All Reviews for Japan Autumn Tours 2024

This is a good tour to see the highlights of Kyoto. The driver and tour guide Jun is extremely competent. My only complaint is that the tour feels rushed at each sites. However due to the number of tourists at each locations and in order to cover all the highlights, it is unavoidable to feel rushed.

We did get to see Mt Fuji which was why we went on this tour. Because of this, I rated it fair rather than poor... The boat and sky tram filled in time out of the bus... neither was interesting or exciting. Our tour guide was very bland...he certainly did not make this an enjoyable day. For a couple to go on this excursion at a cost of $250 to 300USD... spend your money elsewhere.

Very professional and informing. I would recommend and use again.

Completely recommend this tour and is well worth it. The scenery and guide are both terrific and it was an awesome day and experience overall. I must say that it is best to do your research regarding the train option before finalising your booking to ensure that you get the best deal. The tour operator offers a discounted ticket for the bullet train if it is bought through them as opposed to buying the ticket at the station.

Enjoyed the morning tour better than the afternoon tour. Lunch should include alternatives for Western tastes.

This tour begins at the Saga-Arashiyama station and ends in Arashiyama. However, the meeting location is at the Kyoto station, approx. 35 min away by train. As guests at the Suiran Kyoto in Arashiyama, it was discouraging to travel the distance for this tour. Suggestion...It would be nice for those staying in Arashiyama to have the opportunity to meet at the tour departure station...the Saga-Arashiyama. As for the tour itself, our family had a fun and exciting time!

My family and I visited Kyoto on April 12th, and could not be any happier with our tour. A big thanks to our friendly driver and tour guide Ichiro who made the extra effort to give us some history of the sights we visited throughout the day. Ichiro made sure we were able to visit what we had planned for the day, and he didn’t worry about the time too much when I was worried myself that our 8hour time was nearly over!
Kyoto is a beautiful place, I would go back time and time again to explore and use this service.

It was nice to have all transportation to and from set. It can be a little complicated getting out to Kameoka from Kyoto. The entire experience was worth the cost.

Places visited were outstanding. But was fast paced/rushed. People with walking difficulties can barely catch up with the group. Lunch was sukiyaki.

The guide was very informative. However couldn't go to fifth station of Mt. Ashi as promised in the tour plan. Instead went to the second station due to whether conditions. It would have be better if this clause was mentioned. One among the very less tours that cover both mount Ashi and Hakone in one day. Covers all the important look out points.

Honestly, I expected something completely different. The way was very long, the tour guide was not that excited about the information he presented and most of the facts I knew from the internet tourist sites beforehand. We clearly expected more insight into the history of the place: beautiful legends and folk tales or anecdotes from a local guide.
5-station was closed that day. As for sky gondola and the boat cruise, well, probably on a sunny day, but not on a windy April day. The sky was grey and it was freezing. Smoking valley was just a viewing spot to take a photo and taste a black ice-cream. Sorry to say, but I wouldn’t recommend this trip. I would go for another tour provider.

Excellent guide. Very informative and helpful throughout the whole trip.

The weather was wonderful, and I walked around the Gassho-zukuri village. Shirakawa-go and Gokayama each have their own charm, and I was satisfied to be able to visit both in one day. The tour guide provided information in English after Japanese, and it was so wonderful that I was captivated. The driver was also very nice, making it a fun trip.

天候に恵まれ、合掌造りの里を歩きまわりました。白川郷・五箇山それぞれに良さがあり、一日に両方を見学できて満足しました。
添乗員の方は日本語の次に英語で同じことを案内されるのですが、素晴らしくて聞きほれてしまいました。ドライバーさんもとても良い方で、楽しい旅行でした。

This was our second 2-day tour with Taiji in 3 years, and everyone had so much fun! Not only is Taiji super detailed oriented in planning a wonderful itinerary for our group, and equally efficient in executing even the most complicated and busiest schedules, it is all accomplished without making the tour group feel rushed at all. At the end, we were able to enjoy a fantastic customized experience that catered to the varied preferences that ranged from a 15-year old teenage girl up to grandparents in their 70's and 80's!

Best of all, Taiji not only provides a great tour service, but does so by enhancing the experience through his fun personality. Not only is his English excellent, but it is very difficult to find someone who is as humorous as Taiji who can not only understand but participate in sarcastic humor! Thank you so much again for the truly memorable and fun times, Taiji!

Exceptionally well organised tour and so much to see in one day! Loads of walking and tour running on a tight schedule to fit the itinerary in.
Guide friendly, speaking very good English.
Extremely pleased with the tour and will recommend Veltra (Kyoto Tours) to my friends.

