Choosing a Team-Building Activity in Kyoto
The table below compares four activities offered by Japan Guide Star, sorted by group capacity, duration, setting, and whether or not food and drinks are included. Even if you don’t know exactly how many people will be in your group or you haven’t decided on the timing of the event, this table can help you narrow down your options. The table doesn’t include the fifth option, other cultural activities, because their location, group size, and duration vary by program.
| Activity | Group Capacity | Duration | Indoor/Outdoor | Food and Drinks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chopstick Making Workshop | Up to 30 participants (private booking available) | 1 hour | Indoor | Not included |
| Arashiyama Walking Tour (admission to Tenryu-ji included) | Arranged to fit your group size | 1.5 hours | Outdoor | Not included |
| Nijo Castle Guided Tour (admission included) | Arranged to fit your group size | 1.5 hours | Outdoor and indoor (Ninomaru Palace)* | Not included |
| Gion Walking Tour | Arranged to fit your group size | 2 hours | Outdoor | Not included |
*The tour is entirely outdoors on days when Ninomaru Palace is closed to visitors.
None of these activities include food or drinks, so if you need meals, you’ll have to arrange them separately. This can make it easier to choose restaurants that can accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions.
Kyoto Arashiyama Chopstick Making Workshop
Kyoto: Nijo Castle World Heritage Guided Tour with Admission
Five Recommended Team-Building Activities in Kyoto
This section introduces the four activities in the comparison table above, along with some other options for you to consider. For each activity, we’ll explain how it can encourage interaction among participants and things to keep in mind when organizing.
Chopstick Making: Make Your Own Chopsticks in Arashiyama
Japan Guide Star’s “Kyoto Arashiyama Chopstick Making Workshop” is an activity in which participants choose the wood they like and then shave and shape it to make their own chopsticks. The standard plan offers a choice of three types of wood, and other types of wood are available for an additional fee. Each type of wood differs in scent, color, and firmness, so comparing their characteristics can also help spark conversations among participants.
The workshop takes place at Chopsticks Studio Kyoto, Japan Guide Star’s own studio, which is about a two-minute walk from Randen Arashiyama Station. On the day of the workshop, English-speaking staff explain each step, so participants who don’t understand Japanese can also take part.
Each session accommodates up to thirty participants, and private bookings are also available. The venue is on the second floor of the building, so we recommend discussing special accommodations with the studio in advance if any participants need to use a wheelchair.
Details
| Activity Name | Kyoto Arashiyama Chopstick Making Workshop |
| Area | Arashiyama (Nearest Train Station: Randen Arashiyama) |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| Price includes | Wood (choice of 3 types with the standard plan), tools and materials, guidance from English-speaking staff |
Kyoto Arashiyama Chopstick Making Workshop
Arashiyama Walking Tour: Tour a Bamboo Grove and World Heritage Site
On Japan Guide Star’s “Kyoto: Arashiyama UNESCO Walking Tour with Admission,” an English-speaking guide leads participants through a bamboo grove, a World Heritage site (Tenryu-ji temple), Arashiyama Park, and Togetsukyo Bridge. At Tenryu-ji, participants will visit the garden. The tour takes about an hour and a half and involves walking through a bamboo grove and the garden, so we recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes.
Participants can talk with one another as they walk, so the tour is suitable for programs designed to deepen interaction among members from different departments or locations. The tour starts and ends at Chopsticks Studio Kyoto, so if you combine the tour with the chopstick-making workshop, there is no need to move to a different venue.
