Kyoto Imperial Palace & Nijo Castle Small Group Guided Walking Tour

One of the best tours we ever had the privilege to experience. Our tour guide, Nobumasa Miyake, is a fine gentleman who was very engaging and knowledgeable and masterful at enlightening us with the historical facts and culture. His method of storytelling is direct with local lore, humor and personal experience which helped us feel like we are connected to the amazing culture and past of Japan. His empathy for our struggles to stay dry from the heavy rain that was pouring down upon us by offering to switch his large umbrella with our small umbrella is a fine example of his character, integrity and respect for others. In addition, to offering to help take pictures for us, giving away his copy of the map of Kyoto when learning it was our 1st time visiting Kyoto, and suggesting great spots for trying out food, shopping and exploring. We are so grateful to be guided by such an exemplary person and strongly recommend him to be anyone next tour guide! Thank you, Nobumasa Miyake and TripGuru!

it was a pity that both the nijo castle and imperial palace was closed on 12 aug which was obon holidays, david from trip guru still brought us to the outside of nijo castle n imperial palace to introduce the short history, before we went to the heian jingu and nanzen ji. thank you david for planning this!

Vincent was a great tour guide! Very informative, even gave personal recommendations and insights. Unfortunately the Imperial Palace was closed the date of my tour, but he still took us to this shrine with beautiful gardens. Highly recommend if you are in Kyoto.

had a great time with Taku, who happens to be born and raised in Kyoto area too. So he is very knowledgeable about its history and culture. He took his time and explained every aspect of the situation, how Shogun has 20 wives and indoor toilet where water flows out….

Jasmin was so polite and well spoken and had a good grasp of the knowledge about the castle. She organised our tickets for the entry and kept the group together efficiently. She explained the displays and answered our questions. She also took wonderful photos of us which added to our memories. She also helped us with some eatery recommendations and also pointed us to the correct train line. Tour is not strenuous and meeting point is right next to the Nijo Castle. It was a very pleasant experience with a great guide. Highly recommended!

Yuaxan Chen was an great guide. Very nice morning at Nijo Castle and the Kyoto Imperial Palace with a leisurely stroll through the city in between. Great start to our first stay here in Kyoto

Our guide Miya was very nice and showed us everything about the Imperial Palace and the surrounding area. He was courteous and helpful. We had a very pleasant three-hour tour and would recommend it. Our group was also very small, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

Taku was a great and very knowledgeable guide. He is a Kyoto local and is clearly very passionate about the city and Japanese culture in general. He also has some great restaurant recommendations if you need them. Definitely choose Taku if you are looking for a Kyoto guide!

It was a pleasant surprise to hear such in-depth stories about the Shogunate era at Nijo Castle. Our guide, Taku, was incredibly dedicated and shared his love for Kyoto as a local, recommending that we delve deeper into the city's history. We will definitely come back again to experience and learn more.

Vincent （tour guide）is amazing，he is French,but his Japanese accent and knowledge is awesome!