we will be in kyoto 10 oct to 21 oct. the major hotels are sold out. my wife is confident there will be openings in sept, or early oct. i am not. i have booked 11 days in the Citadines Karasuma-Gojo Kyoto. i do not think they will provide concierge service for english only speakers.

i presume we can hire someone for dining reservations. would take about 30 min/60min a day.

can you tell me what happens? can we find someone to perform this task? how much would it cost? i do expect nothing for free.

Your wife is right - You will certainly find a hotel, but I would not wait until September to find it. Inventory may be released later this year - perhaps six months and three months in advance. That said, it's a popular time to visit Kyoto, so it's a good thing to secure a reservation in advance.

Currently, on hotels.com, I see availability at the Hyatt Regency, Okura, and Granvia. I don't know if these are the major hotels you're looking for, but they're good. They all have concierges who can help with restaurant reservations. I believe Citadines also offers concierge services.

Normally, I find myself urging people to avoid unnecessary hotel changes ... It's a hassle to be constantly packing and unpacking. But with such a long stay in Kyoto, you might consider spending a night or two at a more uniquely local accommodation. If you're a high roller, you could try a famous ryokan. If you're a more budget conscious traveler, you could try a machiya (traditional house). You could also stay at a temple, if that appeals.

As for your search for an interpreter for 30 minutes work per day - You could try contacting one of the professional guide companies on the JNTO site:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/tr...deservice.html

However, I really don't think you'll need this.

Not sure what your definition of "major hotels" is, but i'm pretty sure there would be plenty of availability for hotel in general for Kyoto in Oct, even though it might not necessarily be released yet.

You need to hire someone to make dining reservations for you, if I understand you correctly??

Citadines is actually a pretty well known international serviced apartment chain and most of the Citadines I have been to in non-English speaking countries have English speaking staff. I am sure they would be able to help you make dining reservations. Alternatively you may also write to the reservations dept to confirm this service with them.

A big +1 on this one. It depends on what floats your boat, but on my wife's first trip to Japan (my third), we sprang for one night at the Hiiragiya Ryokan in Kyoto, known as the best (or among the best depending on who you ask) luxury ryokan in Kyoto, if not all of Japan. It was ungodly expensive for a night, but totally worth it for the cultural experience. You can find plenty about it on this board. A few examples:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...tel-kyoto.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...ncy-kyoto.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...hiiragiya.html