All Reviews for Cultural Experiences

This time, we used a yakatabune (a traditional Japanese houseboat) with my family, and it was truly a wonderful experience. We were able to see the boatman skillfully maneuvering the boat up close, which excited the kids greatly. The view of Arashiyama from the water was exceptional, and we had a very luxurious time. It was also nice that we could bring our own drinks, allowing us to relax and enjoy at our leisure. The staff were friendly, and I can wholeheartedly recommend this activity.

今回、家族で屋形船を利用しましたが、本当に素晴らしい体験でした。船頭さんが巧みに舟を操る姿を間近で見ることができ、子供たちも大興奮でした。水面から眺める嵐山の景色は格別で、とても贅沢な時間を過ごせました。持ち込みが可能なので、好きな飲み物を片手にゆったりと楽しめたのも良かったです。スタッフの方々も親切で、心からおすすめできるアクティビティです。

I went with a friend~ I was happy to be able to do something I usually can't do, like the tatami mat play.

It was also great to be able to ask the maiko various questions again.

友達と行きました〜
座敷遊びは普段できないことなので、できて嬉しかったです。

また舞妓さんに色々質問することができてそれもまたよかったです。

You can enjoy delicious Kyoto cuisine while watching a maiko's dance. It was so much fun to play games with the maiko and take pictures together. I want to go again!

美味しい京料理を食べながら舞妓さんの踊りが鑑賞出来ます。舞妓さんとゲームをしたり一緒にお写真を撮ったり、とっても楽しかったです。また行きたいです。

I had a fairly enjoyable time. Since meals were taken in between activities, I felt it would be better to eat somewhere else to fully enjoy the content of the plan.

それなりに楽しい時間をすごせました。合間に食事をする感じなので食事は別の所で食べた方が、プラン内容も楽しめるような気がしました。

We made reservations a few months in advance and checking in for our private boat was easy. We had the entire boat to ourselves and we brought some snacks and rinks to enjoy as we floated along. Our boatman kept the boat going smoothly and guided us along but one thing is he really didn’t point out anything not told us about some of the area and sights we were seeing. Luckily several of us are local and knew what things where so we had to point them out to the rest and explain things. We were disappointed that the floating snack/ drink boat never came up along side to offer more drinks or other items as we were hoping to enjoy some warm sake and other treats that wood have made the boat ride a bit more fun.

素晴らしい体験でした。ガイドはとても親切で魅力的でした。周囲について多くの情報を提供してくれ、静かな川の一角で私たちのグループ写真を撮ることも提案してくれました。彼はとても面白く、ボートの操縦が非常に上手でした。これは京都での最高の体験の一つで、非常におすすめです。

Wonderful experience, our guide was very kind and engaging. He gave us a lot of information about the surroundings, and even stopped in a quiet section of the river and offered to take our group picture. He was very funny, and extremely skilled at navigating the boat. This was one of our best experiences in Kyoto, highly recommend.

I have visited Kyoto many times, but this time my wish came true, and I was able to spend a wonderful time up close with a maiko. Unlike in the past, I honestly felt that the streets of Kyoto have become overly commercialized, which is quite disappointing, but I was able to fully enjoy the essence of Kyoto.

度々、訪れてた京都、、でも舞妓さんに会うことも無く今回は願い叶って、間近に舞妓さんと楽しい時間を過ごすことができました。
昔と違って京都の街並みは正直、観光化されて残念な事が多いなぁと思っていたので
京都らしさを堪能出来ました。

Arashiyama can be very very crowded. For a peaceful, fulfilling start to your Arashiyama trip, recommend to take this 1-hour private boat trip (with table) early at 9am! Worth the money spent, guaranteed.

We loved this ! Super peaceful great experience. Recommend to anyone

The maiko were friendly and charming, and the experience was exciting. The food was delicious, and I was taught the tea ceremony as well. The 90 minutes flew by in no time. There are many options for foreigners, but I highly recommend that Japanese people also experience this rare Japanese-language tour; it’s a lot of fun!

舞妓さんも愛想よく可愛らしく
遊び体験も盛り上がり　食事も美味しく頂き　お手前も教えて頂き
あっと言う間90分でした
外国人向けはたくさんありますが
数少ない日本語のツアーで日本人の人も是非体験されると楽しいですよ

I had a wonderful hour relaxing on a houseboat in Arashiyama! The floating convenience store was very appealing. There were so many tempting options like oden, grilled squid, and mitarashi dango!

