Kansai · Driven from Nagoya
Most visitors meet Kyoto in a queue. You will meet it at 7am, at a moss garden with no one else in it, and again at dusk in a lantern-lit lane in Gion after the day-trippers have gone. Kyoto rewards walking, so we walk it — and your guide handles the rest, from the taxi between Arashiyama and Ryoan-ji to the tea room that does not take strangers.
Hour by Hour
A starting point, not a script. Every stop can be swapped, dropped or lingered over on the day.
From your hotel in Kyoto, Osaka or Nagoya. We leave before the city wakes.
The vermilion gates without the crowd. We climb as far as the Yotsutsuji lookout and turn back.
A garden of raked gravel, or one thousand and one gilded Kannon standing in the dark.
Then Tenryu-ji’s pond garden, unchanged in its lines since the 14th century.
Tofu kaiseki by the river, or a quiet soba counter. Vegetarian, gluten-free and halal all arrangeable.
The golden pavilion, or fifteen stones you can never all see at once.
A tea ceremony in a private machiya — not a demonstration, a sitting. (Optional, arranged in advance.)
Hanamikoji and Shirakawa lane as the lanterns come on. This is when Kyoto is Kyoto.
Your hotel, Kyoto Station, or back to Nagoya / Osaka.
No — guide only is enough
Kyoto is walkable and its subway is good. Guide-only works well here, and we will say so rather than sell you a car you do not need — though the Alphard earns its keep if you are adding Nara or Ise, or travelling with luggage.
A 2h10m drive from our Nagoya base — or we meet you at your Kyoto hotel and start the day there.
Loveliest in late November (maple) and early April (cherry). Both book out first — ask early.
¥100,000 guide only — trains, walking and taxis at cost.
¥300,000 with the Alphard and driver, door to door — about ¥50,000 each with 6 of you.
¥500,000 guided by Master Ken himself, six days a month.
The Rate
Every one of them is one private group per day, priced for the group rather than per head.
The only question is whether you need the car — and on some days you genuinely do not.
We will tell you which.
BUSHIDO Guideガイドのみ
¥100,000per day · whole group · up to 6
Guide only · all 47 prefectures
Your own English-speaking guide for the day, anywhere in Japan. You travel by train, on foot and by taxi — we go where the rails already go well.
BUSHIDO Private車付き
¥300,000per day · whole group · up to 6
Guide + Alphard + driver
The full day, door to door. A private Toyota Alphard with its own driver, so six of you and six suitcases move as one — including the places the trains make painful.
A Day with Master Kenケン本人
¥500,000per day · whole group · up to 6
Kensuke Ueoka himself · 6 days a month
Ken guides a handful of days each month and no more. Kyudo 4th dan, calligraphy 6th dan, yabusame rider — the day is his practice, not a performance of it.
One flat price for the group — not per head. Two of you or six of you, the day costs the same.
Multi-day journeys are ¥300,000 per day, plus the guide’s accommodation (¥15,000–¥25,000 per night, at cost). Beyond 10 hours, ¥15,000 per hour.
Begin Your Journey
One private group per day — nationwide.
— dates are currently open, synced with Ken’s own calendar.
Inquiring is free. Nothing is charged until your itinerary is confirmed in writing.
We reply within 24 hours — Ken reads every message himself.
Nothing is charged at this stage. You receive a written itinerary and price first;
a 30% deposit by bank transfer confirms the date.
Guiding & hospitality by BUSHIDO LLC. Reservations, travel contracts and payment are handled by our licensed partner 有限会社ローライ (Rollei Co., Ltd.) — Aichi Prefecture Registered Travel Agency No. 3-1516. All vehicles are operated by licensed chartered-hire operators.
Payment & cancellation terms →
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