(MK private TAXI)
About Masutami Kawaguchi
PROFILE
I was born in October of 1967 in Osaka. In 1979, when I was 12 years old, my family and I moved to New Jersey, USA. I spent five years of my adolescence in USA before returning to Japan in 1984.
After returning to Japan, I studied theology as my major at Doshisha University In Kyoto. It was not because often religion and alcohol are related, but while I was a student I became interested in the bar business. Even when I was a student, I started my first career as a bartender in "Gion", known as Japan's traditional "Geisha" town. Through my experience as a bartender for 10 years, I developed excellent skills in customer service. I was about star my own bar and....
Suddenly the economy of Japan collapsed in 1991, because of Japan's economic bubble bursting. The bar business was badly effected and I was disappointed with the situation, so I decided to leave Gion. Instead of the bar business, I was introduced by a good friend of mine to "MK limousine service" as they were looking for a driver who has good communication skills with excellent English speaking ability. Yes, that was me!
CAREER
In 1998, I joined MK limousine and completed the training soon after to start my career as a chauffeur and guide. I began to realize that my personality, developed from my childhood, was a perfect match for the chauffeur and guide business. Moving around as child and as a result, transferring schools 7 times helped me to become flexible and open minded which exquisitely matches with my natural sense of humor, language skills and global sense gained in life in overseas, all of which are gifts for this business!
And for myself, I truly enjoy my work from the bottom of my heart, and also I'm very proud of this job! I always give a tour in Kyoto as if I was the ambassador of Kyoto. Working with MK limousine for almost 18 years, I learned and experienced more than people can think of, including meeting with the celebrities from all around the world and working with international governments, embassies, etc..
In February of 2017, I started my own business, MK private TAXI and have continued to introduce the wonderful city of Kyoto to travelers from all over the world.
After the pandemic of COVID-19, I have decided to renew my business name as…“MASU Private TAXI”
I am looking forward to sharing this special city with you!
Best Regards Masutami Kawaguchi
Reviews
LishyLouLou Palo Alto, California Reviewed May 20, 2017
Excellent Kyoto Guide! ★★★★★
We are about to begin Day 2 with guide Masutami Kawaguchi and are brimming with excitement. Masu is an excellent guide and we highly recommend his services.
Our first day he picked us up from our condo in his very clean and comfortable van. We saw many temples and had lunch at a great restaurant that was located off the beaten path.
Masu's English is very good. He is warm and friendly and has a good sense of humor too!
We are experienced travelers (Vietnam, Cambodia, Turkey, Israel, Russia) to name a few, and almost always hire a guide to enhance our travel experience, so we know a thing or two about what makes for a good tour guide. Masu ranks up there and we hope you will have the chance to tour Kyoto with Masu as your guide.
By the way, our group consisted of our parents (60s), a young couple and a 6 month old infant.
wendy_tsang Fremont, California Reviewed September 20, 2016
Great taxi for group recommended by MIki ★★★★★
Coordination with MK Kyoto was not hard - they are responsive and accommodate reasonable requests. The van was new and clean. Our tour guide - Mr Masutami Kawaguchi - was tops: gave very good historical background and interesting facts and stories about each place. Good sense of humor too! Price for a private tour was reasonable.
Abigail T Vancouver, Canada Reviewed August 31, 2016
Great Kyoto Tour and Guide ★★★★★
Coordination with MK Kyoto was easy - they reply fast and accommodate reasonable requests. The van was new and clean.
Our tour guide - Mr Masutami Kawaguchi - was tops: gave very good historical background and interesting facts and stories about each place. Good sense of humor too!
Price for a private tour was reasonable.
Gregg L Scottsdale, Arizona Reviewed July 18, 2016
Best Car and Driver - and History Pro! ★★★★★
First the car: New BMW 7 Hybrid. For 4 adults it was worth the extra $. Second: the driver. Masutami Kawaguchi. 6 stars for him. He was born in Kyoto but lived in the USA for several years as a kid, so his English is fantastic, and his sense of humor made the day truly special for us. He's an expert on all things in Kyoto and he explained the Japanese history, culture and architecture like a colege professor. Masu also took us to two restaurants we wouldn't have found on our own. He is a foodie! We loved his suggestions. MK was first class all the way. We had some other drivers in other cities. Nobody came close to this experience. See the temples but also go to the monkey park - hilarious fun!
sbh_nomad Bengaluru, India Reviewed December 14, 2015
Outstanding professional service! ★★★★★
We had hired MK Taxi's limousine service for our 3-day sightseeing and visit to all the temples in Kyoto. The experience with MK Taxi was simply outstanding!!! Our guide and driver was Mr Masutami Kawaguchi, whom we called Mr Masu in short. He was fluent in English and well versed with the details of the places we visited. He was thorough gentleman and a true representation of Japanese hospitality. Since I was interested in photography, he would point out good vantage points for better shots from his experience. He would carry umbrellas for us when it was expected to rain. Every day towards the end of our morning tour, he would help call up our choice of restaurant to ensure a table is available before we reach.
I realized their cars have special permit with access to parking areas of all the temples, which otherwise is out of bounds for private vehicles. It was a huge advantage to be dropped at the closest point of the temples especially since I was travelling with senior citizens. The car was spotlessly clean and comfortable. It may seem a bit expensive, but its worth the money for the excellent service you get and for being able to have a comfortable tour when you are travelling with elderly people.
Thank you Mr Masu for your wonderful service! These kind of experiences with new people is what makes a visit to a new place and country so memorable.
Heidi M Los Altos, California Reviewed October 21, 2015
Outstanding tour of Kyoto! ★★★★★
My husband and I had one day to explore Kyoto and are so glad a friend recommended Masutami at MK to show us the city's highlights. Masu's English is excellent, he is a wealth of historical and current knowledge, and he clearly loves this city. In a day, we saw the city's most important temples and shrines (more than we can count), ate an outstanding and authentic lunch, and were delivered back to our hotel in time for happy hour and dinner!
RobertSFBayArea SF Bay Area,CA Reviewed October 14, 2015
The only way to see Kyoto on a tight schedule ★★★★★
We were fortunate enough to book Mr. Masutami Kawaguchi with MK Taxi for our one day tour of Kyoto. The one day tour is somewhat costly ($475 USD) but we were able to see nearly the entire city in one day with Masu, including a delicious lunch at a mountainside local restaurant that serves Kyoto-style mackerel sushi only, that was truly delicious. If you would like to see Kyoto in style (new limo) and only have a limited time like we did, I can';t think of a better way to go.
