All Reviews for Cultural Experiences

Our guide/driver was very pleasant and an hour on the water was cooler and relaxing.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the koto harp lesson! Our teacher was very patient and encouraging. After teaching us two songs, we made a recording with her and enjoyed some tea while she performed for us. Overall, it was an enjoyable and memorable experience!

A couple of friends from Mexico asked me to arrange a meeting with a maiko. It was not just a meeting; there were plenty of activities including taking photos, chatting, and playing games. They were able to ask many questions, and the interpreter did a great job, making the experience enjoyable for both of them. They expressed their gratitude and were very happy. I also had a great time, and I was satisfied that I could bring them here and that they enjoyed it. It seemed like children from other countries were having fun as well.

メキシコの友達夫婦のお願いで、舞妓さんに会いたいとの事。
これは会うだけでなく、写真やお話し、ゲームなど盛りだくさん。質問もたくさんさせていただいて、ちゃんと通訳してもらえて、夫婦共に楽しくて私に感謝ととても喜んでいました。私も楽しめたし、連れてこられて、楽しんでもらえて、とても満足な内容でした。他の国の子供さんも楽しんでいたようです。

It was a pleasant and scenic boat ride. The boatman pointed out various points of interest to us, and we had a very calm and relaxing ride on the river. It was a welcome respite after a long morning of hiking around the area.

While being in Japan, I realized that I don't know much about Japanese culture. There were many things I thought I knew when it came to questions from overseas guests directed at the geisha Fukunagi. I wanted to ask questions too, but one wouldn't be enough, and I wanted to give the opportunity to those who came from abroad. I believe they have perspectives that Japanese people might not have.

日本にいながら日本の文化を知らない。芸妓さんのふく凪さんへの海外の方からの質問に私も知らない、知ったつもりでいた事がたくさんありました。私も質問したかったですが、一つでは足りないし、折角海外から来られた方にしてもらいたかったので。日本人にはない着眼点があるかと。

My friend and i booked a private 1hour ride and it was wonderful. The weather was nice and so was our guide. Bring cash as the have water vendors that sell yummy food & drinks thst can come up to the boat during the ride. I would highly recommend this experience

This was such an amazing time! It was so relaxing to sit in the boat just the two of us. We brought a couple beers and bought two more from the floating market. People packed like sardines in the other boats for half the time were shouting "How'd you get your own boat?" Lol. I highly recommend it! And would pay more to go longer. Our boat driver was awesome!

20% Japanese, 80% foreign visitors
The stories from the geisha were very enjoyable.
Perhaps due to cultural differences or lack of explanation,
there were actions that made me feel like the Japanese culture was not being understood.
During the tea experience,
some people carelessly transferred matcha or licked the tea scoop,
and their attitude during the program was poor,
which made me feel uncomfortable.

日本人２割外国人8割
芸妓さんのお話はとても楽しい
文化の違いか、説明不足か
日本の文化を理解されてないかと
思う行動が続いた
お茶の体験中に
適当に、抹茶を移したり
茶匙なめたり
プログラム中の態度が悪く
気分が悪くなった

The instructor was very kind and taught us from the basics. Even in a short time, I was able to learn various techniques of the koto and felt the depth of it, experiencing a captivating joy. The casual conversations were also very enjoyable, and I lost track of time while talking. By the way, the instructor is a leading figure who performs at events at Shimogamo Shrine and Heian Shrine.

先生は、とても優しく初歩から指導して下さり、短時間ながら、お琴の色んな技巧を学ぶことができ、奥深さを実感しつつ、やみつきになるような楽しさを感じました。雑談もとても楽しく時間を忘れてお話させていただきました。ちなみに先生は下鴨神社や平安神宮の祭事でも演奏される第一人者です。

I participated for the first time in three years, and it was a lot of fun. This time, the person who came was a geisha, so I was able to see a different aspect compared to a maiko.

３年ぶりに参加しましたが、とても楽しかったです。今回来られた方が芸妓さんだったので、舞妓さんとは違う局面を見ることができました。

It was exactly what I was expecting. The bootsman was perfect

We used it as a family of three. Since there were three of us, I thought 5,000 yen per person was a bit expensive, but we were able to stretch our legs and relax! The boatman's explanations were great, and we enjoyed a leisurely and elegant time. Personally, I liked it more than the trolley train ❤️.

家族３人で利用しました。
３人なので、1人五千円はちょっと高いかと思いましたが、足を伸ばしてゆっくり過ごせました！
船頭さんの説明も良くて、優雅な時間をのんびりすごせました。
個人的にはトロッコ列車より好き❤️

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(*^-^)