Keihan Bus (Minami Ward, Kyoto City) is strengthening its themed premium bus tours to meet the diverse needs of Kyoto tourists. These tours deliberately stray from the "standard" Kyoto sightseeing spots like popular temples and shrines, allowing visitors to experience hidden cultural assets and the skilled craftsmanship of artisans. While the "Kyoto Regular Sightseeing Bus" that visits famous spots has struggled to grow, these special tours will convey the profound charms of Kyoto and Shiga.
Themed tours began in October 2025. To date, tours to the outskirts of Kyoto have been organized with titles such as "Sagano Torocco Train and Relaxing Satoyama" (Miyama-cho, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture), "The Tranquility of Omi" (Omihachiman City and Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture), and "Keihan Electric Railway and Keihan Bus Depot Tour" (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture). Local residents, monks, and railway professionals welcomed and guided the tours on-site.
The fare is set at 13,000 yen or more per person, roughly double the price of Kyoto's regular sightseeing buses. Occupancy rates exceed 70%, indicating strong demand.
Keihan Bus has been operating regular sightseeing buses departing and arriving at Kyoto Station since 1928. Half-day and full-day tours that visited Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Arashiyama, and other places were consistently popular, but usage has declined due to a decline in group travel and diversification of sightseeing and experience needs. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, average occupancy rates have reportedly remained at around 50%.
The company aims to stimulate demand for tours with themed projects and bring about a return to "bus tourism."
A Zen-themed tour will be held in May. It was recently unveiled to the media, with monk Tomoyuki Tsujioka leading a tour inside the Hatto Hall, a national treasure at Manpuku-ji Temple (Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture), which is normally closed to the public. For around an hour and a half, Tsujioka Tomoyuki shared anecdotes about the founder, Zen Master Ingen, and the hardships of his training. For lunch, they enjoyed a vegetarian fucha bento box at the temple's restaurant, and in the afternoon they toured Tofukuji Temple (Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City) with a gardener as a guide.
A manager at Keihan Bus's Business Strategy Office said, "This special experience, which makes use of the Keihan Group's connections and know-how, is popular with Kyoto residents as well. We will continue to uncover the charms of Shiga Prefecture and northern Kyoto Prefecture." Tours can be booked through Keihan Bus's official website, "Okoshi Bus."
