All Reviews for Cultural Experiences

It was a simple experience, but the maiko was very cute and a wonderful person. Thank you for the enjoyable time!

シンプルな体験でした、でも舞妓さんはとてもかわいくて，素敵な方でした。
楽しいお時間ありがとうございました！

We reserved with veltra for the Geisha dance show "Gion Odori". The booking was very simple, and the price was the same as if we booked directly. We were surprise because we really had a great place, from where we had a perfect view on the Geishas.

The show was amazing, we couldn't have come in Japan and not see a Geisha dance show. It was even better than we expected and if we come back, we won't hesitate to book one more time with veltra.

You bought tickets for Gion Odori in November. The exchange of the voucher was very easy and hassle free. The seats allocated were not the best however, in the balcony. I guess i is done randomly, so we had no good luck :)But for a decent price we do not complain. Performance was very good, 6 Geiko and Maiko dances with grand finale when there were around 15 dancers on the stage. Highly recommended!

My girlfriend and I very much enjoyed this Geisha dance and it was one of our highlights in Kyoto. The process of buying the tickets through Veltra was easy as we only had to print off our ticket receipt and show this at the door. By booking our tickets a few days in advance we ended up with great seats near the front of the theatre.

An amazing and memorable show. Extremely well worth the time and money if you're in Kyoto at the time, or even altering your trip time to include it if it's not too much of a hassle. If you've seen any of the other seasonal dances it's still worth seeing because of the differences in theatricality, dance and performance style. Excellent.

As for the Tea Ceremony plan, go in with tempered expectations. Chances are you won't be able to see the maiko making/serving the tea and, even if you can, it's even less likely you'll be the one being served. But that's fine as you still get a very nice snack, tea, commemorative plate and kerchief for a very low price. Consider actually seeing the maiko as a bonus and not the main course.

Also, picking up the Program option is well worth it. You can get it at the show as well but it's the same price as just buying online and when you buy online you'll get it right at the door with no extra fuss or muss.

For some reason they do not allow photos. This is 2017, every smart phone has a camera and especially coming from a foreign country you want to capture the experience. Next time just watch online the dozens of postings.

We arrived and were given some tickets in exchange for our online voucher. Then we were taken to some folding chairs in a passageway. I dont understand why we didnt get a normal seat in the theatre.

If you gave the chance to see this performance, don't miss it!

The Gion Odori was an emotional, moving performance. You could never have the same authentic experience anywhere but Japan. There were maiko and prominent Kyoto residents in the audience, too, so you know it’s for real! The Veltra booking service made it super easy to get a ticket as a foreigner. I picked up my ticket at the theater about 30 minutes before the performance.

The show was very nice with magnificent colors. The location of our seats (view of the scene) was very good but the quality of the seat was poor, we were on add-on type hard seats instead of the normal softer seats. The show lasts one hour and tends to be boring with the same music and voice all along. In any case, a must-see show to get acquainted with Japanese culture.

It was 34 people in our group. The waiter and waitress were so busy catering to two groups of Japanese customers (about 20 people), they did not offer for us to order any drink. Our group was trying to get their attention to order some beverages but they did not walk over to us. The show itself is ok but I would not recommend this event.

If you're fortunate enough to be in Kyoto for this, I recommend you absolutely do it!

A few things to note:
-Booking online through Veltra guarantees you a seat; we were originally going to wait for tickets at the theatre itself, but they had long lines on the day of and it was SUPER cramped.
-We arrived an hour early to check in; just showed a print out of the Veltra voucher and got some souvenir stickers, and the lady at check-in said "Your seats are not very nice, so please accept this as an apology" -she gave us a free souvenir cloth - the same ones the Geiko & Maiko throw at the crowd during the show!
-We opted for the Tea Ceremony - After getting into a bit of a tight line on the upper level for 20 minutes, we got a piece of mochi and a bowl of green tea - just enough for a few sips, nothing too crazy/big. The room it is held in is quite small; it felt like a classroom with desks very close to each other. You are squeezed into a spot as soon as the previous people have vacated their seats; No photos but there is a Maiko and a Geiko at the front of the room looking quite solemn/stern so you might be lucky to be seated directly in front of them while you're enjoying your snack but you're equally likely to be put in the far corner. Again, a tight squeeze.
-The seats were really not that bad, we were on the highest level and it seems like other Veltra buyers were too (other Westerners). The view for us was great but it seems you don't have a choice in selection.
-It's not in the same spot as Gion Corner; the theatre for this is actually across the street from the Yasaka Shrine.
-Everything's in Japanese, heads up - even the program you receive. Again, we're a couple of fairly smaller people under 5'8" and it was a bit cramped - so take note if you're on the larger side. We noticed a heftier American couple with mobility issues having a slightly tougher time... but they also talked through the entire show. Avoid coming with bags!

