Kyoto Imperial Palace tours

A really great tour to get an overview of historic Tokyo and Japan in a single day, we didn’t have much time in Kyoto so it was perfect to see a lot, our guide was knowledgeable and kept everyone’s energy up over a big day. The only downside of this is you don’t get much time at each stop, keep in mind that this is a quick tour of everything and you’ll be fine or choose to go to less stops on another tour where you can spend longer.

It is very worthwhile to join this tour because the tour guide will do his best to arrange the time and remind guests not to forget things. I have participated in HIS tours twice and the tour guides are very attentive and highly recommended. However, the Yamaboko parade of the Gion Festival this year was very slow, and those who participated in the full-day tour had to give up the tour because they had other schedules. Next time I will only join the half day tour.

Sonrika was our driver for the day. He arrived at our hotel promptly, and confirmed the destinations we wanted to visit. He used translation apps to communicate with us, and always remained transparent with us throughout the trip. The driver assisted us with buying tickets for the Ine Boathouse ride and the Amanohashidate cable car/chairlift ride. The commute was 4 hours overall (2 hrs both ways), but it was a smooth journey. Our family had a great experience due to the driver's assistance.

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.

Taking a tour through history is like stepping back in time! It’s refreshing to embrace that student spirit again—learning, exploring, and having fun. Let’s dive into the past and discover the stories that shaped our world! 📚🕰️

The Kyoto - Nara day trip was a great way to see some of the highlights in both cities. Yuki-San, our guide, was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. It was very cool to be able to walk inside the Nijo-Jo castle and take pictures of the “golden pavilion”. The Nara deer are a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you have to see to believe as they come right up to you expecting a treat!

Taiga was our tour guide. He took all 8 of us through the trains and recommended the bullet train from Kobe port to Kyoto. He was wonderful, knowledgeable and spoke great English. He was in tune with our family and took the time to teach our kids and us about Japanese culture. while at the shrine he used it as a teaching opportunity to teach our kids about Zen and how one must be flexible in body and mind. I loved that he took time to get to know us. We even had a great at the revolving sushi bar. Kyoto was beautiful and he helped take photos of our family throughout. Thank you Taiga San for the wonderful day!!!

KC our expert guide made this an incredible experience. His insight, stories, and tips kept us entertained the entire time. He even made a point to help us find each goshuin spot once he knew we were on a quest. The itinerary was perfect and highlighted Kyoto in a way we would not have seen. Highly recommend this tour!