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: 1 day learn more
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 find more secluded yet solemn shrines that resemble scenes from anime.

It is advisable to visit this expansive shrine with a guide to fully explore its wonders, especially if you wish to avoid the large crowds.

  • Kennin-ji Temple - 【Secret temple】(The temple’s name is only disclosed during the tour)
    This temple boasts an incredibly beautiful moss garden that will leave you in awe. Due to its remote and somewhat inconvenient location, it is not frequented by many visitors. Upon entering, you will find a wide-open tatami mat floor that naturally invites you to enjoy the garden from the porch. Sitting on the tatami, relaxing on the porch, and breathing in the fresh air is truly invigorating.
  • Ryoanji Temple - One of the largest temples in northern Kyoto. The meticulously organized garden of millions of tiny rocks is a sight to behold. Here, you can connect with the rich history of significant Buddhist schisms in Japan.

You won’t encounter many other visitors, making it a hidden gem.

  • Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple - Originally established by the Hatashi, an ethnic group believed to have Korean roots in the 5th-6th century, this temple has endured since its reconstruction after a fire in the 8th century and remains in its original form.
  • Yasakanoto - Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion. This temple was once the villa of Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga (1358-1408) and was converted into a temple after his death. It is renowned for its top two floors, which are covered in gold leaf.
  • Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple - Once the property of an art master skilled in various arts such as tea ceremony and calligraphy, this temple features a stunning garden with diverse tree plantings, tea ceremony items, and beautifully arranged elements. At the end of the garden, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Kyoto city. This garden is particularly popular during the autumn leaves and cherry blossom seasons.
  • Monkey Park Iwatayama - We will stop at a local dessert shop offering unique Kyoto-style sweets such as Mochifu (a pounded rice cake with a different texture from regular mochi) and shaved ice flavored with Yuzu (Japanese citrus) or Matcha.
  • Kibune Shrine - This is the largest shrine established by the powerful Hatashi tribe and is cherished by the local community. It features a large koi fish pond where you can feed the fish, which move energetically when fed. It’s a wonderful experience!
    Situated in the western end of Kyoto, it is not easily accessible by train, but we can arrange a stop there upon request.
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 the opportunity to visit off-the-beaten-path locations instead of the usual crowded tourist spots. Let’s uncover the true beauty of Kyoto! Since we focus on hidden gems during the tour, you might want to join on the second day or reserve another day for the main tourist attractions. Of course, we can also visit the popular tourist sites if you prefer.

In addition to historic landmarks, special activities like sake tasting are a lot of fun. My lunch selections are another highlight, featuring sushi, ramen, tempura, and more. Some spots are too secret to include in the itinerary, so the tour plan is just an example. Let’s discuss our itinerary!

  • Minimum age requirement for alcohol consumption is 18 years of age
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
4.7
(22 Ratings)
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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
Melaney_l
May 12, 2024
Our best day in Japan (May 1, 2024) - From the Viator website, I liked the picture of Takashi who was our guide for the day and his description “let’s uncover secrets of majestic Kyoto history” does just as he says and more. Takashi was hands-down, the best experience my son and I had for the duration of our stay in Japan (Tokyo to Kyoto and back to Tokyo for a total of 10 days). We did a number of tours through Viator including a trip to Mount Fuji, Teamlab Borderless, Go-karts plus our own exploration. At the end of it (May 5, 2024), my almost twenty-year-old son concludes that, “my experience with Takashi in Kyoto has changed my life and as a result, I’m okay with the transition out of my teenage years into my twenties”. Thank you from both of us now that we are back home. We continue to say to friends, family and colleagues that our day with you was simply the most remarkable. And, as said Takashi, we welcome you to our Calgary home, should you ever choose to come back to Canada. For anyone who sees Takashi through Viator or other – DO THIS TOUR WITH TAKASHI. You will spend a day with a remarkable, intelligent, gracious young man, and be delighted with the unique venues that he chooses to share with those who choose this tour with him. In conclusion, the ease of just being with Takashi combined with his willingness to meld his itinerary and ours, plus having the ease of a vehicle at our disposal, we saw everything and so much more than we could have ever imagined. I will be forever grateful to have shared this experience with my son, and with Takashi. Melaney and Dante.
Review provided by Viator
Jessie_c
May 3, 2024
Super experience! Take the tour. - Excellent tour, we want to many places and saw many things that the “busy tourist” never gets to see. The place, the food and our guide were awesome. I would highly recommend to others.
Review provided by Viator
Seaside179446
Apr 10, 2024
Exceptional Tour Guide - Exceptional young man who did research and organized tour itineraries of Kyoto and Nara based on our requests. Takashi Kikuchi is a self made tour guide with a spacious and comfortable minivan. Highly recommended to any one interested in getting a tour of hidden locations that are off the regularly visited tourist sites.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lanka95
Apr 10, 2024
Exceptional Tour Guide - Exceptional young man who did research and organized tour itineraries of Kyoto and Nara based on our requests. Takashi Kikuchi is a self made tour guide with a spacious and comfortable minivan. Highly recommended to any one interested in getting a tour of hidden locations that are off the regularly visited tourist sites.
Review provided by Viator
Malcolm_r
Mar 25, 2024
Personal guided tour - Takashi and his student chicka were brilliant they made our tour really personal and took us off the touristy track
Review provided by Viator
Alexis_h
Feb 23, 2024
!00% Recommended — Great way to experience Japan! - Takashi was an excellent guide who showed us the hidden gems of Kyoto and Osaka. He was kind enough to share interesting facts and insights about life in Japan. He was also very flexible and accommodating to our needs and preferences, especially since we had a senior in our group. We highly recommend Takashi to anyone who wants a flexible and authentic Japan experience!
Review provided by Viator
Yuno_s
Jan 5, 2024
Great alternative for main temples - Visited great sites, all with minimal people, just as impressive all the main temples. Lunch stop was delicious and at unexpected location, a pleasant surprise.
Review provided by Viator
Suzanne_w
Dec 21, 2023
lovely - This was a great tour. The guide, Takashi, was very friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. He spoke very good English. We went to one more visited shrine and then to three temples which were smaller, less visited and absolutely beautiful. With this tour, I feel I have seen some of the best that Kyoto has to offer and have been left with wonderful memories.
Review provided by Viator
Gz876xpy7x
Jun 9, 2024
Cultural exposure but could be more 🥲 - Takashi shan is very resourceful but not many places was covered as claimed plus not much of photos taken though mentioned 'DSLR photo captured for unforgettable memories'. A bit of disappointment. There was no communication prior to the meet up as well, like how many places are we going to visit, etc. Hopefully it is not because we are from asian country. 😅
Review provided by Viator
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September 2024
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