All Reviews for Arashiyama

I had a really great time. The tour guide was very kind, and while the walking was a bit fast, I understand it was necessary due to the crowds. However, I did get tired at the end in Arashiyama, and it was quite challenging for me to reach the bamboo grove (partly because it was hot...). I think it would be even better if we could split into two groups near the parking area: one for shopping and the other for exploring the bamboo grove. Thank you for your help. I would like to join a different tour again. Thank you, Maria!

　　本当に楽しかったです。添乗員の方がとても優しくて、
歩くのは、ちょっと早いですが、人込みですしいたしかたないかと・・・
ただ、流石に最後の嵐山では疲れてしまい、竹林まで行くのが
私は大変で、（暑かったのもありますが・・・）
到着した駐車場付近でショッピングする方と竹林探索する方と
分けて頂けると、更にいいかと思います。
お世話になりました。
また、違うツアーに参加したいです。マリアさんありがとー

It was a very enjoyable route that covered everything in one day. If I had to move around on my own, I would have been too tired to enjoy it. The English guide was easy to understand, and they also included explanations in Japanese, which made it a lot of fun.

一日で回れて、ちゃんとポイントを押さえたルートなので、とても楽しかった。
自力での移動だったら、疲れ過ぎて楽しめない。
英語ガイドもわかりやすくて、日本語での説明も入れてくれるので、とても楽しめました。

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

I think three spots are the best. There isn't enough time to sit and relax. However, if you're looking for the highlights, I think it's a good tour.

各箇所、3カ所がベストかと思われる。座ってゆっくりする時間がない。ただ、いいとこ取りなら、いいツアーだとおもう。

The railroad crossing in front of Fushimi Inari Taisha was closed for over 30 minutes due to a JR issue, which disrupted our itinerary. However, aside from that, it was an enjoyable trip. If it weren't for the trouble, we might have had a bit more time to proceed with the other parts of our schedule. That was beyond our control, though. There were both foreigners and Japanese people, so the guide provided information in both English and Japanese. The guide was Japanese.

伏見稲荷大社前の踏切がJRのトラブルにより30分以上閉じた状態が続き、旅程通りに進めることができなかったがそれを除き、楽しい旅行となりました。
トラブルさえなければもう少し時間に余裕を持って他の工程を進めることができたのかもしれません。
それは不可抗力ですが。
外国人、日本人どちらもいたのでガイドさんは英語と日本語でガイドしていました。
ガイドさんは日本人でした。

Since we walk a lot, we appreciated being looked after and having someone check on us multiple times. Although we were the only ones from Japan, we were able to participate enjoyably.

歩くことが多いので、気にかけてもらって何度も声をかけていただきました。我々以外海外の方でしたが、楽しく参加できました。

In the morning, we gathered near the sightseeing bus stop in Namba at 9 AM. About 70% of the participants were foreigners, while around 30% were Japanese. It was helpful that the guide provided explanations in both English and Japanese about the places we were going to visit.

The great thing about this tour is that it takes you directly to the sightseeing spots in Kyoto by bus. I found it helpful since I had a poor sense of geography. I also thoroughly enjoyed the tofu meal in Kyoto and was very satisfied.

朝、9時になんばの観光バス乗り場近くに集合しました。外国の方が7割、日本の方は3割くらいだったかと。バス内ではこれから訪れる場所について英語と日本語で説明してくださり助かりました。
このツアーの良い点は、京都の観光名所にピンポイントでバスで連れて行ってくれることです。地理的な感覚が乏しかったので助かりました。京都の豆腐御膳も堪能して大満足でした。

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.

The travel was challenging, but it was fun. The tour guide was amazing!! They were very polite and explained everything clearly, even to us Japanese people, so we were satisfied. They also took a lot of photos, which became great memories.

移動は大変でしたが、楽しかったです。
添乗員さんがすごい！！日本人の私たちにも丁寧にわかりやすく対応してくださったので満足です。写真もいっぱいとってくださり、思い出になりました。

Our driver-guide was absolutely fantastic! The entire experience was seamless, and we’re so glad we chose the right tour. It truly exceeded our expectations.