Details
| Activity Name | Kyoto: Arashiyama UNESCO Walking Tour with Admission |
| Area | Arashiyama (meeting and ending point: Chopsticks Studio Kyoto) |
| Duration | 1.5 hours |
| Price includes | English-speaking guide, admission to Tenryu-ji temple |
Kyoto: Arashiyama UNESCO Walking Tour with Admission
Nijo Castle Guided Tour: Visit the Castle Where a Shogun Stayed in Kyoto
Japan Guide Star’s “Kyoto: Nijo Castle World Heritage Guided Tour with Admission” is a tour of Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site, with commentary from an English-speaking guide. Tokugawa Ieyasu built Nijo Castle in 1603 to guard the Kyoto Imperial Palace and to serve as the shogun’s lodging when they visited Kyoto. The castle reached its current scale during a major renovation in the Kan’ei era, from 1624 to 1626. In 1867, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the fifteenth shogun, announced his intention to return political power to the imperial court at Ninomaru Palace. On the tour, participants can learn about this history through the tour guide’s commentary.
At Ninomaru Palace, visitors remove their shoes and tour the inside of the building, so part of the tour takes place indoors. However, Ninomaru Palace is closed to visitors every Tuesday in January, July, August, and December, or the next day (Wednesday) if Tuesday is a public holiday. The palace is also closed from December 26 to 28 and from January 1 to 3.
The meeting point for the tour is outside of Exit 1 of Nijojo-mae Station, which is easy to reach from the city center.
Details
| Activity Name | Kyoto: Nijo Castle World Heritage Guided Tour with Admission |
| Area | Nijo Castle (meeting point: outside of Exit 1 of Nijojo-mae Station) |
| Duration | 1.5 hours |
| Price includes | English-speaking guide, admission to Nijo Castle |
Kyoto: Nijo Castle World Heritage Guided Tour with Admission
Gion Walking Tour: Explore Streets Where Geisha Culture Lives On
Japan Guide Star’s “Kyoto: Gion Hidden Gems & Geisha Culture Tour” is a guided walk through the historic streets of Gion. Participants will visit streets lined with teahouses and traditional wooden houses, as well as shrines and other sights, and the guide will explain the culture of geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha). Lucky participants might even see a geisha or maiko during the tour, but sightings are not guaranteed.
The local council has prohibited unauthorized photography on private roads on and around Hanamikoji Street. From May 2024, the council also prohibits people from passing through some private roads, including Kosode Koji Lane. If you’re joining as a group, inform participants of these rules concerning photography and access in advance.
The Gion Walking Tour operates even in ordinary rain, but check in advance whether the tour will run during thunderstorms or typhoons. In summer, choosing a morning, late-afternoon, or evening time slot can help you avoid the intense midday heat.
For small groups, a private tour conducted in English or Spanish is also available (up to ten participants per booking).
Details
| Activity Name | Kyoto: Gion Hidden Gems & Geisha Culture Tour |
| Area | Gion (meeting point: McDonald’s Shijo Ohashi) |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Price includes | English-speaking guide |
Kyoto: Gion Hidden Gems & Geisha Culture Tour
Tea Ceremony, Kimono Dressing, and Geisha Entertainment: Other Cultural Activities In Kyoto
Besides activities at its own facility and guided tours, Japan Guide Star can also arrange tea ceremony demonstrations, calligraphy classes, martial arts classes, the opportunity to dress in a kimono, sake tasting lessons, cooking classes, traditional party games with a geisha, and meditation sessions. You can consult Japan Guide Star about activity content and venue arrangements to suit the goals of your corporate training or team building.
Tea ceremony demonstrations and meditation are suitable if you want to give participants time to step away from everyday conversation and focus in a quiet setting. Traditional party games with a geisha, on the other hand, work well if you want to liven up a group dinner while participants watch dance performances and try traditional Japanese games.
The location, number of participants per session, and duration vary by program. When you inquire, inform Japan Guide Star of your group size and preferred time of day. For activities that involve food or drinks, collect participants’ dietary restrictions in advance. You can view the list of Japanese cultural experiences that Japan Guide Star offers.
Sample Team-Building Itineraries in Kyoto
Once you’ve chosen your activities, you’ll need to build an itinerary around your schedule and the number of participants. This section presents sample half-day, one-day, and three-day sample itineraries.
