Private car tour in Kyoto (up to 4)

Posted By : Quest25342848363
I am back in the US and already longing to be back in Japan. One of the highlights of the trip was having Kosuke "Ko" take us around the Kyoto area including Nara. We were a group of 3 - mother, daughter, and aunt! Even before our arrival Ko was very responsive in his emails and transparent with his pricing based on where/what we want to do/see. Ko was prompt in picking us up when he said he would. Ko is super knowledgeable and we only had to let him know what it was that he wanted to do. He offered his recommendations and did not steer us wrong! In fact, Ko suggested a stop in the small town of Uji on the way to Nara which we absolutely loved! He showed us a temple where we were essentially the only ones with a few locals going to worship. He took us around 3 different shops to taste a variety of green tea. His recommendation for lunch of green tea soba (when in Uji, why not?!) was absolutely amazing. He helped us get settled and we wished he could have joined us for lunch, but he had to move the van. In Nara, Ko taught us how to get the best experience out of the bowing deer and kept us safe (we encountered a group aggressive of deer). You will not regret using Ko even if you think you are comfortable getting around on your own. Your experience with Ko will more enriched and memorable. I only wish I had more time in Kyoto with Ko as our guide! Arigato!
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Posted On : 2024-06-01 06:19:28

Posted By : dindint2024
We are so glad for having chosen Kosuke's services for a day. Kosuke is not only fluent in English but also introduced us to hidden gems in Kyoto that were not included in our itinerary. Additionally, he is a talented photographer and kindly accommodated our spontaneous request for kimono rental and offered to take the pictures. We were thoroughly impressed with the places he showcased, and we are incredibly thankful for his help in creating lasting memories of our trip.
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Posted On : 2024-05-28 22:43:15

Posted By : hyndenw
Kosuke was absolutely wonderful. We got the best tour of Kyoto imaginable. One of our party was having trouble walking and he was quick to accommodate her. He also took us to the best kimono shop to buy samue and jinbei - it was a place for locals and we were delighted by the quality and low cost! Kosuke is kind and extremely knowledgeable. I can't imagine seeing Kyoto without him.
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Posted On : 2024-05-25 16:26:42

Posted By : jabitz
We had an amazing 2 full days with Kosuke in Kyoto. We are a family of 4 adults my husband and I and my Mum (85) and Aunt (83) and without Kosuke being able to take us by car to see some incredible temples and shrines we would not have seen as much as we did in these 2 days. Kosuke is brilliant, he is friendly, polite, very knowledgeable and his English is great, he is happy to help out and allow you to enjoy the sights while explaining the history and cultural significance of the places we visited. We got to see what we wanted to see and then also places that Kosuke suggested on the day that were close to where we were at the time. He is a very good driver and you need to be with some of the tight narrow roads we went on. He looked after us with suggestions for lunches and the first restaurant we visited we had our first taste of Japanese food which was great. The second day he took us to a bakery which was so yummy I'd love to go back to it. He took extra time out with my Mum and Aunt who struggled with all the walking and stairs, he was a great help to them both and we are truly grateful to him for his care and compassion. He even went out of his way to drop my Mum and Aunt to the hotel and my and husband and I onto somewhere different at the end of the day. I would highly recommend Kosuke for your next Kyoto visit, I wouldn't do it without him!!
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Posted On : 2024-05-25 00:15:25

Posted By : Robert M
We couldn’t have asked for anything more from our day with Ko. He was full of suggested options for us to visit with our two kids, whilst leaving the final itinerary for the day up to us (so we saw all the places we wanted to) and was also able to flex around one of our party needing to head back to the hotel early, unexpectedly. He was great with the kids, took amazing photos of our family in crowded places with no one else but us in the shots (no photoshop required!), drove diligently through some challenging roads and tight spaces and was full of useful information about the local spots and history. Highly recommend Ko as a great tour guide!
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Posted On : 2024-05-24 08:41:50

Posted By : PhilokyprosI
It was our honeymoon, and we had a great time with Kosuke! We booked a private car day trip from Osaka to Kyoto. We really enjoyed the private trip from Osaka to Kyoto. We customised our itinerary based on our needs and visited the must-see places in Kyoto. We even had a local lunch with Kosuke in a small area outside of the tourist Kyoto. Kosuke is a great guy. He's always happy to explain things and help you out with anything you need. He was really enthusiastic about showing us around Kyoto. I'd highly recommend him! Thanks again, Kosuke!
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Posted On : 2024-05-03 06:27:25

Posted By : phili707
It was our honeymoon and we had an amazing time with Kosuke! We booked a private car day trip to Kyoto from Osaka. We really enjoyed the private trip from Osaka to Kyoto, we customised our itinerary based on our needs and we visited the must-do places in Kyoto. We even had a local lunch with Kosuke in a small area outside of the touristic Kyoto. Kosuke is a very kind person, always ready to explain things and help you with anything you ask him, and he was very enthusiastic about exploring us in Kyoto. Highly recommended!! Thank you again Kosuke!
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Posted On : 2024-04-27 04:10:15

Posted By : L7727ILjoyces
We spent 4 days in Kyoto and Kosuke was our guide for 1 day (7 hours). Long story short, Kosuke was an amazing guide and I highly recommend booking him early for your trip to Kyoto!

Kosuke is warm, friendly, and fluent in English. He picked us up from the hotel in his nice van. He is a very good driver and skillfully parked his van in a few tiiiiiiight spots. Getting to the various attractions by car saved a lot of time. We didn’t want to overload our itinerary, so we let him curate our day after seeking our feedback on what we wanted to see. We covered everything we wanted in our 7 hours together. When I mentioned that I hadn’t yet seen cherry blossoms in Tokyo (they weren’t blooming for another week or so), Kosuke took a pit stop to a quiet part of town with a strip of blooming cherry blossom trees. To get all those Instagram worthy pics, Kosuke gladly took pictures of our family and knew exactly where and how to take the pics. Throughout the day, we passed several large tour groups and we felt so fortunate to have Kosuke as our private tour guide with the flexibility to go or stay as we pleased. The pride he has for his hometown is evident as he enthusiastically shared knowledge of the various attractions we visited. The day flew by and even after going to the top attractions, our highlights were going to the quiet off the beaten path Zen temple, having lunch at the family-owned restaurant where we ate delicious melt in your mouth sushi, and listening to Kosuke’s stories about growing up and life as a local in Kyoto.

Thank you Kosuke for such a memorable trip to Kyoto! We will see you again when we are back!
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Posted On : 2024-04-01 01:28:46

Posted By : Gloy_T
We had the most memorable time with Kosuke! He took us to all the places we wanted to see as well as hidden local gems. Kosuke was a very knowledgeable and thoughtful guide who went above and beyond in every way.
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Posted On : 2024-02-29 17:12:28

Posted By : G1343IQemmah
Fantastic tour with Kosuke! Highly recommend him to anyone wanting to see some of the beautiful sights around Kyoto. He was great with communication from the beginning and managed to accomodate all my requests in the alloted time. He even drove up into the mountains so we see the snow covered lanterns of Kifune shrine. I also enjoyed the quiet less known shrines and temples he took us to. Enjoying a cup of matcha and taking in the serene gardens at Toji-in Temple was the highlight for me. My husband requested a place with good unagi for lunch and Kosuke didn't disappoint! He took us to a tiny place with the most amazing food. Will definitely book him again when we are back in Kyoto to explore more hidden gems of this beautiful city.
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Posted On : 2024-02-06 08:20:12