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◎

I participated in a bus tour because I wanted to visit various sightseeing spots in Kyoto for the first time. It was the right choice since they take you by bus, so I didn't have to worry about transportation. There were about equal numbers of foreign and Japanese tourists participating. The explanations were clear in both English and Japanese, so I had no trouble understanding. The guide, Maria, was very kind, and I would like to request her again if I have the opportunity.

初めての京都で色んな観光地をまわりたくバスツアーに参加しました。バスで連れて行ってくれるので交通手段の心配はなく正解でした。外国人観光客の方と日本人観光客と半々程度の参加とのことでした。英語と日本語で分かりやすく説明して頂き困る事はありませんでした。ガイドのマリアさんはとても親切な方で又、機会があればお願いしたいです。

It was an easy-to-understand tour with a lot of information. Both my husband and I had a wonderful trip to Kyoto. Thank you! 😊

色々と教えてくださって分かりやすいツアーになりました。
夫婦共々、良い京都旅になりました。
ありがとうございます😊

It was great to be able to visit the classic tourist spots in Kyoto in one day. The guide and the driver were both kind, which was nice. I recommend it for first-timers.

京都の定番の観光地を1日でまわることができ、とてもよかったです。ガイドさんも運転手さんも親切でよかったです。初めての方にはお勧めです。

I was able to sightsee without wasting time, thanks to the perfect time allocation. The bus ride after walking was just the right amount of rest, and I was very satisfied.

ちょうどいい時間配分で無駄なく観光できました。歩き疲れた後のバスでの移動は丁度いい休息となり満足できました。

This time, my spouse and I participated in this tour to explore school trip destinations. Since it was a weekday, there were only a few participants, and we were the only Japanese people, but the guide provided explanations in both English and Japanese, allowing us to have a great time. The weather was decent, but even though it's September, it was really hot! A parasol and a fan are essential. Above all, the tour on the air-conditioned bus was the best! Thank you to the driver and the guide for a meaningful tour.

今回は夫婦で修学旅行巡りをしようとこのツアーに参加させていただきました。平日ということもあってか少人数で日本人は私たちだけでしたが、ガイドさんが英語と日本語で説明してくれて楽しく過ごすことがてきました。お天気もまずまずで良かったのですが、9月とはいえとにかく暑い！日傘と扇風機は必需品です。そしてなにより冷房の効いたらバスでのツアーは最高でした！ドライバーさんガイドさん有意義なツアーありがとうございました。

As others have mentioned, 2025 was marked by heavy rain (the rain cloud radar was completely red). We had to endure the heavy rain and thunder while on the boat, and the cormorant fishing started once the rain lightened. There were 18 boats lined up in a row. This was part of our tour, along with another company, and some local bookings.

The cormorant fishing begins to show the passengers on these lined-up boats. Since it goes back and forth from one end to the other, we only had a few minutes to actually enjoy the cormorant fishing with our own eyes. Whether there is conversation inside the boat depends on the boatman. It's a matter of luck.

After the cormorant fishing ended, we saw the sending fire, and I was moved by this first-time sight. Shortly after, we moved to the dock and disembarked. The boarding time was about an hour. According to the itinerary we received, I thought it would be a bit longer (as the second sending fire was also visible from the boat), so I was disappointed. I found myself trying to see through the crowd. Additionally, when disembarking, there was a step over 60 centimeters high, which was difficult while carrying luggage and an umbrella. (However, this was just a matter of luck regarding the boarding location.)

Although there was no luck with the disembarking location, the boat I was on was the furthest from Togetsukyo Bridge, so I could enjoy the sounds of flutes and gagaku music flowing from a nearby restaurant in the quietness, and I felt elegant while watching other boats with maiko. I also enjoyed the sound of shamisen from other hotels, making for a pleasant time even in the heavy rain.