Half Day: Chopstick Making and a Walking Tour in Arashiyama
For groups of thirty people or fewer, a straightforward, half-day option is to do chopstick making and a walking tour in Arashiyama. The walking tour starts and ends at Chopsticks Studio Kyoto, so there’s no need to travel between different venues when you combine the tour with the chopstick-making workshop. With both activities, the total time is about two and a half hours, so they can fit into a half-day program.
Arashiyama is some distance west of the city center, so include travel time to and from the meeting venue in your itinerary.
Kyoto: Arashiyama UNESCO Walking Tour with Admission
One Day: Split Groups of Thirty or More into Two Groups and Rotate
For groups of more than thirty people, one option is to split participants into two groups and alternate between two activities. For example, in the morning, Group A joins the walking tour while Group B takes part in chopstick making, and then the two groups switch activities. The itinerary could then include lunch after both groups have finished their activities.
Three Days: Schedule Meetings and Activities on Separate Days
For offsite meetings that bring together members from overseas offices, we recommend combining meetings with cultural activities while taking the strain of travel into account. If you avoid long meetings on the arrival day and schedule the main program for the second day or later, you can help reduce the burden on participants.
For example, on the first day, participants could join the Nijo Castle guided tour in the afternoon after arriving and then move on to dinner. On the second day, they could hold a meeting in a conference room at their accommodations in the morning and then do chopstick making and the walking tour in Arashiyama in the afternoon. On the third day, they could join the Gion walking tour in the morning before heading to Kyoto Station.
If your arrival day falls on a day when Ninomaru Palace at Nijo Castle is closed to visitors (Tuesdays in January, July, August, or December), you can still include the indoor visit by moving the Nijo Castle tour to a day when the palace is open.
Kyoto: Nijo Castle World Heritage Guided Tour with Admission
Five Points to Check Before Planning a Team-Building Activity in Kyoto
Once you’ve narrowed down your activities and itinerary, there are several points to check before you request a quote or make a reservation. This section covers information on capacity limits, what activity prices include, availability of English support, tourist seasons, and alternatives for when bad weather forces you to change your plans.
1. Maximum Number of Participants per Session
Activity venues and tours have a maximum number of participants they can accommodate at one time. If your group exceeds that number, you will need to split the group into multiple sessions or use separate venues. For example, if eighty people are joining an activity with a limit of thirty, you can either split them into three sessions or combine the activity with another one and rotate the groups. If you decide in advance whether everyone needs to do the activity at the same time or whether splitting into groups is acceptable, it can be easier to discuss specific arrangements with the venue.
If you split participants into groups and send them to areas that are far apart, such as Arashiyama and Gion, coordinating meeting points and travel can become more complicated. Check whether the groups can rotate within the same area.
2. What the Per-Person Price Includes
Per-person prices and what they cover vary by provider. Prices can also differ depending on whether admission fees for temples, shrines, and other sites are included. When requesting a quote, check the price breakdown, including venue fees, instructor or guide fees, interpreter fees, material costs, food and drink costs, and admission fees. You should also check how consumption tax and service charges are handled, the minimum guaranteed number of participants, the deadline for changing the number of participants, and when cancellation fees for your chosen activity begin to apply.
When comparing multiple companies, you can create a table with these items as columns and fill in each company’s information. This can help make it clear why prices are different, and you can use the table as a document for internal budget approval.
3. The Scope of English Support
“English support” means different things at different venues. In some cases, the instructor or guide leads the activity in English, while in others, an interpreter accompanies a program conducted in Japanese. Depending on the activity, interpretation may require an additional fee.
Another important point to check is whether the venue can communicate in English by email before the event or in an emergency. Confirm not only the language support during the activity but also how communication will be handled from booking through to the day of the event. If participants require languages other than English, such as Chinese or French, check whether guides who speak those languages can be arranged.
