Yoshihiro

The Japanese Local

Responds quickly
  • I live in Kyoto
  • I speak 日本語, English
  • Verified Local host
  • Response time less than 7 hours

Hi there! Nice to meet you

Hi, I’m Yoshihiro Toyoda. Everyone called me “Ted” when I used to live in America. I used to work for FA system electric engineering company and I worked long term in many countries, such as Abu Dhabi for 8 years, Columbus OH, USA for 25 year, and Bangkok for 3 years.

Since then, I have returned to Japan and been here for 5 years.

When I stayed overseas, I had the opportunity to observe Japan from an outside perspective, and realized the beauty of this country which I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t gone overseas.

My wife is pianist and she loves cooking. We enjoy going out and finding a reasonable priced and tasty local restaurants in Kyoto. We have live with a Boston terrier, Dolce and we love her very much.

I enjoy playing guitar and listening to acoustic music.

I passed Kyoto Tourism Culture Certification Test, means I am `Kyoto Expert'.

This is a certification test covering about general Knowledge related to Kyoto including history, historical sites, shrines, temples, architecture, gardens, arts, traditional industrial arts, traditional culture, entertainment areas, festivals and events, Kyo-ryori (local cuisine of Kyoto), Kyoto Confectionary, customs, dialects and folk tales, geographical names, natural resources, tourism, etc.,

Please pick me as your private local guide and I will show you many unique points of Kyoto from a local, and also an outsider’s perspective.

I am looking forward to seeing you and spending wonderful time with you.

See you soon!

  • I live in Kyoto
  • I speak 日本語, English
  • Verified Local host
  • Response time less than 7 hours

My Kyoto in pictures

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Reviews

Kaye
21 April 2025
My husband and I spent several hours with Yoshihiro “Ted” at the Nishiki market tasting the weird and the wonderful. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and Yoshihiro a great guide and companion. He artfully selected the best stalls to sample from and introduced us to flavours and tastes we hadn’t tried before. He’s a lot of fun too. All round brilliant day. Thanks “Ted”.Wonderful day in Kyoto. Thanks Yoshihiro!
Kelley
21 April 2025
My family of four had a wonderful time touring Kyoto with Ted. He is very knowledgeable about the city and gave us all sorts of tidbits related to culture, history, etc. He was also very flexible when we told him we had already visited one of the sights he had in mind. He gave us great restaurant recommendations and stayed in touch to offer his assistance afterwards.Delightful tour
Nani and Manuel
20 April 2025
Ted was incredibly kind, polite, and warm-hearted. He shared so many interesting stories and facts with us, and his passion made everything even more special. We truly enjoyed our time with him – such a lovely person!History of Kyoto with Ted
Mary
19 April 2025
Yoshihiro was a great guide and helped us experience the history, beauty and charm of Kyoto, even in the rain!Great experience in Kyoto
Darren
18 April 2025
Just want to send a shout out to Ted. We booked a simple walking tour with him on our first morning in Kyoto. Weather was great, sakura were still in bloom, and luckily the crowds weren't too big. To top it off, Ted did a great job of providing context to us as we walked through Gion, Chionin Temple, and Maruyama Park, ending at the Yasaka Shrine. He then dropped us off at a nice soba and tempura restaurant, which the family was craving. Wish we could've done/seen a little more within the tour, but that's probably a good indicator. Not to mention the next two days in Kyoto our kids were asking if we were going to bump into Ted again and were actively looking through the crowds for him =). Great first Kyoto experience with the fam
Kwame
13 April 2025
Ted was a great and informative guide. Very easy-going and fun to be around. He even helped us at the pharmacy. Highly recommended. A really enjoyable time
Renarta
11 April 2025
Ted was very flexible with our tour given our children and showed us some key sights of Kyoto. He also shared some great recommendations for later in our trip. Lovely host
Tamara
10 April 2025
Ted-san was very accommodating to prepare our tours with what we wanted to see with the highlight being The Philosophers Path during peak cherry blossoms! He also took us to a very local restaurant that served delicious soba and udon noodles and I was interested in purchasing handmade prints and he took me to the perfect store. On our second day we took the Romantic Train outside of Kyoto and then transferred to an old fashioned boat to come back down the river. A delightful day and Ted-san planned everything perfectly! We look forward to returning and will definitely book him again. Great two days of tours with Ted-san
D Scott
8 April 2025
“Ted” provided two great tours in Kyoto. He took us to places that we would have never seen on our own. Loved the shrine with the fully bloomed plum trees at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. He is very knowledgeable of the historical places. An even bigger highlight was being guided by him in the Nishiki market. We had a lot of free tastes and experiences and besides cost of his time, we only paid for food and drinks we were interested in. It was a very good food tour. I recommend Ted as a guide for Kyoto.2 Great tours
Dmitri
7 April 2025
Ted was great. Knowlegeable, easy going, great with our kids. Someone you want to spend the day sightseeing with.Quality time

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