The boat was spacious, had a roof, and we sat directly on the floor after taking off our shoes. I had brought a poncho-style raincoat from a 100-yen shop, so I didn't get wet during the ride. Given the heavy rain, it was a good decision not to bring food or drinks, but I thought it would be nice if the weather had been good. Oh, by the way, the website mentioned that snacks would be included, but that was not the case.

ほかの方も書かれているように、2025年は大雨（雨雲レーダーで真っ赤）でした。大雨と雷を船に乗りながらやり過ごすかたちになり、小雨になってから鵜飼いが始まりました。船が18隻縦に連なっていました。こちらのツアー分ともう１社、あとは現地申込み分でした。
この連なる船の乗客に見せるために鵜飼いがはじまります。端から端まで往復しておわりなので、実際に自分たちの目で鵜飼いを楽しめるのは数分あるかないかです。船頭さんによって船内の会話があるかないか決まります。運です。
　鵜飼いが終わると送り火が見え、初めての光景に感激しました。そのあと直ぐに船着き場に移動し下船解散でした。乗船時間は１時間ほどです。頂いていた日程表ではもう少し長い（二つ目の送り火も船から見えると）と思っていたので、がっかりでした。人をかき分けてみるようになります。また、下船の際には60センチ以上の高さの段差を越える必要があり、荷物と傘を持ってでは大変でした。（ただこれは着船時の場所運です）

下船時の場所運はありませんでしたが、自分が乗った船は渡月橋から一番奥方向の船であったため、街灯などが目に入らず静けさのなか、近くの料亭から流れてくる笛や雅楽の音を楽しみ、舞子さんを仕立てたほかの船を眺めて優雅な気分になったり、ほかのホテルが仕立てた三味線？の音を楽しんだりと、大雨でも気分の良い時間でもありました。

船はゆったりとしていて、屋根があり、靴を脱いで直に床に座ります。100均のポンチョ型のレインコートを持ってきていたので、乗船中は濡れませんでした。大雨だったので食事や飲み物を持っていなくて正解でしたが、天気が良かったら気持ちが良いだろうなと思います。あ、そういえば、HPではお菓子付きということでしたが、それはありませんでした。

It was really hot in Kyoto!
There were only the two of us, a mother and child, who were Japanese,
but thanks to our guide Naomi, we were able to enjoy it despite mostly having English-speaking guides.

I would like to request her again when I visit Kansai.

兎に角暑かった京都でした〜
日本人は私達親子2人だけで
英語圏のガイドが殆どでしたが
ガイドのナオミさんのおかげで
それも楽しめました

また、関西へ訪れた際には
お願いしたいです

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!

The tour guide and the driver were both excellent! We happened to have a small group, so we were able to sit comfortably, and there was zero stress 😊 They arranged a proper sightseeing bus instead of a microbus, which made me very satisfied!

ツアーのガイドさんも運転手の方も、とても良かったです！
たまたま参加人数が少人数で、座席もゆったり座れて、ストレスゼロでした😊
マイクロバスではなく、ちゃんと観光バスを手配されてて、とても満足でした！

First of all, there were only a few groups this time, and everyone was from Japan.

We requested no meals, but we were able to enjoy snacks at various places, which was great for us and the kids.

It was wonderful to be able to visit all the must-see spots in Kyoto in one day, including Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kiyomizu Temple, Kinkaku-ji, and Arashiyama!

It was a very memorable and fun tour. Thank you! I highly recommend it!

まず今回はたまたま組数も少なく全て国内の方でした。

私達は食事無しでお願いしましたが、行く先々でちょこちょこ食べたいものを食べられたので子供と一緒に楽しめました。
1日で伏見稲荷神社、清水寺、金閣寺、嵐山と京都に行くなら是非寄りたい所を全て周れるのはとても良かったです！

とても思い出に残る楽しいツアーでした、ありがとうございました！
おすすめです！！

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.

