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(110 ratings)

Benjamin - Tour Guide in Kyoto

I’m Ben. I moved to Kyoto eight years ago after marrying my wife, who’s from here, and over time this city really became home for me. I’ve been working as a guide for the past few years, leading history walks, food tours, and cultural experiences all around Kyoto. If you’re curious about geisha(geiko) culture, kimono, tea ceremony, or just want to know where locals actually go—I’d be happy to point you in the right direction. Feel free to reach out anytime. I’m here to help you enjoy Kyoto in the most authentic way possible.

About the guide

Tours delivered on GuruWalk: 130
Guide on GuruWalk since: 2025
Languages: English

1 Tour of Benjamin

Ratings (110)

Petra
(5 Ratings) Ljubljana
Verified booking
Travelled in couple - Nov 2025

We thoroughly enjoyed our morning tour with Ben. He lives in the area, he shared not just information about the area, history, culture…, but we also talked about daily life and many many other things. As it was a low season, we were the only two visitors and Ben did the tour just for us, which we really appreciated. We highly recommend this tour - it was not crowded in the morning and Ben can easily adjust to one’s interests. He is an experienced guide. Many thanks, Ben, for this super nice walk!

Response from Benjamin
I really appreciated the chance to spend that quiet time with you, especially in the low season. It made the experience feel more personal, and I’m glad we could go beyond the usual sightseeing and talk about daily life and all sorts of other things too. That’s honestly one of my favorite parts of guiding.
Bavo
(1 Rating)
Verified booking
Travelled alone - Dec 2025

Hi Free Walkers, If you want to do a guru free walking tour in Kyoto, I can warmly recommend you to choose the one guided by Benjamin.  Why you might wonder? Well, because it was good :) But what is good? It is hard to define good since it's very personal how one experiences something as good and many factors in which we have no control can colour these experiences. I can only tell you that the experience I had, this cold and rainy, early December morning was good. And it was mostly because of him as a person and his presentation, trust me. Before the start he contacts you so you know that what you're about to attend is a sure thing. He gives you a warm and friendly welcome with a big smile. Personally, I'm not easily impressed, but he had my attention pretty quick and ongoing and that's a good thing.  He knows the story and the history, he tells it in a good spontaneous way, he is open for debate and parole and drinks his coffee latte & cold. Truly, he is a nice warm guy and does a great job as a guide, it has to be told.

Response from Benjamin
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever received a review this detailed, I’m really touched. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. And I feel the same: you gave me a great morning too. The walk was relaxed and I loved how we could just go with the flow. Three bites of onigiri, stepping into the unesco temple, and chatting along the way made it genuinely special for me. I’m also really glad we got to exchange ideas, hearing how you see things gave me a lot to think about, and I learned new perspectives from you as well. Hope to see you again next time. Until then, take care and safe travels!
Renata
(3 Ratings) Edinburgh
Verified booking
Travelled alone - Dec 2025

Mostly enjoyable and fascinating tour with Benjamin. His comprehensive information with good knowledge were appreciated.👍

Response from Benjamin
Hope we’ll have the chance to chat and take a walk together again, maybe in your city next time. Have a wonderful trip!
rosy
(4 Ratings) Edmonton
Verified booking
Travelled in group - Dec 2025

Benjamin was an awesome tour guide. He was very considerate of us walking a little slower. He explained all the stops with sufficient information for us to understand. Very informative and beautiful views and breathtaking bamboo forest

Response from Benjamin
It was truly my pleasure walking through Arashiyama with you today. I really enjoyed sharing our cultures and talking about our lives. I’d love to visit Canada someday and see its beautiful scenery. Hope our paths cross again in the future!
Maja
(3 Ratings) Berlin
Verified booking
Travelled alone - Dec 2025

Response from Benjamin
Thank you so much for joining us! I’m sorry the tour ran a little longer than planned, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your trip!

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(110 ratings)

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