All Reviews for Japan Autumn Tours 2024

Both the guide and the driver were extremely experienced, and they kept us entertained until the end. The guide was fluent in English, so I believe foreign visitors were able to fully enjoy the wonderful Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. Both of them were very friendly and approachable. It was a great tour, and I can definitely recommend it.

ガイドさんもドライバーさんも チョーベテランの方々で 最後まで楽しませていただきました
ガイドさんは英語が堪能で 外国の方にも素晴らしい白川郷と五箇山を体感してしていただけたと思います
お二人とも 大変気さくな方で フレンドリー
良いツアーでした
絶対おすすめできます

I participated alone, but I had a great time. The guide showed us spots where no one else was around, and I was able to take photos in a really beautiful location!

一人で参加したのですが、楽しく参加できました。
ガイドさんが誰もいないスポットを教えて下さり、とっても綺麗な場所で撮影出来ました！

We had a great time on our tour. Lenny provided very insightful information with quite a bit of humor mixed in. The spots were all very interesting and unique and the whole experience exceeded my expectations. Well worth the time and price.

Due to limited time We booked this tour the day before. Due to the Booking time already closed on the website we had to co-ordinate our booking through VELTRA facebook messenger. The team were very fast to rely & with great communication we were able to secure 3 seats on the Tour.
The meeting location across from Kyoto Station was very easy to find & we waited for our Tour Guide. Jorge Introduced himself & lead us onto the bus for a very full day of sight seeing.
At Each Cultural sight we were given a full educational history & cultural commentary by Jorge & then our own time to explore, if time permitted a little shopping. My daughters & I always seemed to be rushing for the bus as so much to see & do at each location. Even though Jorge is not a native from Japan his knowledge & insight is fantastic. We found Jorge to be funny, calm & professional.
Our Tour was on Saturday & a public holiday in Japan, so some locations such
as the Bamboo Forrest & 1001 Tori gates were busy. Due to the crowds & a few mishaps during the day, & through no fault of our Tour guides, we ran behind
time. WE made our last stop The Golden Pavilion 10 mins before closing & as the sun was going down. Luckily I was able to get a few photos & walk around the Temple before the gates were closed. Our supplied lunch at the Bamboo Forest location was very unique & tasty.
I Recommend NOT DOING the TOUR on the weekend or Public Holiday if
possible. I would use Veltra Tours again & 100% highly recommend Jorge as a Tour Guide. Its a very full busy day & was very glad to be able to rest on the bus between locations.

It was a great tour since I wanted to visit both Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. The free time was just right. The staff were friendly, but the guide talked the whole time, so I wished there had been a little time to soak in the atmosphere or quietly enjoy the view from the car. Also, since I participated alone, I wanted to have lunch with the others instead of sitting at a table by myself, which made me feel a bit lonely. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves sitting next to each other. Overall, I was satisfied with the tour.

白川郷と五箇山どちらも行きたかったので、とてもいいツアーでした。
自由時間もちょうどよかったです。
スタッフさんの方々もフレンドリーでよかったですが、ガイドさんがずっとお話しされていたので、少しは、余韻に浸ったり、ゆっくり車内で静かに車窓をみたりする時間が欲しかったです。また、一人参加だったのですが、一人だからこそ食事（昼食）は、他のみなさんと並んで食べたかったです。ひとりのテーブルで、一人参加を強調されたようで、さみしかったです。他のみなさんは隣同志ならんでいて楽しそうでした。
ツアーには満足です。

Our tour guide Mr Tetsuya "Teddy" ISHIDA, and driver 林 were very punctual and very friendly. He speak good in mandarin and English.
This trip is completely tailored to suit our family of five (3, 9 and 12 year old)
We were all blown away with how well we all enjoyed our day trip. We managed to get some brilliant images of Mt. Fuji. Highly recommended- money well spent

Booked package tour through veltra.com and immediately after online payment email confirmation received for tour details and pick up point. I found difficulty in locating pick up point, so advised travelers to have sufficient time margin in reaching pick up point, as bus departs on time without any further wait. Japanese people are very strict on time, so when they announce for time, be careful and return to bus before that time, otherwise you may miss the bus on any sightseeing point. Booked vegetarian food, but could not get anything there even salad was having meat. Alcohol are mixed in most food products. Vegetarian are advised not to book food in package. Better to carry your own food as alternate food availability is also not there other than included in package. It was sunny day, hence could see Mt Fuji amazing views and it made our day. 5th station was closed due to snow fall, hence we returned from 1st station. Only 10 min was given at first station, which was most beautiful place in entire trip and this was negative. Lot of time spent for lunch which was not necessary. Cruise trip was in dark, so it was just a boating, could not see the beauty around mountain. Return ticket for bullet train was given in bus and highly recommended due to heavy traffic jam during return trip. It took only 35 min to reach Tokiyo instead of 2.5-4 hrs in bus. Overall package cost was more, however tour is worth due to natural beauty. Lady guide was fluent in English and coordinated well the entire trip, except for time management. Recommend every traveler to visit Mount Fuji, it is must tour if you are in Tokiyo. You can leave Tokiyo city tour, if time does not permit but Mt Fuji tour is must, if whether permits.