嵐山の屋形船でのんびり楽しめた1時間　最高でした！水上コンビニの販売がとても魅力的です。おでん・イカ焼き・みたらし団子など、そそられるものが一杯！

It was a bit cold, but I was lent a blanket, which made it comfortable. There were many rowboats around, but true to their professional skills, they navigated safely with just a long pole. I also got to hear stories that touched on history, and the autumn leaves 🍁 were wonderful; the hour flew by. Arashiyama was very crowded, and I struggled to find parking, which made me late, but since it was a private tour, they kindly waited until everyone arrived. I really appreciated their warm hospitality. I would love to do this activity again. Highly recommended!

少し寒かったですが、ブランケットを貸して頂き、快適でした。周りに手漕ぎボートがいっぱいでしたが、さすがプロの技、長い棒1本で安全な航行でした。歴史にも触れたお話も聞けて、紅葉🍁も素晴らしく、あっという間の1時間でした。嵐山は、とても混んでいて、駐車場探しに手こずって遅れてしまいましたが、貸切だからということもあり、全員揃うまで待ってくださりました。とても暖かい対応も感謝でした。また、お願いしたいアクティビティです。
おすすめです。

The food is surprisingly good with the view and everything. We had a blast! Highly recommended.

Since it's quite difficult to meet a maiko even when visiting Kyoto, we decided to participate in an event to meet one ourselves. While enjoying a meal at a traditional Kyoto restaurant, we had the pleasure of watching the maiko's tea ceremony performance, participating in a Q&A session, taking commemorative photos together, enjoying the dance, and experiencing traditional games. We had a wonderful time. I especially enjoyed watching my husband participate in the traditional game "Konpira Funefune." The maiko was beautiful as well.

なかなか京都に行っても舞子さんに会えないので自分達で会いに行こうと言う事で参加して来ました。
京都老舗料亭の食事を食べながら、舞子さんのお点前鑑賞や質問コーナー、一緒に記念撮影、舞鑑賞そしてお座敷遊びなど楽しいひとときを過ごさせてもらいました。
特にお座敷遊びの「こんぴらふねふね」は夫が参加して見ているこちらも楽しかったです。
舞子さんも綺麗でした。

Kyoto Arashiyama Private Yakatabune offers a serene and elegant 1-hour boat ride through Arashiyama’s breathtaking seasonal scenery — perfect for groups of four. The experience is made even better by the wonderful guide, who is not only accommodating but also helps capture amazing photos throughout the trip. Communication can be a bit challenging since the guide mainly speaks Japanese, so downloading Google Translate is highly recommended for a smoother and more enjoyable experience.

Even as a Japanese person, it's quite rare to have the opportunity to interact closely with maiko and geiko, so this was a valuable experience. After returning to the hotel with my friends, we had a great time at Konpira Funefune.

日本人とは言え、舞妓さん芸妓さんと身近に接する事ができることはなかなかないので、今回は貴重な体験でした。
友人とホテルに戻ってから、こんぴらふねふねで盛り上がりました。

A good experience that you can eat in the boat and enjoy the sightseeing at the same time.

It was relaxing and wonderful. The boatman was kind. We had a table set up and enjoyed drinks and snacks we brought along. The shop boat also came by, and we were able to get warm oden and cold beer. We rented it for an hour, but my companions requested to extend it to two hours next time!

ゆったりのんびり、最高でした。船頭さんも親切。テーブルを入れてもらい、飲み物やおつまみを持ち込んで楽しみました♪売店船も寄ってきて温かいおでんや、冷たいビールも入手。1時間の借りきりでしたが、同行者からは、次は2時間で、と注文されました(*^-^)

Canned beer that I brought
The bento that was prepared for us
As a smoker, I was pleasantly surprised that the boat had an ashtray
Enjoying a bento, beer, and cigarettes surrounded by greenery in a tourist area with few smoking spots
A leisurely flow of time
A private boat just for the two of us
It was an incredibly luxurious experience
I think the price could easily be doubled.

持ち込んだ缶ビール
用意していただいたお弁当
喫煙者ですが、なんと舟には灰皿を用意してくださり
喫煙所の少ない観光地で緑に囲まれながらお弁当、ビールにタバコ
ゆったり流れる時間
たった２人で貸切の舟
最高に贅沢な時間でした
金額、倍にしてもいいと思います

There were many foreign participants, and the program was geared towards them, which made me feel a bit unsatisfied. However, being able to take photos became the best memory for me.