I was here in April and I found out that April is time when there is most snow on Mt Fuji . it happened to me and we had to stop at 2 point .. but everything else was nice and perfect. guide was outstanding and ride smooth

Booked this tour a couple of months ago, when the weather forecast said it will be sunny. Unfortunately, the day of the tour itself, there was rain and snow, obviously Fuji-san would be a no-show. However, Taiji made the tour as comfortable for the group as possible, offering alternative activities for the day, since the situation is beyond anyone's control. Have to admit, Fuji-san was just the really optional part of the tour, and the priority was Gotemba Outlets. So we spent more the most part of the day there, taking our sweet time shopping and enjoying what the day has to offer. Taiji is very friendly, on time, drives safely, adaptable to our requests who would go above and beyond. Over all, I would have to say we were in very good hands, and I couldn't have asked for anyone better, would book a tour with them again in the near future.

Difficult to hear what the guides were saying.
Very busy between the different sights. When we finally found cherry blossoms there was no time to take photos.
Not too interesting to see the gardens and the shrine that was under reconstruction.

I had a great experience before, so I participated with my brother's family as well. The freshness of being able to view various buildings and landscapes from the high position of the bus is truly wonderful. Since it was a nice spring season, we were able to see the cherry blossoms, which made it even more enjoyable. The guide's performance really enhances the tour. Everyone, both children and adults, gets very excited when passing under the bridge. I think it would be great if there were a tour that also includes Tokyo Tower and other places for about an additional 30 minutes.

前に利用して良かったので兄弟の家族も一緒に参加しました。
色んな建物や景色がバスの高い位置から眺められるという新鮮さは本当に良いです。
春の良い季節だったので桜も見れてより楽しめました。
ガイドさんの演出がよりツアーを盛り上げてくれます。橋の下をくぐる時は子供も大人も大興奮です。
プラス30分くらいで東京タワーや他の場所も一緒にまわれるツアーもあったらいいなと思います。

Had a great tour with a private chartered taxi. Our driver-guide Taka was very helpful, friendly, accommodating, and funny. We are very happy to be with his company and we hope to meet him again in the future of our Japan trips.

Tour guide Jim was excellent and he made the tour interesting and fun. The locations selected were just right and what we wished to see.

I participated with friends from China in Singapore. I decided to join a day trip from Kanazawa the day before the tour, and the reservation process was easy and straightforward. I initially planned to go by bus on my own, but the morning and evening reservations were already full. The tour had 40% Japanese and 60% foreigners, with both Japanese and English guides, and it was extremely enjoyable. The small group created a friendly atmosphere that was fantastic. The guidance on how to explore Shirakawa-go and Gokayama was clear and easy to understand!!! The guide and driver from Kanazawa created a great atmosphere, and their desire to make sure everyone had a good time was evident. I made wonderful memories with my friends. Thank you very much!!!

シンガポール、中国の友だちと参加しました。
ツアー前日に金沢発の一日旅行を思い立って申し込みましたが、予約は簡単で、わかりやすかったです。個人でバスでいくつもりでしたが、既に朝、夕方の予約はいっぱいでしたが、ツアーは日本人4割、外国人6割、日英ガイドがつきで、非常に楽しかったです。グループは少人数でフレンドリーな雰囲気が最高でした。
白川郷、五箇山での回り方もガイダンスがありわかりやすかったです！！！
金沢出身のガイドさん、ドライバーさんがいい雰囲気づくりをされていて、楽しんでもらおうという気持ちがつたわりました。
友人とのいい思い出ができました。ありがとうございました！！！

This tour was exceptional in that it was possible to select and change the itinerary as the day progressed. The tour guide spoke good English, was knowledgeable about the places we visited, and was happy and adept at discovering additional places to visit to fit our interests. In addition, the driver also spoke good English, drove well and safely, and also was helpful in support of the guide. We also had a very nice lunch in a beautiful and peaceful restaurant. All in all, this was without doubt the best tour we had in Japan.
The tour comprised a married couple and a friend - all fairly elderly, but the guide made sure we were able to see all the important sight seeing aspects of the tour.

We were picked up from a nearby hotel to our own hotel. we were picked up with a bus which goes to our actual transport bus. There were around 3 or four busses which were to same direction to mount FUJI all together 100 people only from the same company which is GRAY LINE.
First stop was mount Fuji 4th station. (We were told that 5th station was closed due to weather conditions, which is OK) however the problem was to enter 4th station it took 40 minutes, as I believe there were many other tours.
Super crowded, people were on top of each other to take pictures of Fuji view. The queue in front of the toilet was long impossible to use.
Indeed we were only given 20 minutes in the area.
By the time you get off and on the bus is already a lot of time passed.
After that next station was lunch break, it was given only 30 minutes, which I am glad we requested no lunch as well.
When we goy on the boat on lake Ashi, there was no place to sit down, boat was overcrowded obviously we stood indoors.
Overall I wanted to see mount FUJI close by which was done.
But it was rushed and very crowded. Tour guide was robotic overall no enthusiasm.
If you are OK with such tight schedule and dont mind being rushed everywhere it is alright.
I believe these kind of tours have a limited quota and not oversold just for money.
End of the day it was over 100 dollars per person still with no lunch.
You might better do the tour by yourself or pay more and find a private kinda tour.