Good day activity out of Tokyo. Not too strenuous for elderly yet get to see mt fuji and enjoy hakone! Lunch was good too. Only set back was controlling the other people on the tour. With each stop being 5-10mins late, we ended up being half hour late for last activity which was the lake ashi cruise and being late autumn/early winter, the sky was dark and we couldn't see anything! And because it was late we decided to take the bullet train back to tokyo which cost extra. Overall, a good day tour!

Finding the starting point was easy as it was very easy to see at the train station. It was nice that there were translations available as one of us spoke English and the other spoke Chinese. Despite rainy weather the tour was great. The tour obviously runs on a schedule so lingering to meditate will not work. There was enough time to follow the trails and get a number of photos but be aware that there will be crowds as these are very popular tourist places. This is an easy way to see the temples and to avoid numerous train and subway changes.

Fantastic and friendly Driver and guide. Very accommodating and great access for my large electric Wheelchair
As first-time travellers to Japan from Australia we had a great time.
Highly recommended

The guide was very good and informative. However, Mt Fuji was completely fogged in (even it was hard to see the shops at the 5th station in the fog), and it was rainy, foggy for all of the other sites. The lunch was great, though, and it was a nice day to get out of the city into the countryside. Because pretty much all of the sites were not visible I would have hoped that this tour be rescheduled (the following day was clear).

Both were great in providing the service, and the driver were really eager to make sure all of us had great time during that day. He also took us to very special place where we could enjoy watching Mount Fuji although the 5th station was closed due to slippery. Was such a great experience and service.

This was such an amazing trip! The tour group met right outside the train station in Kyoto and were very easy to find. It was well organized - we were split up into groups and had a designated bus and host throughout the day. Our tour guide, George, was amazing! He was extremely knowledgeable and with great sense of humor! The sights that they had scheduled for us to see where nothing short of incredible. George made sure we made it on time to every destination and I'm glad because we saw it all! The scenery along with our guide made us appreciate the temples even more which gave us a deeper understanding of the city and culture beyond the beauty of it all! This was definitely a must do!!

Will do it again without hesitation. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun.

We hoped to see Mt. Fuji, but, unfortunately, it rained the day of our booked tour and Mt. Fuji was not to be seen. But all was not lost. Our driver, Toshi, picked us up promptly at the scheduled time and drove us to the Mt. Fuji area. On the way he gave us information on local sites that we passed. Our guide, Yuko, was very knowledgeable and gave us options for our rainy day. Our driver and guide learned that we liked to hike so we went to a beautiful shrine at the base of Mt. Fuji and hiked on an ancient trail to the first station. A great way to experience Mt. Fuji on a rainy day. Yuko gave much information on local customs and the Shinto religion involving the mountain. We then had a leisurely lunch at a local restaurant. Following this, we chose to go to a museum featuring a world renowned textile artist who made kimono art. These were fabulous. It was then late in the day and we traveled back to Tokyo. A different experience than we hoped for due to the rain, but a memorable and enjoyable day thanks to Toshi and Yuko. We definitely recommend their services for guide and driver for the Mt. Fuji tour. They’re the best!

My wife and I wanted to see several top sights in Kyoto in one day, but without the feeling of “it is 10.30, here is the temple, you have 2 minutes to take a couple of pictures then off we go.” Veltra’s full-day Kyoto highlights tour provided more than adequate time to enter each site and absorb its character. We greatly benefitted from an excellent and good-humored tour leader who provided concise but insightful explanations of the site being visited and its historical context. We especially enjoyed Kiyomizudera, where one has the chance to drink from one of three “streams of wisdom” coming from the sacred spring; the Fushimi Inari shrine, with its amazing “tunnel” of ochre torii; and Kinkakuji as the setting sun reflected off its gold exterior. Signing up for the tour was easy; finding the meeting point was easy; and following along with the narrations was easy (though some pre-recorded narrations on the bus were garbled — the guide just jumped in to fill the gap). Taking the optional upgrade to have lunch provided was a fun and cost-effective move. We would not hesitate to tour again with Veltra — a well-run outfit providing great value for money.

Nice pleasant Tour , I Highly recommended If you’re short of time and want to enjoy Kyoto spirit

It was great! The guide seemed very knowledgeable, however she did not speak English and we felt that we missed some information. She did have some videos in English and signs. Overall the tour was good and would recommend it!

It was a superb trip. Everything went on as planned with right time pickup. The guide was excellent. All places were visited as per the brochure. Lunch was very good. OnlY the weather was very bad.

