 18, 2024
Fantastic day of touring of Kyoto - We really enjoyed our private car tour of Kyoto. Takashi is a very friendly and knowledgeable guide and took our large family group on an enjoyable and comfortable tour through four key Kyoto locations and lunch during the one-day tour. Since he has his own van, we were able to cover a lot of ground. We highly recommend his private tour of Kyoto.
Review provided by Viator
Daviddd6729qh
Nov 17, 2024
Great day in Kyoto! - Takashi was recommended to me by a friend and I can honestly say I’m so glad that I hired him. He showed us a part of Kyoto that was different from the main areas. We got a chance to sit back and enjoy a little bit of the countryside and saw places/temples I would have never have found on our own. His English is very good and although we did a lot in a day it never seemed rushed. Takashi was very flexible and fined tuned the day according to our desires. I will use him again whenever I’m in the Osaka and Kyoto area. His email communication was very good and he even helped us plan our free day in Kyoto… Thank you Takashi!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Siubun_t
Oct 29, 2024
BEST DAY in Kyoto!! - Private Car Tour Let’s Uncover Secret of Majestic Kyoto History is what you’d expect from a 5 stars tour! Takashi went above and beyond to customize the perfect itinerary for my whole family. Throughout the tour, we had plenty of restroom breaks for my 80 yr old parents and snack time for my 11 yr old and 8 yr old niece and nephew. Takashi is fluent in English and he clearly narrated each place’s story. He even made jokes to make the tour fun and entertaining! We visited Kyoto’s most famous spots such as Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Iwatayama Monkey Park, etc. However, the biggest highlights were the hidden temples away from the main tourist spots! We visited a beautiful moss garden nestled inside an old temple building dating back to 1661. In another temple, the locals let us tried free samples of various Japanese delicacies. We even had the chance to try the tea ceremony. Another highlight of the tour was the food. After hearing everyone’s preferences, Takashi recommended a restaurant call Chojiro for lunch. Everything was amazing; the food, service, the ambience. The restaurant even offers kids menu. I highly recommend this private tour for anyone who wants an authentic Kyoto experience. You will visit many unique places without long lines and advanced reservations. This is an adventure not to be missed!
Review provided by Viator
Road20269456878
Oct 21, 2024
Amazing Experience - Amazing Experience. Highlight of our 12- day Japan trip. I absolutely recommend touring with Takashi. We toured with Takashi for two days and I must say that these were the best tours that we encountered on our trip. He took into account my boyfriend’s hip surgery and tried to shorten the walking time by getting us a rickshaw on the longer tour of Arashiyama. We did so much in two days thanks to him. Takashi picked us up at our hotel in Osaka and then we toured Osaka and then off to Nara and then Kyoto. Takashi took us to the Monkey Park then off to the Bamboo Forest (where we rode the rickshaws). The hidden temples were the best, so peaceful and lacking the crowd, so you could go right in and have matcha tea sitting on the floor of the temple. The tour far exceeded all our expectations and with Takashi’s expertise we were able to see so much more than we thought we would be able to. Our trip of a lifetime was made so much better having Takashi as a guide. He was patient, kind, very articulate and flexible so that we could pick and choose what we wanted to do, and he made suggestions on what we might like to see. We want to go back to Japan in a few years and will be contacting Takashi to take us around longer than a couple of days. If you want to have fun with your tour guide and learn more about the culture, Takashi is your guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Getaway54426168491
Oct 14, 2024
Really wonderful and flexible tour with an outstanding guide! - Takashi is an excellent tour guide! He picked us up at our hotel in a very comfortable van. He listened to our interests and designed a perfect day for us. We went to “hidden” temples with no crowds and beautiful treasures and gardens. One was up in the hills of Ohara, which we would never have found on our own. He knew all about the history of the temples and made each experience meaningful and memorable. I would highly recommend spending a day with Takashi for an outstanding tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Helena_e
Oct 6, 2024
Amazing Kyoto tour and experience with Takashi. - Both my husband and I enjoyed very much the Kyoto tour with Takashi. We wanted something out of the ordinary of this tour. Akashi took us to visit the hidden local gems of Kyoto. We started the day with coffee and breakfast at a local cafe that Takashi took us to which was such a splendid idea. The shrine and temples we visited was amazingly beautiful, tranquil and serene. We had matcha tea at one of the temples , it was perfect enjoying tea on a rainy day. For lunch , Takashi took us to a ramen restaurant, never had we tasted ramen in mackerel broth before. The broth was rich and very delicious. For dinner we had waygu beef teppanyaki in Gion, a restaurant that Takashi recommended and made the reservations for us. We also had an enjoyable fun time with the chef and the food was delicious. We were so glad to have chosen Takashi as our tour guide in Kyoto. He was very accommodating and customized the tour accordingly to our preference as we wanted a very different experience in Kyoto away from the tourist traps, hustle and bustle of the city. Takashi was very professional, friendly and had a great sense of humour . With his wealth of knowledge in the Japanese history and culture he brought to this tour, we were so well informed. We would not hesitate to recommend Takashi to anyone looking for a fun time and an extraordinary tour in Kyoto. Thank you Takashi , we had such an amazing time and a great pleasure meeting you . We will be back ! Arigato.
Review provided by Viator
Helenae795
Oct 4, 2024
Amazing Kyoto tour with Takashi! - We had an amazing time touring Kyoto with Takashi. He was very accommodating to our needs and exactly what we were looking for in this tour, visiting the hidden local gems, beautiful serene shrines and temples sipping matcha. We started the tour visiting a great cafe with locally brewed coffee and breakfast full of delicious Japanese cakes and pastries. He also took us to a very local ramen restaurant for lunch . It was our first time having Ramen in Mackerel broth and was absolutely delicious. Takashi is very professional with a great sense of humour . We were very amazed with his wealth of knowledge of beautiful Kyoto that he shared with us. We were very lucky to have chosen Takashi as our guide for this tour and would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone looking for an extraordinary experience in Kyoto. Arigato Takashi san .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Renee_k
Aug 25, 2024
Easiest way to enjoy Kyoto! - Visited beautiful temples and sites that were less crowded. Wonderful to have a local guide, fluent in English. He arranged for our 1-way ride on the Romantic Train and met us on the other side.
Review provided by Viator
Joanne_k
Jul 16, 2024
A wonderful way to explore Kyoto! - What a wonderful way to explore Kyoto! With temperatures up to 36 degrees, it was definitely enjoyable travelling to each destination in an air conditioned car! Takashi was a great tour guide! We were able to see: Arashiyama Monkey park, Bamboo Forest Otagi Nenbutsu-ji temple (my favourite) and Takashi's favourite temple. We also had time to enjoy matcha & mango shaved ice and Takashi's favourite ramen place! Thank you Takashi for a wonderful day!
Review provided by Viator
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December 2024
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