Reviewed by: Brian Shelton
Our custom family private day trip with Mr. Tom Harada and his associates was exactly what we wanted. His English was perfect, he was extremely patient, courteous, friendly, and knowledgeable about both the history of the areas we visited as well as their current attractions and features. He was waiting for us in our hotel when we arrived in the lobby, and was always managing our time throughout the day so we were able to see everything we wanted. He customized the tour to our preferences and specifications, and also recommended other areas that were convenient and very enjoyable. The transportation was very clean and comfortable, and the driver was very safe. He even assisted us with our bags and booking tickets on the shinkansen at the conclusion of the tour, ensuring we were safely on our way to our next destination. He also offered us his phone number if we had any problems the rest of our trip in Japan he could help with.
This tour is highly recommended, and I would encourage you to trust Mr. Harada with your tour, as he knows all the secrets, hidden gems, and in's-and-out's to ensure your valuable time is spent wisely.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2018/06/24 |
Reviewed by: Selva
We were so lucky to meet Taici. His knowledge, kindness, helpfulness and energy made our 8 hr trip full of fun, education and great shopping. He took us to the places we enjoyed so much as if he has known us for years. We did not want our trip to end with him. We can’t wait to be back on a trip with Taici again.
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| Packages: | 8-Hour Private Charter with Guide |
| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2018/06/22 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/06/20 |
Reviewed by: Murari
Excellent tour by an excellent guide (Tom Harada). Very knowledgeable, patient , flexible and was great with the kids. Tom also ensured we got to see the important sights and experience the key highlights and more importantly was always ensuring our welfare was the highest priority. Highly recommended
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| Packages: | 4 Hour Private Charter with Guide |
| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2018/06/11 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/05/27 |
Reviewed by: Murari
Excellent tour by an excellent guide (Tom Harada). Very knowledgeable, patient , flexible and was great with the kids. Tom also ensured we got to see the important sights and experience the key highlights and more importantly was always ensuring our welfare was the highest priority. Highly recommended
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| Packages: | 6 Hour Private Charter with Guide |
| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2018/06/11 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/05/31 |
Reviewed by: Murari
Excellent tour by an excellent guide (Taiji Endo). Very knowledgeable, flexible and was great with the kids. Taiji also ensured we got to see the important sights and experience the key highlights. Highly recommended
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| Packages: | 10 Hour Private Charter with Guide |
| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2018/06/11 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/06/01 |
Reviewed by: Evelyn B
This is the second evaluation sent to me by your company. As written on the first evaluation, the tour went off explicitly well. When our tour guide Ken Takahashi introduced himself to the group @ Yokohama Port, he has this pleasing smile with an excellent diction in English. We have had a quality tour and he explained to us important and interesting highlights of the different era on the Japanese history.
On behalf of the group, we would like to extend our appreciation to Ken Takahashi, tour guide and driver Mr.Higashi san for making our day in Tokyo a memorable one.
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| Packages: | 6-Hour Private Tokyo Tour with Local Guide |
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2018/04/21 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/04/01 |
Reviewed by: H Lie
Great tour , very patient tour leader, courteous driver. Surely give us memorable moment at Japan. Outstanding tour
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| Packages: | Plan A: Mt Fuji & Hakone Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2018/04/21 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/04/19 |
Reviewed by: Dawn
Mr. Tom, our personal guide took us to the Kawakuchiko lake to see Mt. Fuji and we were very lucky that it was a bright and sunny day that we can see the Mt. Fuji clearly. Our guide let us move onto the next sightseeing spots at our own pace so it is very enjoyable for the whole family!
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| Packages: | Plan A: Mt Fuji & Hakone Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2018/04/18 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/04/13 |
Reviewed by: Izham
Yoshi was an excellent guide. He showed us around well and was a good source of information. We would like to thank him very much.
Dear Izham
I'm very glad to see your comments and five stars.
I'll be with you in anywhere Japan if you have a chance to come to Japan again.
I hope your business will be prosperous forever.
I'm dreaming if I could perform as a Jazz singer in your music program in Malaysia.
Good luck!
Yoshi
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| Packages: | Plan A: Lake Kawaguchi & Gotemba Outlets < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2018/04/09 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/04/07 |
Reviewed by: DiJoyce
Endo-San was waiting for us at the appointed time in our hotel, he is truly fluent and an excellent guide and we had a knowledgeable and fun day. The other thing that was memorable was our udon lunch in a small restaurant (inn?) which was both delicious and good value. We ended the wonderful day with 45 minutes in an onsen - my first in an open-air onsen, looking at Mt Fuji. Of course thanks to God who gave us perfect weather and thus a marvellous view of the mountain. I would recommend Endo-San to anyone traveller.
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| Packages: | Mt.Fuji 5th Station and Lake Kawaguchi Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2018/04/06 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/04/03 |
Reviewed by: Don
This tour made me enjoy seeing Mt Fuji at our own pace. We were picked up by a good driver and a knowledgeable tour guide. Upon riding the van wee discussed first the final.itinerary. the guide Akiko detailed out the places we were visiting and their significance. So we proceeded as planned to the heritage center shrine lunch near the pond and the lake. My family enjoyed it very much especially at our own pace. I highly recommend this tour to small groups.