One of the most beautiful dances I have ever seen and one of the highlights of my trip in Japan.

Nothing short of spectacular! These public dances emit a magical atomsphere that is sure to spell-bound everyone. There is nothing else like it in the world !

Good show with a quick cup of tea at first in a separate room. Easy to change the voucher into ticket (one hour before the show). Very pleased.

Very nice and impressive performance. The tee ceremony not really worth it, but the performance was excellent

Having the ticket beforehand has been great. I think there were still available tickets onsite when we got there but the place was pretty packed by showtime so still good to plan beforehand.

If you plan to do the tea ceremony, there will be several batches as the room is small. Try to sit in the first row to experience the Maiko serving you your tea.

I was given a foldable chair to sit in while other had regular seats in the theatre. I understand that I was not the only one given such a seat but it indicated that the theatre oversold their tickets? And given that I purchased my ticket one month in advance, I don't see how it should come to that. Veltra, as the go between, you should really look into the matter, or at least drop the booking from your site – as it reflects badly on you to be listing activities that don't meet a certain standard for paying customers. The show was great though.

Performance was excellent but was treated like maximazing turnover - tea ceremony too fast and on a personal level having book most expensive options well in advance was disappointed to be on an end row -on an additional hard chair unlike the the more comfortable seats in the auditorium - so my 3 reflects the efforts of the artists not the management

Have been to Kyoto before but never saw a dance performance. It was fantastic and the seats were very good too. I really appreciated being able to get them from the US before the trip -- I expect they would have been sold out by the time we were in Kyoto, especially as we had 7 people attending. Thanks, Veltra!

It was a very beautiful annex, and I was able to enjoy delicious sukiyaki! The maiko were lovely, and it was a precious experience to see them dance up close. I was significantly late for my reservation, but they were very polite and accommodating. I would definitely like to use this place again if I have the opportunity. Thank you!

とても綺麗な別館で、美味しいすき焼きをいただくことができました！舞妓さんも可愛らしく、近くで踊りを見ることができて貴重な体験でした。予約の時間に大幅に遅れてしまったのですがとても丁寧にご対応いただきました。また機会があれば是非利用したいです。ありがとうございました！

I booked this for 2 people even though I was going alone, because it was the only way the website would accept the reservation. The day of the tour I had my hotel contact them to update my hotel pick up info, which also updated the number of guest. I was pleasantly surprised that they refunded the second ticket. The food and location were amazing, as was the meetings with the maiko and watching them dance. I wish there was a translator during your meeting with them. Since there wasn't, I only spent about 3-5 mins with each maiko whereas the tables of Japanese guests spent as much as 15 minutes with each of them. Otherwise, it was amazing.

This experience is truly unforgettable :)
Amazing food, amazing performance, amazon country. A Must Do if you're in Kyoto.

I thought this was a great experience...I was really only here for the maiko dance, even though I enjoyed the meal & gardens.
I really enjoyed talking to the maiko after the dance and feel that it's something I'll really remember from my trip!

You will see a maiko and get dinner for a significantly lower price then most tours that do this.... but honestly I would go to geisha corner and just watch the show there and not join this tour if you were to ask me again. This is as the tour is in Japanese- I was prepared for this and did not mind it but still.... on the bus you are given a English hearing guide so you can understand and they point out different buildings as you drive but it is pretty dark throughout the tour so you can't really see so much. The food was not tourist friendly, it was authentic Kyoto cuisine and it looked nice but there were very weird looking dishes with no English explanation.... so I did not eat 2/3 of it because I did not want to get sick with ingredients my body cannot handle (we are talking very strange unidentifiable ingredients). The maiko comes and does 2 dances, then you can take a picture with her and then she answers questions in Japanese. So the whole interaction with her is about 15 minutes long tops. Finally the gardens in the location were nice but overall not worth the 60 pounds just go to geisha corner and treat yourself to fancy nice dinner (that you can eat).

The show was too short, we expected it to be longer. The dinner was ok. Food similar to those offered in a Ryokan. We expected to have a more enjoyable eve. The sightseeing part was just ok.

We had a very pleasant experience for that night, the dance show was good and the hotel they took us for dinner was in a very nice setting with a nice Japanese Garden. However, it was very dark to take pictures. The night view on the peak in Kyoto summarize our trip nicely.

Very detailed and specific directions helped easily locate and sort out the tickets which was great for us english speakers. The whole experience was worth it. The maiko was unforgettable to meet, the staff very helpful and the night view was spectacular.

The venue didn't allow people to see both dances by the Maiko. The food and staff were excellent but the room was an odd shape that blocked people eating from seeing part of the dance

Very well organized trip! Interesting dinner (traditional) and we enjoyed the maiko show.
BEAUTIFUL gardens!!