4. Crowding During Tourist Seasons
During spring and autumn, Kyoto becomes crowded with tourists, and securing accommodations, venues, and charter buses can be challenging. According to the Kyoto Local Meteorological Office, the city’s cherry blossoms usually begin blooming around March 26th and reach full bloom around April 4th. In autumn, ginkgo leaves turn yellow around November 24th, and maple leaves turn red around December 5th.
From late March to early April and from late November to early December, crowds increase in and around popular temples and shrines and in the Arashiyama area. During these periods, it can be difficult to predict how long sightseeing and transportation will take. If you plan to hold your event during this time, build extra time into your itinerary so that delays caused by crowds don’t affect the next part of your schedule.
5. Backup Plans for Rain or Extreme Heat
Outdoor programs may be canceled or shortened depending on the weather. Kyoto tends to have many rainy days during Japan’s rainy season, which typically starts on June 6th and ends on July 19th in the Kinki region. Because the city is in a valley, summers are also very hot. In an average year, there are about sixty-three days in July, August, and September that reach 30°C (about 86°F) or above. Because of this, itineraries that involve long walks outdoors during the day can be physically demanding for participants.
Before signing a contract, check the criteria for weather-related cancellations, the deadline for notification, who is responsible for arranging alternative programs, and the conditions for refunds or rescheduling in the event of a cancellation.
When to Book Directly with a Venue and When to Use a Travel Agent
You can arrange activities either by booking directly with each venue or by asking a travel agent to handle all the arrangements. Booking directly tends to work well for small groups with simple plans, while a travel agent might be more suitable if your requirements are complex. The table below compares the two methods across seven items:
| Direct Booking Recommended | Travel Agent Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Group size | A group that fits in one venue | Groups that exceed venue capacity or are split across multiple venues or sessions |
| Number of activities | 1 | More than 1 |
| Accommodations and transportation | Arrange separately | Can be arranged |
| Contact for quotes | Contact each venue | One contact |
| How to check prices | Each venue’s booking page | Provided for each arrangement |
| How to check cancellation terms | Each venue’s booking page | Provided for each arrangement |
| On-site coordination | You manage the event | Travel Agent staff manage the event |
If you are doing a single activity with a group that fits the venue’s capacity, booking directly is usually faster. For example, if a twenty-person group is joining one type of activity, one option is to check availability on the venue’s booking page or a similar channel and book directly.
On the other hand, if you’re combining multiple activities or want to arrange accommodations and transportation together, a travel agent might be more suitable. If your group exceeds venue capacity, or if you need a private booking or support in languages other than English, consulting a travel agent can help reduce the coordination work involved.
Japan Guide Star’s Strengths and Services
If you’re considering Japan Guide Star as your travel agent, this section explains its strengths and the range of services it provides.
In-House Studio Activities and Tours Can Be Combined to Suit Your Goals
Japan Guide Star runs its own studio in Arashiyama, Chopsticks Studio Kyoto, and also operates its own tours in Arashiyama, at Nijo Castle, and in Gion. Because Japan Guide Star manages both the studio activities and the tours itself, you can coordinate guides and schedules through a single point of contact, even when visiting areas that are far apart (like Arashiyama and Gion). If you inform them of the number of participants, your goals, and your preferred dates and times, Japan Guide Star will propose combinations that fit those conditions.
Kyoto: Gion Hidden Gems & Geisha Culture Tour
Indoor Workshops as a Backup Plan for Outdoor Activities
The chopstick-making workshop takes place entirely indoors, so the activity itself isn’t affected by weather changes. If you are planning an outdoor tour, you can consider chopstick making as an alternative program for rainy days or extremely hot days. Same-day changes depend on the studio’s availability and booking conditions, however, so check in advance whether the alternative plan is possible.
Note that getting to the venue involves traveling outdoors. If travel becomes difficult, such as when public transportation announces planned service suspensions due to a typhoon, you’ll need to reschedule.