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| Packages: | Mt.Fuji 5th Station and Lake Kawaguchi Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2018/03/28 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/03/26 |
Reviewed by: Karo and Friends
Our group of 4 had a great time with our guide Masa.
We wanted to view Mt Fuji but the weather only allowed us to see mostly the base.
Masa customized the itinerary so we could make the most of the tour, we saw Mt Fuji base, Oshino Hakkai ponds, Kirin Whiskey Distillery and the Cherry Blossom Festival in Matsuda.
We highly recommend this private tour :)
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| Packages: | Plan A: Mt Fuji & Hakone Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2018/03/10 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/02/25 |
Reviewed by: Edith
Taiji Endo san was our tour guide who provided us (a group of 8 people) excellent service. He accommodated our requests due to plan changes and suggested some fabulous ideas to our visits in Hakone. We all enjoyed every moments and had lot of laughter and good stories from Taiji.
We highly recommend Taiji and Veltra for your next visits to Japan.
Edith
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| Packages: | Plan A: Mt Fuji & Hakone Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2018/03/05 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/02/08 |
Reviewed by: Ham and Foxy
We unfortunately were not able to see Mt Fuji on our tour. We instead had a wonderful tour and tasting at the Hakushu Distillary. I highly recommend!
Finished the day at the hot springs...bliss!
Though I was expecting that the sky will get more clear in the afternoon, there are unfortunately days with bad visibility. Despite what we missed, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the tasting at the Hakushu wiskey disillery and hot spring.
Hopefully looking forward to seeing you in the future.
Cheers!
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| Packages: | Plan A: Mt Fuji & Hakone Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2018/02/28 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/02/26 |
Reviewed by: Erth C4
The tour was really enjoyable and educative. The sceneries were amazing. The tour guide was very kind and accommodating to assist us and extend extra services to his customers.
It was only frustrating that we did not reach the 5th station since the access was closed due to the climate condition. However, the overall experience was great
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| Packages: | Mt.Fuji 5th Station and Lake Kawaguchi Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2018/01/28 |
| Activity Date: | 2018/01/04 |
Reviewed by: Julie
I booked a 12 hour private tour for a group of 8 with transportation - October,2017.
Our quide (Taiji) met us at the Yokohama port (we arrived via cruise ship) at the designated time. We visited Rikugien Japanese Gardens, Imperial Palace-East Garden, National Museum of Tokyo, Senso-ji temple & Nakamise St.
We had an amazing lunch and traditional Japanese dinner. The only thing would have been to have some time for shopping. We also went to Shibuya Crossing before returning to Yokohoma. The weather was rainy so that contributed to a long day!
Guide needs a microphone in van so all can hear him.
Our group was VERY pleased with the service and sites!
Do Not hesitate to use Veltra!
Dear Julie
Thank you very much for choosing my service and booked for a whole day tour.
It's been a while and I hope you had some more good times on your cruiser ship discovering different countries and cities around the world.
I'm very happy to have received such nice feedback with 2 very nice pictures.
It was also a good experience for me to have organised a long day tour and have contributed to make you know little better than before.
Please feel free for any assistance in Japan if you or your friend will ever have the chance to come.
I myself enjoyed the dinner in that authentic restaurant.
Thank you for everything.
Taiji Endo
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2018/01/16 |
Reviewed by: Sam
Our tour guide, Masayuki (Masa is his nickname), was very kind and patient to us. He speaks good english so there was no language barrier. He always tries to grant our requests such as bathroom breaks etc. Since it is a private tour, the tour itself is very flexible.
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| Packages: | Plan A: Lake Kawaguchi & Gotemba Outlets < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2017/12/31 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/12/28 |
Reviewed by: Maria Salazar
I am a returning customer of dicovery tours/veltra. The 1st time was last january 1,2017 and this time december 1,2017.
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| Packages: | Plan A: Lake Kawaguchi & Gotemba Outlets < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2017/12/24 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/12/01 |
Reviewed by: Florenc1918
This is our first trip to Mt. Fuji and we love the trip arranged by Taiji-san. We have no problem to communicate with him because he speak very well in English. And he tried to understand our need before start up the trip. He is kind of caring and understanding person.. Thanks for making this wonderful day to all of us!
Dear Florence, thank you very much for your kind comment. The sky was extremely clear on that day and we could have such good view from all the places we went . Everybody seemed tired at the end as we walked quite a lot. Thank you for sending me the pictures, I will use that for my new profile.
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| Packages: | Plan A: Mt Fuji & Hakone Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2017/12/07 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/12/06 |
Reviewed by: Jon Domingo
We really had a great time to our visit to Mt. Fuji with Taiji and this is our second time to get our tour arrangement with him. He suggest all the best place to visit aside from the given places to visit. We will definitely contact him again with for our future guests.
