Kyoto Early Bird Tour

With my mother we booked an Early Bird Tour in Kyoto. It was really great decision we made. Thanks to that we visited exciting places with the great guide Meg, who provided us with plenty of interesting information during just the half of the day. She also adapted the tempo of the tour to our needs and thanks to her we moved through Kyoto very quickly and could dedicate most of our time to places we wished to see. It was unique experience how to learn more about Japan.

Koichiro is one of the best guides we’ve ever had. He was kind and informative and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. He took pictures for us throughout the day and sent them to us, too. What an amazing and personal touch! Plus, he drew several maps to recommended restaurants from our hotel in Kyoto. Couldn’t have asked for a better day!

We met our guide Tohru, after being sent very clear photos , instructions and information of the meeting point, which was very impressive. Being very knowledgable, he pointed out information that otherwise we would not have not known. Always adapting to a pace suited to whoever he was taking care of, he was always at our side and made sure we didn’t get separated. The early morning tour helped to avoid the crowds and freed up the rest of the day. This tour was perfect to see the most important things in a short space of time. Be prepared to walk a fair bit including public transport in between places, as is the norm in Japan – having said that, it’s not that bad and the route easy, plus the guide does the thinking for you! We saw 3 impressive places, and this tour was our favourite. We also passed a river and then passed many interesting traditional little shops where we saw countless young women in Kimono’s and Rickshaw’s on our way back from Arashiyama Bamboo Grove not far from the train station – time was limited and shopping time not allocated, so we returned the next morning to hang out around the shops and admire this little area- a bonus we would not otherwise have found! Having a tour guide also simplified getting to these places, which was a relief in itself. We would definitely highly recommend this tour.

Kommy was a wonderful and knowledgeable guide. Excellent communication - even texting me right up until we met at the Kyoto train station so we could find each other! These are the 3 sites you definitely want to see while you're here. Even though it was only a 1/2 day we felt like we had ample time at each location. And earlier is definitely better as the crowds got larger as the morning went on!

We really enjoyed the tour by Koichi Wasa. We went to the Inari Gates,the Bamboo Forest, and the Golden Pavilion. Koichi took us not only to the main sites, but provided us with historical information, additional insights, and local knowledge. He took us off the beaten track and the tour was truly memorable. We felt this was one of the best tours we have ever been on and highly recommend it.

The early start was great to see the Inari Gates before the crowds. Our guide had a wealth of knowledge and made it easy to get around. The only negative was by the time we got to the Bamboo Forest it was very crowded and difficult to get around. Still worth it though.

Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. He even gave us some insight into the culture which was incredibly interesting. The three sights we saw were also amazing.

Very satisfied with this tour. We only stayed in Kyoto for one day, and due to this tour we manage to cover top 3 highlights we wanted to see. Our tour guide, Koichiro, was very knowledgeable and easy going. Highly recommended!

Tohru was a brilliant guide, knowledgeable and caring he provided a view of some of Kyoto’s most memorable sights. Going early morning is really worth the effort to escape the crowds to really appreciate the majesty of these amazing landmarks and their history.

Good to go early and arrive before everyone else Tour guide was great and knowledgable. Also good to be back before it was hot