WALKING TOURS

Where a rickshaw
cannot go, we walk.

Some of the finest temples and gardens in Kyoto sit where no vehicle can reach. We walk there before the city wakes, or after the lanterns come down.

Morning tour
¥50,000

120 min, per person

Night tour
¥25,000

60 min, per person

Who trains them
Rickshaw men and licensed guides

Our walking guides are trained in-house

Price
From ¥25,000 Per person. Night tours start at 60 minutes. The figure shown is all you pay
Duration
60 to 120 minutes Night: 60 or 120 minutes. Dawn: 120. Distance is adjusted to the group
When
Dawn and night Before the city moves, and after the lanterns come down. Never in the crowded hours
Group size
Groups welcome Fewer limits than the rickshaw. A private tour can be arranged

The same temple,
a different place.

Kiyomizu-dera at noon and Kiyomizu-dera at six in the morning are not the same place. It is not simply quieter. The sound is different, the angle of light is different, the air smells different. What appears in your photographs changes too.

We walk at dawn and at night because those hours hold something the rest of the day does not. Avoiding the crowds is a consequence, not the point.

An early-morning walking tour along an empty temple approach in Kyoto

Walk at dawn, or after dark.

The same streets become a different experience depending on the hour. Both run in small groups, and both can be taken privately.

Walking an empty stone-paved lane in the early morning

Morning walk (120 min)

Before the day’s visitors arrive. Temple grounds just as the gates open; gardens with the first light across them. The quietest Kyoto there is.
¥50,000 per person （private: ¥50,000）

Check availability
The lit stone paving and machiya of Gion Shirakawa at night

Night walk (from 60 min)

Gion and Shirakawa once the lights go down. The flow of people changes, and so does the sound. Only the outlines of stone and machiya remain.
¥25,000 per person

Check availability

Which one
should you take?

Both are ours. Neither is better, they differ in where they can reach and how you spend your energy. Ask us if you are unsure.

Rickshaw / Walking
Rickshaw Walking
Reach Anywhere the vehicle fits Up stone steps, narrow approaches, deep into gardens
Energy The rickshaw absorbs the distance You walk (we set a distance that suits you)
Hours Mostly daytime Mostly dawn and night
Group size Two adults per rickshaw More flexible
Suits Covering ground without tiring Seeing one place properly

This compares two of our own products. It is not a comparison with other companies.

The people who guide you
are trained in-house.

We do not hand the guiding to an outside agency. Rickshaw men who have worked these streets, colleagues who have guided in countries around the world, and holders of the national interpreter-guide licence: these are the people who train our walking guides.

Who trains them
Rickshaw men

Taught by the people who have pulled rickshaws through Kyoto

Who trains them
Licensed interpreter-guides

We employ holders of the national interpreter-guide licence

Group size
Groups welcome

Far more flexible than the rickshaw: company trips, training, study visits

Training
Weekly

Every guide sits a session led by a first-grade Kyoto Kentei holder

Built differently from
a route read aloud.

On a typical tour the route is fixed and whoever guides it is booked for the day. We train our guides ourselves. They are taught by rickshaw men who have worked these streets, by colleagues who have guided in countries around the world, and by holders of the national interpreter-guide licence.

That is why you get to why a garden takes that shape, and why a gate stands where it does. Nothing is recited, what gets told is chosen around what you turn out to be curious about.

What we hold to is omotenashi: reading what is wanted before it is spoken, and having it ready. The pace, where to rest, when to stop talking. Arranged so you never notice, so the day stays yours.

Group size is far more flexible than on the rickshaw. Families through to groups: company trips, training days, study visits. We adapt how we guide to the number, so please tell us when you book.

A NINJAYA rickshaw man explaining the origins of a garden to guests

Prices

Figures are per person. A private tour is a flat price whatever the party size, and you are never joined by other guests.

Prices
Tour Length Per person
Night walk Gion and Shirakawa, after the lanterns 60 min ¥25,000
Night walk Further out, beyond Gion 120 min ¥50,000
Dawn walk Inside the gates as they open 120 min ¥50,000
Night walk Per group, whatever the party size 60 min ¥25,000
Dawn walk Per group, whatever the party size 120 min ¥50,000

Private prices are per group, so the cost per person falls as the party grows. Availability is on the plans page.

From booking to the day

Check availability and book in the same place. Payment is taken in advance.

  1. 01

    Check availability

    Dawn and night slots are shown live on the plans page.

  2. 02

    Choose the tour and party size, and pay

    You also choose here whether to make it private. Payment is by card, in advance.

  3. 03

    Meet at the assembly point

    Your confirmation includes a map. Dawn tours meet early, to be inside the gates as they open.

  4. 04

    Walk

    Up the stone steps, along the narrow approaches, into the far end of the garden. Pace and rests are set as we go.

There is also the rickshaw

Both are ours. What differs is where you can go and how you spend your energy. Neither is the better one.

The rickshaw

How it differs from a typical rickshaw, how the vehicles are built, and what two hours buys you.

See the rickshaw

Gion branch

Kiyomizu-dera, Yasaka Shrine, Kennin-ji, Miyagawacho. The dawn and night walks are here too.

See the Gion branch

Uji branch

World Heritage Byodo-in and the Tale of Genji route, mainly by rickshaw.

See the Uji branch

Frequently asked

How is this different from an ordinary walking tour?

Where the guide comes from. On an ordinary tour the route is fixed and whoever leads it is booked for the day. We train our guides in-house, taught by rickshaw men who have worked these streets, colleagues who have guided in countries around the world, and holders of the national interpreter-guide licence. Every one of them also sits a weekly session led by a first-grade Kyoto Kentei holder.

How far do we walk?

Morning tours run 120 minutes and night tours from 60. The distance is set around you, for older guests or families with children we keep it short and build in rests. Tell us when you book.

Rickshaw or walking?

If you want the places a vehicle cannot reach (up steps, down narrow approaches), walk. If you want to cover ground without tiring, or want many photographs, take the rickshaw. See the rickshaw page.

Can we book it privately?

Yes. A private morning walk is ¥50,000. With no other guests along, both the pace and the subject matter are set entirely around you.

What happens if it rains?

We carry umbrellas and light rain does not stop us. If conditions make walking unsafe we contact you first and either move the date or refund you in full.

How many people can join?

Group size is far more flexible than on the rickshaw. Families through to groups: company trips, training days, study visits. We adapt how we guide to the number, so please tell us when you book.

Is it available in English?

Yes. We employ colleagues who have guided in countries around the world and holders of the national interpreter-guide licence, and they are the ones who train our walking guides. Which languages we can cover varies by day, so tell us what you would like when you book.

Try Kyoto at six in the morning.

Availability is live. You can also reach us by phone or on Instagram.

See plans and availability
The rickshaw Choose a guide Gion branch