Guided Tours

As some of you may already know, I’ve been doing something new this year: Last spring, I became a tour guide for (mostly) German speaking visitors to Kyoto.

That was a big step for me because I always thought this was not the kind of job I would enjoy. As an introvert who doesn’t warm easily to strangers, the sheer thought of spending hours with people I’ve just met – and generally having to be on my most charming behaviour to boot – simply scared me.

However, the reality surprised me. First of all, I get to talk for hours about my favourite subjects: Japanese culture and history. And second, people who book a guided tour are by and large curious and eager to hear what I have to say. So, I’d say, it’s a fun win-win for both sides, and the fact that I only do very small groups of max. 5 people does help.

Of course, there are drawbacks too. Although I enjoy the experience it can be quite draining because I’m still an introvert. Also, my arthritis doesn’t help with running around for hours, even though the amount of pain is not always the same. All this to say that usually, I’m pretty exhausted the day after a tour, both physically and mentally, and sometimes, I cannot do any demanding tasks at all on the next day.

Despite all this, the pros considerably outweigh the cons, and I have decided to continue with the tour guiding. Even more, I’m going to offer my own tours through What’s up in Kyoto starting next year.

For now, I’ve been working as a sub-sub-contractor for companies in Tokyo, who take roughly 30% of the fees. The money isn’t that bad, but at the end of the day, my hourly rate isn’t much more than what I get for an hour of English teaching (where I don’t have to move.)

Before setting everything up, however, I need to do some research on pricing and logistic details. I also want to offer more tailored tours for people who have seen the major tourist spots already and want to do something different. I have a few ideas already, mostly centered on the areas where I’ve lived before. Of course, I’ll keep you posted when everything is set up!

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