Koichi

City of Kyoto Visitors Host National Guide

Language(s)	:	English
Expertise	:	Cultural properties, Traditional Culture
Qualification	:	National Guide, Itinerary management supervisor
Fee	:	40,000 JPY / day (8hours) 20,000 JPY / half a day (4hours)

Recommend Course	:	Guided tour and professional Photo shooting experience (6h) Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine → Hidden zen garden → Sanjusangendo temple → Arashiyama Bamboo forest

Discover Kyoto with a Local Friend
Welcome to Kyoto! To me, this beautiful place isn't just a tourist destination—it’s my lifelong home. I went to high school here, graduated from university here, and have spent my entire life rooted in these historic streets.

My guiding philosophy is simple: quality over quantity. Rather than rushing you from one famous crowded spot to the next, I want you to experience the city at a comfortable pace, feeling as though you are exploring it with a local friend.

Real Conversations, Real Memories
Forget about dry, one-way history lectures. I build my tours entirely around your curiosities and questions, keeping the experience natural and conversational.

I love weaving my own real-life memories into our tour. For example, when we visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace, I love to share that my university was right next door. I’ll show you where my friends and I used to stroll between classes. My goal is to make Kyoto's rich history feel personal, relatable, and alive for you.

Capturing Honeymoon-Quality Memories
You won't just leave with great memories; you'll leave with breathtaking photos to prove it. I have a strong eye for composition and know exactly how to frame shots to hide the crowds.

While I am always happy to take great pictures using your smartphone, I am also thrilled to bring my own high-quality camera to capture stunning, honeymoon-level photographs of your journey. Whether it's a candid laugh or a beautifully posed shot in front of a temple, giving you these gorgeous, professional-style memories is one of my favorite parts of the job!

Flexible, Weather-Proof Adventures
Kyoto is breathtaking across all four seasons, and I always love sharing photos of our local festivals to give you a glimpse of the city year-round.

And please, never worry about the weather! I am highly flexible and proactive. If heavy rain is in the forecast, I will reach out in advance to design a special "rainy day plan." By turning bad weather into a magical opportunity to explore serene, beautiful indoor temples, I guarantee you will have an amazing day, rain or shine.

Let's Make You Want to Return
At the end of the day, my main goal is to give you a trip so unforgettable that you’ll immediately want to come back. In fact, many of my guests have become repeaters who return to join my tours year after year!

I truly love this city, and I can't wait to share my personal, friendly approach with you. Let’s make your Kyoto trip the highlight of your vacation!

※Please note that separate necessary expenses are required.
:admissions, transportation fare, meal.
I am allowed to enter for free of charge by showing the guide license at the most of the temples.
Feel free to contact me if you need any further information about the tour.

Guide's Calendar

Performance

Reviews

7(5.0)

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David C.
2026-03-16
Words can not describe how thankful I am for Koichi! He was the perfect guide all around. Even though we had a two day itinerary with a lot of main attractions on the list. He was very flexible and we ended up in many places that were not crowded and very beautiful which is what I was looking for. I enjoyed him so much I wish I booked him for a third day! Very kind, knowledgeable, good spirit, treated me like a friend and not a customer. I highly recommend and will book again and again.

Michael Robinson
2025-12-08
We had a wonderful day exploring Kyoto with Koichi. He was a great guide sharing his knowledge about the city and Japanese history in a friendly, personable way. Nice flow to the day that included time to enjoy lunch at a local restaurant midway through the tour. Highly recommended!!

Angie M.
2025-10-13
If you're planning a visit to Kyoto, look no further—this is the tour you need! We were incredibly fortunate to have found Mr. Koichi, whose attention to detail and dedication to his clients are second to none. He went above and beyond to customize our itinerary, ensuring it perfectly suited our needs. His recommendations were not only authentic and trustworthy but also led us to hidden gems rarely frequented by tourists. Mr. Koichi’s meticulous planning allowed us to enjoy the stunning autumn colors without the usual crowds, making the experience even more special. As a bonus, his exceptional photography skills gave us beautiful memories to cherish forever. We couldn’t be happier with our trip to Kyoto, all thanks to Mr. Koichi. Highly recommended—two thumbs up!

Andreea Gagiu
2017-12-22
It was awesome. Koichi prepared all the reservations in advance and let us know what we need to do. He guided us in the Saihoji Moss temple and explained at every step what we were doing/seeing.

He also guided us for the Katsura Imperial Villa, providing important historical details about what we were about to see, as well as attracted our attention to small details that we would have otherwise missed. The whole experience was superior to just grabbing an English tour self-guide and flowing the group. Plus it was incredibly useful at every step to have a knowledgeable person able to understand and answer your questions.

Koichi also provided useful information regarding things that we were about to see on our own - e.g. the fastest way to our tourist destinations (his approach was better than Google's and saved us about 1 h of wondering aimlessly), best restaurants and cafes in the area (he actually marked them on a map so we can go there if we're in the area).

All and all, I totally recommend him as a guide and we will ask for his guidance every time we return.

Kimmo Lehtonen
2017-11-19
Koichi has very good attitude and great knowledge about Kyoto and it's history. He seems to be very dedicated to his job as a guide which means he listens what customers want and does his best to make them happy for the tour. We visited food market and after that he had organized us a possibility to participate a demosntration of tea seremony that was a great experience for us. We were given an instruction about how to prepare and act in tea seremony and we especially liked the friendly lady who instructed us in english.

Koichi

Guide's Calendar

Performance

Enjoy the best Cherry Blossoms viewing spot less known by tourists

Reviews