Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle Walking Tour
Description
This luxurious tour introduces all the important spots in Kyoto in one day: you can get to know the faith of the commoners of Japan, the characteristic food of Kyoto, the residence of the shogun, the palace of the Emperor, and also take a stroll through the geisha street. With this tour, you can deeply understand the lives and thoughts of the people of Kyoto and Japan.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Buddhism has the most believers out of all religions in Japan. It has several sects, and one of the largest sects in Japan is Shingon Otani whose believers are said to be about 8 million. Most of them used to be ordinary people like merchants and farmers. Higashi Honganji is a head temple of about 9,000 temples of Shingon Otani and its Founder’s Hall is the largest wooden building in the world with over 900 tatami mats laid and able to hold 3,000 people at once.You will be struck by Japanese people's deep faith and the majestic atmosphere of this hall.
The Nishiki market is called the kitchen of Kyoto. What is that? It is said that underneath this district, there is a gigantic water reservoir. Therefore, Kyoto has been blessed with fresh and delicious water from long ago. Utilizing that water, about 500 years ago, a fish market developed in this place, and various shops gradually gathered later. Almost anything you need on a daily basis is available in this market. Kyoto's specialty is vegetables grown in pure water, pickles made of those vegetables and tofu, also utilizing this delicious water. There are many shops where you can sample food, so please try Kyoto’s specialties loved for centuries by the local people.
In 1603, the shogun relocated his shogunate to Edo, present day Tokyo. Nijo castle was built as the castle where the shogun stayed when visiting Kyoto. Inside the castle, there are more than 1,000 gorgeous pictures painted on sliding doors giving you an understanding of the powerful authority of the shogun. It was in this very castle that the last shogun declared to return the power to the Emperor in 1867, after 260 years of his family’s governance.
The Kyoto Imperial Palace is situated in an extensive area in the center of Kyoto. Until the capital was moved to Tokyo in 1868, the emperor 's family used to live here. And even today, when the emperor and/or the crown prince come to Kyoto, they stay at one of the residences in this site. The luxurious buildings and beautifully arranged gardens here tell a tale of the refined taste of the times. This place is a must-see when you visit Kyoto.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Quite a bit of walking involved
Reviews(10)
Naoko was amazing! Very knowledgeful, had a ton of fun facts, and made it very interesting for our kids as well. We really enjoyed getting to know the sights and history of Kyoto with her.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review. We’re delighted to hear that you and your family enjoyed exploring Kyoto with Naoko. She will be very happy to know that you appreciated her knowledge and the way she made the tour enjoyable for your children as well. We truly appreciate your feedback！
we had excellent 7 hr private tour of Kyoto ' imperial palace and gardens, castle,markets, temple. Our guide Naoko was the best guide we had so far. Highly knowledgeable, made tour pleasant and educational. She provided lots of information on customs, beliefs, in very engaging and interesting manner. She was highly organized ,well prepared, very friendly . Highly recommend to engage her for your travels.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review. We’re so glad to hear that you enjoyed your private tour of Kyoto and appreciated Naoko’s guiding. She will be very happy to know that you found the tour both pleasant and educational. Thank you again for your kind recommendation！
Chie was a great guide with lots of information to share. The tour was very informative and Chie knew how to get us around making maximum use of our time. The Palace and Castle are very different from each other. Don't expect the Palace to be like a European Palace full of furniture and gold.
Thank you for your kind words and positive review! We are very happy to know that you were able to see and learn a lot of things. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan!
Michi was an excellent guide. She knew so much about all the spots, led us to some excellent udon noodles and we even learnt some basic Japanese :)
Thank you for taking the time to leave a positive review! We're delighted to know that you had a good day with Michi while learning about Japanese culture and language.
This was an excellent tour with a knowledgeable and charming guide who spoke very good English. The walking tour format offered an up-close look at Kyoto's history, architecture, and culture with enough time to enjoy shopping and refreshments. I highly recommend this tour.
We appreciate your taking the time to write such a nice review very much. We're delighted to hear that you got a nice insight into the culture and history of Kyoto with your guide. Thanks again and all the best to you.
Fuji was a great guide! I had lots of questions about history and culture…he answered them all or got me the answers. Took us places on the tour we would not have seen if we were on our own. Made great recommendations on food at the Nishiki market. Very cool tour!
We're so grateful for your positive feedback and happy to know that you had a great tour with Fuji. Thank you for taking the time to write a review!
This was an awesome experience for myself and my family! My guide did a great job explaining things to myself and my family! The dinning restaurant that the guide recommended was Perfect and tasted really good!
Thank you for your kind review. We're thrilled to have made a positive impact on you.
I would recommend this walking tour tour to those who want to see the most of Kyoto but don't have much time. The tour company was excellent. After making teh booking they kept me informed with a detailed itinerary of sites and times, pictures of meeting point with the guide (including her name, Meg, photo and phone number). Meg was an excellent guide. She spoke English well and had a very good knowledge of each sight. She was mindful of the comfort of her guests in such humid conditions. The Imperial Palace, Higashi Honganji Temple and Nijo Castle were amazing.
Thank you very much for taking the time to write a review. We are happy to know that you enjoyed the tour. Hopefully we'll see you again in Japan someday.
Our favorite was Nijo Castle but the comparison to the Palace was very interesting. Our guide was friendly, informative and interesting. There was a lot of walking so be prepared for that too.
We had an excellent tour with it guide Komi. He did an amazing job of getting all the highlights of the tour in despite the fact we were running quite late due to our mix up in where we were meeting. He took us to the main Imperial Palace, the Nijo-jo Castle, a kimono show, then got us tickets in to see Sento Palace gardens, which were very lovely! Sento Palace gardens are limited so we were very lucky to get entrance tickets and would not have known to ask without Komi's suggestion. I will not that this tour does have a good deal of walking as part of it. We registered almost 9 miles by the end of the day.
Thank you for your comments. We are happy to know that you enjoyed the tour and we duly take note that the tour involves quite a bit of walking. We hope to see you again in Japan.
