We’ll meet bright and early at your hotel at 9:00. We’ll start with a short briefing on Kyoto and the surrounding area (with relevant maps) before embarking on our day in Kyoto. From your hotel, we will head to the area of Gion for an exploration of culture, history, religion, and spiritual life in a slightly condensed version of our Synchronized Spirituality tour. In the company of a local scholar, we may visit a Shinto shrine (Yasaka), a Buddhist temple (Kiyomizu-dera) perched high in the Kyoto hills, or perhaps a nearby Zen Buddhist temple (Kennin-ji).

Educated further on the basic principles of Japanese spiritual and religious life, we’ll head to Nishiki Market to taste some Japanese delicacies and have a traditional Kyoto lunch together. We’ll discuss Japanese dining practices, customs, and intricacies surrounding eating and gastronomy as we actively explore this fascinating market. This is a snapshot of our Kyoto Food Tour.

After lunch, we will embark on a Japanese garden and temple discovery. Depending on the interests of our private group, we could visit sites such as the Golden Pavilion, Ryoan-ji, and Ninna-ji, with our guide providing in-depth commentary as we wander along. This is a condensed version of our Beyond. Zen: Kyoto Garden Tour. As we finish up our time together, we will head back to Kyoto, digesting what we’ve learned.

At the end of either itinerary, we will emerge with a deeper understanding of what it means to be Japanese and the various strands that embody Japanese culture, tradition, and religion. We’ll have ventured across the city to sites relevant to Kyoto's history and cultural identity. Hopefully, our Kyoto in a Day tour will set us up for the remainder of our travel in Japan.

Our tours happen rain or shine. Our guides are brilliant at adapting to changes of weather. Please bring an umbrella.

No - the temples will be closed in the afternoon if we start any later.

You are pre-paid for your tour and for the entrance fees to the venues visited. However, there may be other nominal costs on the tour, so it's a good idea to have some local currency on hand for these.

Optional Car Service: We are a bigger group and it won't let us book a larger vehicle at checkout, can we still book?
If your group needs a larger vehicle than what is displayed as options at checkout please reach out to our team in order to verify availability and pricing with our car provider. Thank you!

Is this tour suitable for people with mobility concerns?
 This tour covers a lot of ground but much of it is by either taxi or private car service, so should be fine for those who have trouble walking for long periods. However, many of the temples visited on this tour are not wheelchair accessible and Nishiki market is made up of very narrow lanes, making it difficult to maneuver in a wheelchair. Therefore we wouldn't necessarily recommend this tour for those who rely on wheelchairs. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any mobility concerns before booking this tour.

We do our best to accommodate everyone. If you have severe allergies to seafood or nuts, there will be items you can eat during the tasting, but cross-contamination may be a problem during lunch. The best thing to do is let us know when you book if anyone in your party has allergies or dietary restrictions. We can check in on dishes, order ahead, and do everything possible to ensure you enjoy your meal.

Yes. Context clients generally tip anywhere from 10-25% of the purchase price of a personal service such as this, depending on the quality of the experience and their tipping habits.