I would highly recommend anyone that wants an English speaking tour to book a tour with them.
We originally sent an email with about 5-6 sites to visit. Based on several e-mail back and forth we decided all day adventure would be too much.
We decided that we would try to get 3-4 sites with the minimum requirement of 4 hours. We looked this up before our trip and luckily, we did because they are very busy.
Since we were there for 14 days, we were able to get a tour booked on our last weekend of the trip.
Once we booked the day, it was pretty easy to correspond using email. In fact, we were emailing up until we got off the train which helped us tremendously. I was able to give him my train number and he was able to meet us on the platform of the Shinkansen. Mr.Nobu had a nice van that could accommodate 6 adults.
He spoke English very well and his knowledgeable of Kyoto and provided a deep understanding of the history, architecture and even touched on the zen/Buddhist religion.
The sites we saw Kinkaku-ji, Ryoanji Temple and the bamboo forest. If the crowds were a bit less we may have been able to squeeze in one more sight.
You have to pay for his parking with is nominal 300-500 yen for parking but you get to park really close to the entrances. You pay for your own entrance fees but the tour guide gets in free.
In the 4 hours we got in three sights which was about right for the amount of walking we did at each sight.
It was well worth the money and I would highly recommend booking this private tour.
Mike Taniguchi
