All Reviews for Sightseeing Tours

It seems both Veltra and JTB Sunrise Tours think its acceptable to sell a tour called "Mount Fuji Tour" when they know 100% in advance that you will not see Mount Fuji

Our experience was as follows

Book online on the Tuesday Evening
Arrive at check in on Wednesday Morning
At check in ask JTB is everything open will we see Mt Fuji - YES

Get on the bus to depart for Mt Fuji

Tour guide runs through the itinerary exactly as advertised
Station 5 Mt Fuji
Cruise
Lunch
Ropeway
Shinkansen Back

1 hour into the drive - OH! sorry Station 5 is closed due to an avalanche we can only go to station 1 today, you wont see Mt Fuji

When we get to station 1 we ask the roadblock security when was the avalanche - 2 days BEFORE!!! so for 3 days they have been selling tours knowing its closed also knowing it will be several days before the avalanche is cleared

So JTB Knew Mt Fuji will not be seen before they sold the tour to myself and busses full of people who booked in the last 3 days, Veltra say they were not informed by JTB and JTB when asked say they only call for an update at 9am AFTER the bus leaves so you have no option to get off and do something else - convenient timing for them and too late for you, but they all knew 2 days in advance, yet no one takes ownership at either company blaming each other - neither company loose out only the customers

Had I known I would not see anything and be on a bus for several hours at the checkin at Niko Hotel JTB Desk I would have cancelled and got 50% refund and booked another tour for the day and done something more productive with my time

Feel quite cheated as did most of the other people on the same bus

JTB/Veltra snake policy is set so you basically can be sold ANY tour and they have a way to not refund you

DISSAPOINTED - CHEATED - WASTE OF TIME - CHECK BEFORE YOU GET ON THE BUS - REQUEST REFUND

JTB SUNRISE TOURS
VELTRA

The trip was generally good and was saved from an OK rating by actually seeing Mt Fuji from the bus and the first stop. After that we drove to the other side of the mountain where it was covered by cloud and we didn't see it again all day. (Cloudy weather can't be helped but guide said "we are driving to the other side as it is less crowded".) Everything ran on time but better explanation of how to manage Japanese lunch (our first such experience) would have been appreciated. Cruise on Lake Ashi was picturesque but boat was very crowded with standing room only for some guests.

This half day tour included a number of key sights in Tokyo. We were fortunate to have booked (purely by chance) on the first day of the new Era following the inauguration of the new Emperor. The guide was clear and helpful and we gained much from this tour.

★良かった点
・ツアー内容はとても良かったです。アクティビティが多かったので絶え間なく楽しめました。
・ツアーガイドさんは英語と日本語両方喋ることができるのでとても安心でした。
・バスが目立つ黄色だったので迷わず見つけることができました。
・外国人のお客さんが多く一緒にツアーを回ることができて、英語の面でもいい勉強になりました

★残念だったところ
・天気が雨だったので少しも富士山が見えませんでした。富士山をメインで楽しみに参加しましたが、何も見えなかったのでただ観光してるだけのツアーに感じました。同じお金を払ってみるのであれば天気がいい日だったら良かったです！

It was cold on the day of the tour, and there was a bit of wind, but the content of the tour was outstanding! Of course, I got to see the places I wanted, but the guide's explanations were surprisingly interesting and well done, which made the atmosphere on the bus lively. There were also useful trivia points throughout, making the bus drive feel like it went by in no time.

当日は寒くて少し風もありましたが、ツアーの内容は満点以上でした(^^)
見たかった場所は勿論ですが、ガイドのお姉さんの説明も想像以上に面白く上手でバス内も盛り上がりました。為になる雑学も要所要所にあり、あっという間のバスドライブでした。

Good views of Mount Fuji.
Perhaps it would be better to have more time in the village to explore.

We had a free day in Tokyo so decided to book this tour on line before we arrived as was highly recommended by a friend! We weren’t disappointed! Didn’t do a pickup from the hotel we were staying at so we had to jump on the subway to get to the pickup, was easy! Then we were transported to yet another hotel by taxi! Our tour guide Yoshi was brilliant! He covered so much in the full day tour, loved every minute of it! We booked the tour which included the Japanese lunch which was a delicious! Saw all the highlights of Tokyo, even included a boat ride down the river! At the end of the tour the bus dropped us off at the subway as we decided to go to Shibuya before returning to our hotel! Don’t miss this tour!

We were lucky to reach Mt Fuji 5th station, as the sun was shining on this beautiful volcano! Wish we had more time to enjoy its serene majestic beauty! Would love to climb this mountain some day!

Our tour was fun and enjoyable. We were given ample time to roam around and explore the area. We brought our son with us and he loves the cable car and strawberry picking experience. My wife's highlight was the beautiful flowers almost in full bloom. Mine was the overall convenience and comfort of being in an organized tour. Special thanks to Yuki our sweet guide and Kondo our bus driver for being patient waiting for us. Will highly recommend this tour to friends.

The drive going to Mt. Fuji was smooth. Our tour guide, Amy was excellent and helpful. Too bad we didn't see it at the base or during the boat ride. However, we saw it during the bus ride at least and we're happy.

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.

We booked the tour only day before and were impressed by the quick confirmation response from Veltra office. We throughly enjoyed the tour. The guide was very good and she had a good sense of humour. During the trip up she gave explanations about different sites we were passing. During the ride back she entertained us by showing us how to make an origami. The bus was nice and clean. The lunch was a pleasant surprise stop at a French style restaurant on the way. We had lunch with spectacular view of Mt Fuji. We were not rushed and had time to enjoy each stop and take photos.
Highly recommend, it was very relaxed and enjoyable not to be missed.
Hamed and Susan from Australia

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

We assembled at the pick up point which was very centrally located ( directions were well given)and were well greeted by the English speaking Staff. Enroute we were informed that the tour to the 5 th Station of Mt. Fuji cannot be done as the road was icy due to the snow the day before. Alternatively we were taken to a different location “ Oshino Hakkai” with 8 different sacred pools all originating from Mt. Fujiyama. We instantly fell in love with this small Quaint Village.

