TK | Details on interpreter guides | - City of Kyoto Visitors Host -

City of Kyoto Visitors Host

TK

Language(s)	:	English
Expertise	:	Traditional industries
Qualification	:	Itinerary management supervisor
Fee	:	24,000 JPY / half a day (4hours)

Recommend Course	:	Northern Kyoto Bike Tour Daitokuji Zen temple → 1,000 year old sweets shop → Fabric weaving district → Local shopping arcade

★Local insight by an insider in the Ancient capital Kyoto.

Using a City of Kyoto Visitors Host as a guide will redefine your whole travel experience.
Equipped with an extensive knowledge of the city, and its unique arts and culture, acquired through participating in the Visitor's Host course, I am passionate to share my knowledge of Kyoto with you. Let me help make your trip be only the beginning of a lifelong love of the magical city of Kyoto.

Please feel free to contact me with your trip ideas. I'm happy to work with you to create your unique travel experience in Kyoto. If you have enough time or have visited the city before, I can help you find the quirky, interesting local places that you would perhaps otherwise not get to see or experiences. If you are lucky enough to time your trip for cherry blossoms/autumn colours or seasonal events, I can take you to the best possible places to see and experience the most you can.

The range of tours I can provide includes bike tour, walking the Kyoto hills, evening tour, morning tour, art tour, a tour called "Zen and tea ceremony experience for vegetarians" and more. Also, I'm also happy to arrange a visit to traditional artisans' studios.

★Tours given since October 2017 : 220 tours
★Number of guests guided since October 2017 : 550 guests

★Rates:

Guiding fee for a group of up to 4 people
4-hour tour 24,000 yen
6-hour tour 32,000 yen
8-hour tour 40,000 yen
3.5 hour Gion evening tour: 24,000 yen
4.5-hour afternoon tour + 3.5-hour evening tour : 48,000 yen
Additional charge would apply to starting and/or finishing outside Kyoto City.
Please inquire for a larger group.
*All tours are private, just your own group.
*Kids aged 3 or younger are free of charge

★What's included:
Private custom tour
Guide's local transportation costs (intercity train fares are exception, eg from Kyoto to Nara, which will be traveller's responsibility)
Guide's entry fees ( there are some exceptions, like Kyoto Tower, which will be traveller's responsibility)

★Travellers are responsible for the following expenses:
Traveller's transportation costs and entry fees to gardens, temples etc... (where applicable)
Dinner/lunch for guide and traveller (where applicable)
Other expenses (e.g. rental bikes, tea ceremony) for both guide and traveller
Please note that starting and/ or finishing in other city like Osaka will require extra charge.

★Payment method:
PayPal or bank transfer in advance
Cash may be acceptable in some cases.
Your booking will be confirmed when the payment is complete.

★Rescheduling policy
IF my availability allows, one time only rescheduling may be acceptable up to 11 days prior to the tour date.

★Cancellation policy
After the tour is booked, a cancellation fee may be charged when traveller(s) intend to cancel the tour.

For bike tours, please ask for bike tour special clause.

No-show or termination after the commencement of the tour: No refund
On the day: No refund
Previous day: No refund
2-3 days prior to the tour: 50% refund
4 -10 days prior to the tour: 75% refund
11 days or more prior to the tour: 100% refund

★Bike tour special notes:
Bike tours are subject to the weather and other natural disasters (heavy rain, strong winds, extreme heat, typhoon, earthquake). Please understand that bike tours will switch to non-bike tours using public transportation or taxi in case it is not possible to run bike tours. If you would like to choose not to have an alternative tour, please note that 100% cancellation charge will be incurred.

Takaaki Yamane
tk.privateguide.kyoto@gmail.com

Information on this page is subject to change without notice.

Performance

Guide's Calendar

Reviews

4(5.0)

items per page:

Sophie and,Ben
2018-04-20
The perfect way to visit the temples and shrines of Kyoto
Takaaki was a friendly and earnest guide to both famous and little-known temples and shrines around Kuramaguchi, Kyoto. The cycling was a great way to get around Kyoto where you can pop in to a temple or shrine virtually every hundred metres. Takaaki is very knowledgeable about Japanese religions, their structures, teachings and customs: he has a great feeling for religious history. We had a great day.

Chris Norwood
2018-01-08
My wife and I went on the six hour bike tour with Takaaki in November and it was excellent! It was the perfect combination of riding through the beautiful streets of Kyoto and spending time at some truly spectacular sites. We were interested in visiting one well known site (the Golden Pavilion), so on the way there and back we visited several hidden gems that one might never see on a larger or more commercial tour. Takaaki speaks excellent English and his knowledge of Kyoto history is amazing. We loved learning about Kyoto life from a local and highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to escape the tourist crowds and see the true beauty of Kyoto!

Sandra
2017-12-03
We are three friends from various parts of Europe. We were looking for someone to help us understand what we were seeing while in our holidays in Japan. TK is a very passionate and knowledgeable guide. He managed to answer all of our many questions and gave us a good insight into Japonese culture and history. He made the tour interesting and diverse. We wished we had met him at the start of our journey as he gave us good tips for the rest of our trip. He is a kind and friendly gentleman who is easy to talk to. We highly recommend his tour and his company.

Laura Avery
2017-11-07
I toured Gion with Takaaki on October 26, 2017 and it was a true highlight of my trip. Takaaki was extremely knowledgeable about the area and history, and spoke excellent English. Touring Gion in the evening was fabulous as well as we were able to spot 6 maiko and geiko on their way to appointments, and because it was evening there were fewer tourists, which made the tour that much more private and enjoyable. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who is really interested in learning more about the history of beautiful Kyoto.