When my mother-in-law came to Japan from abroad, we participated in a tour. The guide's commentary was all in English, and she was very happy since she doesn't understand Japanese. I don't have much familiarity with Kyoto, so traveling by bus was very convenient. Additionally, because we joined the tour, we enjoyed many privileges, allowing us to smoothly complete our itinerary without any waiting time, and the whole family was very satisfied!

海外からお義母さんが日本に来た際にツアーに参加させていただきました。ガイド内容はすべて英語で、日本語がわからない彼女も大変喜んでいました。当方、京都の土地勘がないためバスでの移動は非常に楽でした。また、ツアーに参加したからこそ優遇されたことも多々あり、待ち時間なくすいすいと予定をこなすこともできて、家族みんな大満足でした！

The reception starts at 6:30 PM, but it began earlier than that. The restroom is right nearby. It was pouring rain, but I was able to see both the cormorant fishing and the Gozan no Okuribi (Daimonji Fire Festival). I feel like there was a lot of wasted time before the cormorant fishing started. Even though the boat ride was long, it ended rather abruptly. There are eight people on one boat, so it's quite spacious.

受付は18時30分ですが、それより前に受け付け始まってました。
トイレはすぐそばにあります。土砂降りでしたが、鵜飼も五山の送り火もみれました。
鵜飼が始まるまでが長く無駄な時間が多い気がします。乗船時間が長いのに終わりがあっけなかったです。1つの船に8人なので、結構ゆったりとしてます。

Last year, I learned about this course and wanted to participate this year, so I joined. Unfortunately, it rained, but I was able to see "ukai" up close. From the boat, I could clearly see the large bonfire, and it was very moving. I also got to see the torii-shaped bonfire and the spirit floating, which was very meaningful. When I got home, I found red paint on my polo shirt.

去年、このコースがあるのを知り、今年はぜひ参加したいと思い参加しました。
あいにくの雨でしたが「鵜飼い」を間近で見れました。船の上から大文字の送り火がはっきり
見え、とても感動しました。あと鳥居形の送り火と精霊流しも見れてとても有意義でした。家に帰ったら、ポロシャッに赤いペンキが付いてた。

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。

My elderly parents participated together. They were happy that the guide said, "You can take a break here if you get tired," and took many photos for them. They also mentioned that the lunch was very delicious! I'm glad we included lunch. We were very satisfied to visit the highlights of Kyoto in one day. Thank you!

高齢の両親が2人で参加しました。ガイドさんには、｢疲れたらここで休憩してもいいですよ｣と声をかけていただいたり、写真もたくさん撮ってくれたと喜んでいました。昼食もとても美味しかった！と言っていました。ランチ付きにして良かったです。
1日で京都の見所ある観光名所を回れて大満足でした。ありがとうございました！

I went during the Obon holiday.
It was close to 35 degrees, but the bus was cool and comfortable.
With explanations in both English and Japanese, we understood the highlights well, and when we got off the bus to explore the area, it was great that the kids had a sense of purpose in what they were seeing!
I was worried it might be tough for the younger elementary school kids in this heat, but they were able to recharge their energy on the bus and found things they wanted to see and do at the attractions, allowing them to enjoy the exploration.
Both adults and children were able to have fun.
Thank you!

お盆休みに行きました。
35度近い中、バスの中は涼しく快適。
英語と日本語の解説があり、程よく名所の内容がわかったところで、バスを降り現地を巡るので、子供達も見るものの目的意識がついてよかったです！
小学生の低学年にはキツイかなぁ〜、この暑さ大丈夫かなぁ〜、と思ってましたが、バスでエネルギーを貯め、名所で見たい物ややりたいことを見つけて散策できていました。
大人も子供も楽しむことができました。
ありがとうございます。

It was my first tour, but I was able to go to various places without wasting time, which was great! The guide was also good! I wish I had a bit more time for souvenirs, but I guess this is how it is. I would like to use this service again!

ツアーは初めてでしたが無駄なく色々行けたのでよかった！
ガイドさんも良かった！
お土産の時間もう少し欲しかったけどこんなものかな。また利用したいです！