We were taken for lunch to a European Style Restaurant which was overlooking the Fuji Q Highland . The lunch was a real treat, delicious and sumptuous. We were served Soup, Chicken, Salad, bread, desert and finally coffee/ tea. The ambience of the Restaurant was very very Royale. VELTRA was very kind in providing a vegetarian lunch for my wife.

We were then taken to the Mt Fuji Museum where we were shown a Fantastic Introductory film.

Later we drove to the Scenic Lake Kawaguchico for a Cruise. We had an ice cream treat from the souvenirs shop compliments VELTRA!!!.

We then took the rope way up the mountain to have a spectacular view of the Lake and the surroundings of the Base of Mt Fuji.

We would highly recommend this tour with VELTRA AS IT WAS VERY COST EFFECTIVE CONSIDERING THE COST OF TRANSPORTATION THE SIGHTSEEING, LUNCH, CRUISE RIDE, THE ROPEWAY AND NOT THE FORGET THE ICE CREAM.

THANKS VELTRA FOR YOUR SERVICES AND MAKING OUR DAY ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING DURING OUR STAY IN JAPAN.

We had a very fantastic experience from Vetra. We were able to see a beautiful Mt. fuji , the weather was great for us . Its all worth it the whole trip even our tourist guide Ms. Yoko .

The night views and factory flames are not attractions, so there seems to be some variability depending on the day (on the day I participated, they mentioned it was a medium flame). There were some disappointing aspects, but when we reached the highlights, they made an effort to guide us to good viewing spots and opened the windows for better visibility, which conveyed their desire for us to enjoy the experience. At one point, we went to the front of the boat and picked up some speed, adding an element of excitement. In the end, we were able to see the beautiful night view of Minato Mirai, making it a satisfying tour.

夜景や工場の炎などはアトラクションではないので当たり外れは日のよって有るようで（参加日は中くらいの炎と言ってました）残念な部分も有りましたが見どころの場所に来ると見やすい場所への案内や見えやすいように窓を開けてくれたりなど一生懸命楽しんでもらおうとしていてくれた感じが伝わりました。
途中船の先端に出てちょっとスピードを出してくれたりアトラクション的要素も有り、最後はみなとみらいのきれいな夜景も見れ満足できるツアーでした。

The tour itself was an excellent way of seeing some landmarks in Tokyo if you are short of time. We highly recommend online booking before you turn up at one of stations. Although the sign at the station states you can purchase tickets on the bus, at the counter, and sales offices, and no reservations required, when we turned up at the Skytree Station on 15 April, the lady at the ticket booth insisted that the buses are full and there are no seats available. She told us even if we waited for the next buses, there were no guarantee there would be seats. I went outside, booked and paid for 2 same day tickets via Veltra, went back inside the ticket office, gave the lady my booking reference number, got my tickets straight away and got on the next bus. I didn't understand why she was adamant she couldn't sell us tickets and the buses were all full when we first went in. As we were leaving Tokyo the next day, we almost missed out on experiencing the bus tour if I had not tried getting the tickets via Veltra. To avoid same experience, we highly recommend booking via Veltra.

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.

Staff was very friendly but the overall experience didn't compare with other open air bus trips in other major cities. The monotone English audio was minimal and mostly uninteresting. Lots of room for improvement there. Not many stops and gap time between stops is quite long. I agree with other reviewers- spend your money on a cab.

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!

The places of interests were worth going although it's packed with tourist. I wasn't too happy with the guide because he didn't even bother to explain much about the places of interest. He just took us there and told us to return at a specific time without introducing the place. A bus driver could have done his job. In the package, I was promised to have vocanlo eggs but didn't receive anything at all.

I should opt to visit the places myself instead of following this tour. Disappointed.

Very cool, unique experience! Especially great if you sit outside in the back of the boat to get the full experience.

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.

Shin San was an amazing tour guide very informative. Great food for our lunch Mt Fuji was smiling at us for most of the day. Would highly recommend to other!

The tour was delayed by heavy traffic which as the tours are run almost daily should have been anticipated with an earlier start.
The tour arrived at the Mt Fuji 4th station car park where we waited one hour for a parking space for our coach. The time then available was very limited but sufficient as there was little to see or do. The flank of Mt Fuji shielded by trees is uninspiring, although it was sunny and clear.
We then went for lunch at a lakeside restaurant. The food had been laid out on individual trays and was a very good selection of traditional food.
Immediately after lunch we were back on the coach for a drive to lake Ashi where we disembarked for 20 minutes before the "Cruise". It was a ferry service between stops on the lake and we boarded at one stop and disembarked 15 minutes later at the next.
We went from the landing dock up to the cable car lower station at 16.20 and ascended via the cable car cabin to the top. There was a shrine and viewing points over the lake below.
As we had arrived late at the 4th Station, the clouds had since gathered and there was little to see. Mt Fuji that was fully visible earlier was now covered. at 17.10 the last car descended and we were back on the coach at 17.30. The coach faced 2 hours stuck in traffic back to Tokyo or there was an option to self-fund a bullet train back from Odawara station. I could not leave the tour fast enough and went by train.
For the price I paid of $134 I feel this tour is best avoided.