参加者が外国人の方が多く、プログラムが外国人の方向けであり、少し物足りなさを感じた。写真撮影が出来たのが、最高の思い出になりました。

I was very lucky on the day of the experience.
The weather was great, with a gentle breeze.
The scenery on both sides was beautiful, the water was clear, and I could see small fish.
The bento was exquisite and delicious, with generous portions that definitely filled me up.
The boatman was very skilled, and the ride was extremely smooth.

體驗當天非常幸運
天氣很好，微風徐徐
兩岸風景很美，水清見底有小魚
便當精緻又美味，分量很足一定吃得飽
船夫先生技術很好，船行駛的非常平穩

There was no Q&A session with Maiko. Even though I arrived on time, it seems to have been canceled. It feels a bit different!

舞子さんとの質問コーナーがなかった　時間通ﾘﾆ来ているのになくなってしまった何か違う感じがする　　　　！

Our group of 5 had a lovely time. We didnt bring snacks or drinks but it wasn't an issue because we really loved the restaurant boat that sold fresh grilled snacks. Our guide was friendly and kind: he offered to take a couple pictures for us and showed us many interesting things along the river.

I have a wonderful memory of a time when a maiko came to our dining experience and entertained us with her dance and conversation. I wanted my friends to have a similar experience, so I signed up for this tour. It was great that my friends enjoyed the dance and the traditional games we got to experience. It's not something you can do every day, so it was really fun!

前に食事の場に舞妓さんが来て、踊りや話をしたりすて楽しかった思い出があり、友達にもそんな経験をして欲しくてこのツアーに申込しました。
踊りもありお座敷遊びも体験出来て友達が喜んでくれたのが良かったです。
なかなか体験出来ない事なのでとっても楽しかったです。

This is my third time, and every time it has been a very pleasant experience. My daughter took her first ride at the age of 3, and this year it became a memorable occasion for her 20th birthday. I plan to take a sightseeing trip when I visit Kyoto. The cormorant fishing is also nice.

今回で３回目毎回とても気持ち良い体験です。
娘も3歳時に初乗りして今年２０歳の記念になりました。
京都に足を運ぶ時には遊覧するつもりです。
鵜飼も良いです。

Arashiyama was crowded with inbound tourists, and I was exhausted by the time I got there, but the water was private, so once we passed through the boat traffic upstream, it was very quiet and elegant. Being able to bring in beer and snacks was a plus too!

嵐山はインバウンドの人混みで、行き着くまではへとへとでしたが、水上は貸し切りなので、上流へボートの込みを抜けると、とっても静かで優雅でした。
ビールとかおつまみを持ち込めるのも◎

There was so much food that we couldn't finish it all. The maiko came around to each table and chatted with us despite the heat. We were also able to watch the dance, which was fantastic.

お料理も食べきれないほどありました舞妓さんには暑い中各テーブルを回って話しをしていただきました
舞も観ることができ最高でした

Went with my family, since we came the service was very efficient, no waiting line and it was a private reservation so we had the boat by ourselves.

The view is beautiful, the food was really good and had a lot of variety of Japanese food, the presentation of everything was really well thought!

There is also a convenience boat, which selled drinks, grilled squid and dango. It was very nice! 1 hour of boat trip but it was totally worth it.

Would do it again!

Amazing folks all around from boat operator to the people servicing the ticket. But the Vletra website is very old, clunky and confusing, selecting the right number of people was difficult on Veltra website. So I paid for whatever it let me select, then got in touch via email to pay for the rest. Website needs a major update.

Recently, despite the sudden heavy rain, we were blessed with good weather and enjoyed a private experience without the scorching heat. The boatman explained everything well and was friendly, allowing us to relax for an hour. With a roof overhead, we could enjoy the shade while fanning ourselves in a pleasant atmosphere. After dealing with a lot of unpleasant things lately, I was able to spend time peacefully. Additionally, there were other boats around, and it seemed like everyone was unsure of their direction and might collide, but the boatman helped us escape slowly. Thank you very much.

最近ゲリラ豪雨もある中天気に恵まれカンカン照りでもなく優雅に貸切で堪能しました。
船頭さんも良く説明のタイミングがよく
話したら気さくに話をかえしてくれてのんびり1時間過ごせました。
屋根ありなので日陰のなか扇子をあおぎ良い空間を過ごせます。
最近嫌なことが多かった為、心穏やかに過ごせました。また、周りにテゴキボートがいて、みんな行きたい方向がわからずぶつかられそうでしたが船頭さんはゆっくりと脱出してくれました。
ありがとうございました。