I participated with my middle and high school children. While enjoying the scenery along the way, the guide kindly shared stories about the area, highlights of the spots we were heading to, and how to get around. We were able to enjoy our free time at a leisurely pace. The guide's interesting stories kept the children engaged and listening seriously.

The lunch was plentiful and very delicious. Despite having eaten pork buns, croquettes, and dumplings, the children finished everything. The hands-on experience of making senbei was also well-received.

I usually travel by car, and this was my first bus tour, but I felt like I could experience the land more leisurely than on my usual trips. I was delighted by the scenery of Shirakawa-go, which I had wanted to visit for many years.

The guide, interpreter, and driver were all warm and friendly, which made for a very pleasant experience. Although the weather was unfortunately rainy at times, thanks to the staff, I was able to enjoy myself thoroughly. Bus tours are great! I would like to use them again.

中高生の子供と参加しました。道中景色を見ながら、この地方の話、これから向かうスポットの見所、回り方をガイドさんが丁寧に話して下さり、自由行動もゆっくり楽しむことができました。ガイドさんが興味深いお話を上手にして下さるので、子供達も真剣に聞いていました。
お昼ご飯は量も多く、とても美味しかったです。子供達は豚まんやコロッケ、団子、、食べていたにも関わらず完食でした。せんべい手焼き体験も好評でした。
普段車での旅行で、バスツアーは初めてだったのですが、いつもの旅行より、ゆったりと土地を感じられた気がします。長年訪ねたかった白川郷、景色にほっこりとしました。
ガイドさん、通訳さん、運転手さん、温かく声をかけて下さり、とても気持ちが良かったです。あいにくの雨が降ったり止んだりの天気でしたが、スタッフの方々のおかげで、十分楽しめました。バスツアーいいですね。また利用したいと思いました。

Higashi is my Chinese-speaking Japanese born private
tour guide and having worked in China for many years, he is a gem that could give us Japanese culture and yet be able to relate to us - we are a Singaporean family (I was with my 70 year old mother and 2 sisters). He paced the entire trip nicely taking into account our speed, to the extent of serving our food needs and even accompany us to shopping to wherever we want and with such patience for a man! Encourage all to book him!

东谦一是我们的日本长大又能说中文的私人导游。他在中国工作了很多年，所以美好的融合了日本传统又能够跟我们的文化接近。由于我带了70岁的妈妈和两个妹妹，他完美得随我们的步伐导游，恰到好处。他更帮我们照顾周到， 餐饮和购物都随我们一起走，帮我们翻译，难能可贵的一个导游。大家请指定他为你的导游!

This tour was wonderful! I think the only downfall was because the weather was overcast so didn't get to see really good majestic pictures of Mt. Fuji but no fault of anyone but nature. LOL. The tour guide was very well versed in knowing all there was about cities, history, and spoke pretty good English. Everything went very smoothly and the traditional Japanese style lunch they planned was also right on point. I ate my very first and famously known black hard boiled egg straight from the site itself. Looking forward to the next trip and more planning through Veltra. Use Veltra as well as they seem to have more variety when all the other sites were all sold out, instant confirmations on most and a bit cheaper too. All bonuses!!

Thank you again, team, Veltra

Very encompassing tour of Tokyo. You see a both a Buddhist Temple and Shinto Shrine, visit several gardens, shop, take a boat ride on a scenic part of the river and have a great Japanese lunch. Of course the Cherry Blossoms were in bloom which made it extra special. Great guide!

I enjoyed this tour during my stay in Kanazawa. We were able to efficiently visit Shirakawa-go and Takayama. The time allocation was just right, with plenty of free time to explore the highlights at my own pace. The driver and guides were also very pleasant, and I had a wonderful time. I participated on April 3rd, and after an unusual snowfall, Shirakawa-go was beautifully covered in snow.

金沢滞在での一日にこのツアーを楽しみました。白川郷と高山を効率良く回る事ができました。時間配分はちょうど良く、自由時間も充分あり、好きなペースで見所を歩けました。ドライバー、ガイドの方々も感じ良く、素晴らしい時間を過ごせました。4月３日の参加でしたが、季節外れの雪が積もった後で、美しい雪の白川郷でした。

Staff service was very good even prior to the start of the tour. At pickup point staff made sure we were at the right tour and everyone was on board. On the actual tour bus the guide talk about the different sights in Tokyo city before we got out of the city, and through out the drive to Mt. Fuji provide us with various cultural and scenic information. We had a good view of Mt Fuji, even though we did not get to the 5th Station. The ropeway ride was also good and well guide but the tour guide to make sure we got on board. The disappointing part was the boat ride on Lake Ashi - since our tour was part of a larger group of people, too many in our opinion as we had no place to sit down and had to stand in several crowded areas until we reach the other side. So we had no commentary about the Lake and it surrounds, so basically it was just a ferry ride to the other side of the lake. The guide look after us during lunch and had a place for us to sit even though we did not get a lunch package, and finally made sure we got the the Odawara Station OK and directed us to the correct train and platform.