Our driver was very courteous and accommodating. We originally started with a 4 hour tour but gradually extended to 6 hours. We covered all that we wanted to : Fushimi Inari shrine, Nijo castle, bamboo grove, and a couple of others. He walked along with us and took great photos of us. He explained the history and significance of all the sites. We had a great time. The colors of Red and yellow of the leaves was also picturesque. Would not hesitate to strongly recommend veltra tours. Keep up the good work!

Ticked off all the major sights in one day in a nice, clean and easy to get to bus.

Guide George was great, managed us well and had a strong passion for Japan.

I liked the pace of the tour as it meant we could maximise our day.

In Kyoto for a short or long time I would recommend.

Our guide George was excellent. Provided insightful knowledge of Japan and ran the group very well.

Nice clean bus, great weather and interesting sights. Would recommend.

I liked the pace of the tour, we spent the right amount of time at each sight making sure we made the most of the day.

I participated at the end of October. I entered Kanazawa the day before from Tokyo and planned to visit Shirakawa-go and Gokayama the next day, then return by Shinkansen that night. I was worried that it might be difficult by train and local bus when I found this tour. It was efficient to visit both places, and the guide was great. The White Road was also beautiful with autumn leaves.

10月末に参加しました。都内から前日金沢に入り翌日白川郷と五箇山を廻ってその夜新幹線で帰る予定で考えましたが、電車や路線バスでは無理かと悩んでいた時にこのツアーを見つけました。
効率的に2ヶ所を巡れてガイドさんも良かったです。ホワイトロードも紅葉が綺麗でした。

Our visit to Kyoto was planned at the height of fall foliage season, on a national holiday, and a Saturday. That meant lots of traffic and big crowds. Kyoto is a beautiful city but the important sites are spread out. If you only have 1 or 2 days a tour is a must. This tour made it possible for us to go to sites that were remote from the Kyoto station, to enjoy a full hot pot lunch mid day, and get an overview of the history of each site as well as the city and region from the extremely engaging guide.

The tour is a really full day, wear good walking shoes (we got out 20,000 steps in) and pack snacks and water. When they say to be back at the bus at a certain time, they mean it! Several guests were left behind at one temple because they were late. The rules are the rules! It’s the only way you can see every place promised.

Our guide, Jorge, did an extremely good job weaving together practical advice for tourists in Japan, history of each location, interesting tips for enjoying our stay and many insights into Japanese culture. Plus, he was funny, which made waiting due to the holiday crowds far more bearable.

Ken and Ishi made our day very special.  We appreciate their efforts very much and would highly recommend them for their knowledge and professionalism.
Ishi was a most excellent driver in heavy traffic.
Ken answered our questions about the tour sights, as well as many about Japanese culture. He also amused us with a Japanese lesson during the long drive. When weather prevented us from seeing Mt. Fuji, they substituted other sights to compensate. The Hoto restaurant they chose for lunch was also excellent. We could not have had better, more attentive guides.
We give them the highest recommendation.

Awesome tour for those who want to see the main sights and not have to fuss with arrangements and trying to find how to get to places. Highly recommended. The balance of sights was good with enough time to see what was needed and just enough insights from the guide to give one the needed overview.

If you add up the costs of all the entry tickets to the temples and gardens, plus a yummy lunch, the tour is okay for the cost. However we thought it was odd to have a tour guide but most of the talking was done by an automated voice over the bus speakers. Sitting near the back, we couldn't hear the voice clearly and it kept pausing and lagging. If the tour guide is knowledgable about the area, they should be able to deliver the information themselves.

We had an issue with the lunch as there weren't enough meals cooked, so we waited as they made more. Didnt get time to look in the shops surrounding the restaurant like the other participants did, but made up for it at the following stop.
Make sure you get back to the tour bus on time or they will leave you behind! But one of the staff went and retrieved the two lost guests and caught up with us later on in the tour.
There were lots of other tours at each of the stops, as to be expected it was crowded, but still some beautiful sights and great for souvenier shopping! If you only have a day in Kyoto, this is good to see it all.

5 stops one day, busy but we could only spare 1 day for Kyoto, so this was just what I wanted.
Late November was a great season for autumn leaves.
Our tour guide Sami, was just as nice as the way we wanted. Not too much nor too less explanation about Kyoto. Just comfortable to listen to.
I had a very nice day in Kyoto with Sami.

We booked an 8h tour for the 16. November and were very happy with it.

Thanks to the car, we could explore much more sites than otherwise possible when using public transportation or walking. Our guide was very knowledgeable and adjusted the tour to our preferences. We recommend!

Our guide (Lanny) was very helpful to give us specific detail and great advice during the tour. We had the opportunity to see those beautiful temple and shrine with beautiful weather. All time were respected. Great experience overall, definitly recommend! Beautiful Kiyomizo dera temple, great neighborhood and an original japan style Starbucks:)
Golden temple at the end is awsome.