Masaki was in one word excellent! He was knowledgeable – knew how to maximize time and avoid crowds. He customized our trip. We quickly took his advice not to try to bucket list Kyota and see everything in a day – what sage advice. Sure, it can be done but you will miss out on the true atmosphere/energy of the sites you visit. We had thought about staying on the east side but Masaki knew that one of the temples we wanted to see was going to be under construction (something not found on any website – until after we got there) Great job!! We stayed west and the golden temple, Zen rock garden and the bamboo forest area were wonderful. We are good walkers/hikers and never felt rushed or tired. The highlight was the restaurant that Masaki picked for lunch. An unbelievable meal. We opted for the middle kaiseki which was incredible, the food was perfect but the artistic beauty and the detail to presentation – even down to the antique plates/bowls was awesome. Plus the view over the river was a nice plus, despite the rain outside during lunch. Finally, we ended up in the Gian region for early evening. Although Masaki did not come with us on this part he planned our whole hiking tour and what to look for. We are not big into shopping but he had places to purchase anything you might want – including art which we did want to look at. He has a car – air-conditioned (which in summer was a godsend) Also made transportation easy. We had contemplated a bike tour but so thankful we nixed that idea. It rained part of the time and was hot. He also took great pictures of us as well excellent English. Next time we are back we will definitely book with Masaki again.