Kyoto Arashiyama Chopstick Making Workshop
Full Support from Venue Arrangements to Accommodations, Transportation, and On-Site Management
For corporate training, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) events, and incentive trips, Japan Guide Star handles everything from arranging venues, accommodations, transportation, and activity programs to managing operations on the day of the event. You can also request hotels, charter buses, chauffeured cars, train tickets, and domestic flights all at once. Japan Guide Star is a travel agency registered with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (registration no. 2-8877) and is a member of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA).
Japan Guide Star can accommodate everything from small executive groups to groups of around two hundred people. With offices in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, Japan Guide Star can also arrange itineraries that include Osaka or Tokyo before or after Kyoto. In Osaka, you can also arrange a visit to Sumo Studio Osaka, a sumo show where you can watch matches by former professional sumo wrestlers up close, through the same point of contact. You can find available activities in Osaka on Japan Guide Star’s list of Osaka tours.
English Support for All Activities and Multilingual Guides
All Japan Guide Star activities are available in English, and guides who speak French, Spanish, German, Chinese, and other languages can also be arranged. The corporate inquiry form accepts inquiries in English, and Japan Guide Star typically replies within twenty-four to forty-eight business hours.
Extensive Experience Hosting Groups from Overseas
Japan Guide Star works with travel agencies, corporate event planners, MICE organizers, and incentive travel specialists. The company has hosted groups from Europe, North America, and Australia, as well as Asian countries. In Kyoto, Japan Guide Star began accepting school and educational travel groups for its chopstick-making workshop in Arashiyama in May 2026.
Japan Guide Star not only handles arrangements but also welcomes participants every day at its studios and on its tours, so the company can apply its on-site operational experience to event planning.
Frequently Asked Questions About Team-Building Activities in Kyoto
Finally, here are some brief answers to questions about planning team-building activities in Kyoto.
Can Japan Guide Star Arrange Cultural Activities Other Than Chopstick Making and Tours?
Yes. Programs are available for activities such as tea ceremony, calligraphy, martial arts, kimono dressing, sake tasting, cooking classes, traditional party games, and meditation. The content can be adjusted to fit the goals and themes of your training or team-building activity. Exclusive venues and special access can also be added.
What Is the Minimum Group Size Required for an Inquiry?
The minimum group size varies by program, but the general guideline is ten or more participants. Arrangements for smaller groups, such as VIP groups, are sometimes also accommodated.
When Should I Contact Japan Guide Star?
About three to six months in advance is a good guideline. For events during spring and fall, or for large-scale events, contact Japan Guide Star even earlier to secure venues and accommodations. Last-minute requests are handled whenever possible, and replies to inquiries are typically sent within twenty-four to forty-eight business hours.
What Payment Methods Does Japan Guide Star Accept?
Japan Guide Star accepts bank transfers in US dollars, euros, and Japanese yen. Partner travel agencies can also pay by invoice with payment terms. Deposit requirements vary depending on the size of the group and the time of year.
When Do Cancellation Fees Apply?
Cancellation fees vary by program, venue, and time of year. Activity programs generally need to be finalized thirty to sixty days in advance, and the chosen venue’s own cancellation policy may also apply on top of Japan Guide Star’s cancellation policy.
Do You Offer Wholesale Rates for Travel Agencies?
Yes. Japan Guide Star quotes prices at wholesale (net) rates to partner travel agencies. Partner agencies can also take advantage of priority booking during peak seasons, like spring and fall, and receive other benefits, such as invitations to familiarization trips once or twice a year.
Summary
How smoothly your team-building activity in Kyoto runs depends greatly on how you choose the activities and plan the logistics. If you know the number of participants and schedule, begin budgeting early, and confirm capacity limits ahead of time, you should be able to keep your itinerary on track on the day of the event.
Making a pair of chopsticks or walking the streets of Kyoto with an English-speaking guide can give members from different departments or countries a shared experience. With Japan Guide Star, you can consult in English about everything from planning programs to accommodations, transportation, and on-site management.
Once you have a rough idea of the number of participants and event dates, contact Japan Guide Star through Japan Guide Star’s destination management service page for more details.
