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A journey you keep
for a lifetime Private Rickshaw Tours in Kyoto

Price
60 min ¥25,000 (2 guests)
Stands
Gion and Uji
Book
30 min before. Same day OK

We do not simply carry you to a destination. We escort you into the deeper history of Kyoto. Put the guidebook away: your own rickshaw driver is waiting to shape a Kyoto that belongs only to you, on the spot.

宇治川に架かる朱塗りの橋の上。人力車を停めた俥夫が、乗っているお二人へ対岸を指している

篝火幸創
Carrying a light of love and good fortune to those we meet.

We at KAGARIBI hope to be what our name means: the watch-fire that is quietly lit when the road ahead goes dark.

We do not stop at a good day out, spent naming sights and reciting facts.
We make the kind of day people keep telling others about, and that leaves them impatient for the next journey.
A journey that changes something, and lets you meet a version of yourself you had not met, less a moving experience than a rediscovery of your own life.

That you come away with the happiness you actually wanted, that is why we exist, and the only result that counts.

In pursuit of hospitality of the highest order in the world

A leading company in the field

Tell us what brings you here

Two guests seated together in a rickshaw before a large torii gate

A first visit to Kyoto

From the famous to the hidden, an escort through the heart of Kyoto.

View
Two guests in silhouette against the sunset sky, turned toward each other

A day that matters

A surprise, and attention to the small things, for a day you keep.

View
A rickshaw carrying a solo traveller through a quiet Kyoto lane

Travelling alone, and glad of it

Quiet hours that no one interrupts, and a journey into the depths of history.

View
A private tour at Konkai-Komyoji temple, also used for corporate hospitality

VIP and corporate hospitality

Hospitality for guests who matter, at the highest standard.

View
Two guests seated together in a rickshaw before a large torii gate

A first visit to Kyoto

Ideal if you want the famous sights and the quieter places only a rickshaw reaches.

See plans for a first visit to Kyoto
Two guests in silhouette against the sunset sky, turned toward each other
Anniversaries

A day that matters

For a wedding anniversary, a honeymoon or a birthday, we help the day go further.

For anniversaries
A rickshaw carrying a solo traveller through a quiet Kyoto lane

Travelling alone, and glad of it

Quiet hours that no one interrupts, and a journey into the depths of history.

See the walking tours
A private tour at Konkai-Komyoji temple, also used for corporate hospitality

VIP and corporate hospitality

Hospitality for important business partners and valued guests from overseas.

For corporate and entertaining
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俥夫

You choose who takes you

You can ask for a driver by name, and it costs nothing. One who can talk history, one used to taking photographs, one who can explain how a shrine is built. Pick the one who suits how you want to travel.

Why people choose NINJAYA

Every tour runs at least sixty minutes. Rather than rolling past the landmarks, we stop at each one and tell you the place properly. The rickshaws at the Gion branch are built in our own workshop, on suspension forged by a swordsmith.

Read more about the rickshaw
>

Plan

Three ways to go

Rickshaw
60 min ¥25,000 (up to 2 per rickshaw). We build the rickshaws ourselves, and the suspension takes the shock of the stone paving.
Walking
60 min ¥25,000 (per group, up to 6). On foot we reach the stone steps and the far end of gardens a rickshaw cannot.
A day put together for you
A private viewing at a temple that does not open to the public, or an afternoon of tea, built into a day that exists only once. Quoted on request.
See prices and availability

Corporate and MICE

VIP transfers and attending, restaurant and entertaining arrangements, corporate training, running at events, and an annual ticket. We have run at IVS KYOTO, one of the largest conferences in Japan, and at the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

About corporate and MICE bookings
>

How we differ from an ordinary rickshaw

Put the prices side by side and it all looks like the same thing. What actually differs is how long you ride (two hours on average), whether the rickshaw stops at each place and tells it properly, where the vehicle is built, and how the drivers are trained.

See the seven differences from an ordinary rickshaw
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Stands

Shops and stands

Addresses, telephone numbers and opening hours are on The company、 エリアの選び方はAreas we guide. For Uji, see a half-day route through Uji.

The company

NINJAYA is operated by KAGARIBI INC. Our creed is Kouka Kousou. Official Diners Club privilege partner; partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi; member of the Uji City Tourism Association.

Company profile, history and partners
>

Frequently asked questions

Anything you want settled before you book.
So that a day that matters goes exactly right,
Your rickshaw man answers every request.

Q.How far in advance should I book? Can I ride on the same day?

A. [Gion] Rickshaw and walking tours can be booked online up to 30 minutes before departure. For anything closer to the hour, reach us by phone (070-5071-3132), WhatsApp, email (info@ninjaya.travel) or Instagram DM, and we will check availability and arrange it on the spot. You may also come straight to a meeting point. (Custom itineraries and corporate events require advance booking and a quotation.) [Uji] Booking closes at 18:00 two days before, except in the high seasons of November and March to April, when we can also take same-day and last-minute requests.

Q.Is tipping expected? Are there any additional charges?

A. No tipping is expected, and there are no charges beyond the price we quote you. If a gratuity is given, 100% of it goes to the rickshaw man who looked after you, held to that by our internal system. The company keeps none of it.

Q.How can I pay, and what is the Diners Club benefit?

A. We accept credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners) and the major electronic payment services. There is also a preferential programme for Diners Club members; please see the dedicated page.

Q.When does a cancellation fee apply? What happens in bad weather?

A. Free of charge, refunded in full, up to 48 hours before you ride. Between 48 and 24 hours it is 50%, and within 24 hours or a no-show it is 100%. Refunds are processed automatically. If a typhoon stops the trains we will work with you, so please get in touch first.

What guests say

What our guests say

Posted on our Google Business Profile. Drawn from 548 reviews across the Gion and Uji branches.

We are so glad we did this nice tour with Raia. We chose the 40 min Ninjaya route and it was such really nice and relaxing! Raia was so kind to take our pictures and share about the temples and interesting Japanese hot spots as we passed by. Thank you!!
Ivi Brown/Gion
Jarin was fantastic . And was very informative! Great tour .
Nisha Bhojwani/Uji
We Enjoyed so much of the ride! Had wonderful conversations about the area around us and reasonably priced! Kengo is a great guide would do this again!
Nethaniella Guasa/Gion
The YAMAHA electric vehicle and rickshaw used for VIP transfers
Our other brand

Beyond the rickshaw.KAGARIBI is a separate place we keep.

A Zen monk, a tea master, a gardener, a swordsmith, a geiko. ZA, the dialogue with twelve masters, and FUGA, temples in Gion taken privately. What it sells differs from NINJAYA, so we run it as a separate brand.

Both are run by KAGARIBI INC. The swordsmith among the masters also forges the suspension of the rickshaws that run through Kyoto.