Thank you Jon for your comment with the pictures. I was very happy to see you again I will keep on getting more and more data base of the sites and best places to choose for each season and hopefully having more chance in the future.
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| Packages: | Plan A: Lake Kawaguchi & Gotemba Outlets < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2017/12/06 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/06/01 |
Reviewed by: Caren
We are 9 persons with grandparents & children; Mr Phang is speaking mandarin, as we requested 6 hours private tour to visit some places:
1. Shimokitazawa Area
2. Ameyoko Market
3. Harujuku- Kiddy land
4. Rikuen Garden
Mr Phang is very good tour leader, he guides us how to walk around Ameyoko Market.
My families feel very comfortable to have a tour arranged, with very reasonable price compared with other website. Recommended to all travelers!
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| Packages: | 6 Hour Private Charter with Guide |
| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2017/11/23 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/11/19 |
Reviewed by: Emerson
Took awhile to locate the guide at the port. Would have been easier to find with a more prominent sign. We had 7 people with luggage which completely filled the van. Ended up taking the luggage to our hotel first before starting the tour. Despite the somewhat rocky start due to the van size for our party we ended up having a good day. I would suggest no more than 5 people for that size van when you consider the luggage. The guide was wonderful and went out of her way to ensure we had a good tour and lunch spot. Would do again but with less people.
Dear Emerson, thank you very much for booking with us and all apologizes for the inconvenience whit the size of the van.
The biggest car can actually fit all luggage you had. However we've mismanaged and brought you the second biggest van. We are now operating all tours from Yokohama (osanbashi terminal) using the largest car, but please excuse us again and thank you for your honest comment.
Here's the message from your tour guide Akemi
--
It was really a nice to meet you and I am glad that you enjoyed the trip after all
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| Packages: | 8-Hour Private Charter with Guide |
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2017/10/14 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/09/24 |
Reviewed by: Fifi oktini
We, a group of 7 adults, chose the tour having browsed the internet. The review was good and what we experienced was great! Taiji san is knowledgable, helpful and very accomodative. He picked up us at the hotel on time. We discussed and agreed the itinerary, modified one. We added Nenba and Halal Ramen Tokyo to end the day.
Taiji san is a skillful driver. Driving 10 seater Toyota Hiace he skillfully manouvered in very narrow Tokyo streets when we tried to locate Halal Ramen. Taiji san even attended our exhibition the next day. For us, Taiji san is beyond a tour guide, he is our new friend in Japan.
Arigatou gozaimasu Taiji san!
Thank you Fifi
I hope your days in Japan was a success.
I had a wonderful day having your group on board laughing and talking about various topics. Thank you also for giving me the opportunity to discover cultural exchanges trough art in Shinjuku, I always love to discover new things especially in art.
I hope to see you again and very good luck for your success in your art activities.
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| Packages: | Plan A: Lake Kawaguchi & Gotemba Outlets < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2017/07/24 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/07/21 |
Reviewed by: Ina
We were picked up at our hotel at the exact time as mentioned. 1st, we went to the Fujisan heritage center, and on the way our tour guide explained us everything! History, roads, emperors and my favorite THE LAST SAMURAI :) 2nd part of our day was the yummy yakiniku lunch and 3rd we went to Gotemba Premium Outlet! (shopped til we dropped haha). It was supposed to be the last part of our tour but our guide (Taiji) was kind enough to drive us around tokyo and the busy streets of Ginza! What a bonus!
Rating: 200%
P.S: car ride was about 1 hr and 30 min :)
Thank you so much for choosing and joining my tour.
I was a little worried if we could be able to see the Mt. Fuji but we finally could see it, Thank you for posting the picture that we were able to shoot at the end of the day.
We had so much for lunch, and it seemed that your bother was very satisfied with the order, I did enjoy myself as well.
I did the Tokyo night sight seeing on our way back to your hotel because It just makes me happy to see you enjoying the places you haven't been yet and who knows if you will have the same chance while your stay in Tokyo.
I also think that I should get THE LAST SAMURAI and add in the DVD box in the car.
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| Packages: | Plan A: Lake Kawaguchi & Gotemba Outlets < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2017/07/19 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/07/19 |
Reviewed by: Janina
It was a a long but awesome activity! We really enjoyed the sights in Mt Fuji! Great experience!
Thank you so much for leaving the review.
It was a good experience and awesome time talking various subjects with Jojo.
I am very excited with what we have been discussing and we will be able to start new things. Please also recommend the tour to your friends if they plan to came to Japan.
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| Packages: | Plan A: Lake Kawaguchi & Gotemba Outlets < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2017/07/12 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/07/07 |
Reviewed by: Renato
Guide was extremely friendly and knowledgable. We found anew friend in Japan!
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| Posted on: | 2017/07/10 |
Reviewed by: Nyssa
Taiji was our tour guide on this trip just this March 2017. He brought us to a temple, the lake with Mt. Fuji view and Gotemba shopping area. All with considerations on our end. He was very friendly and accommodating, answered questions about the trip.
We had lunch with him and he shared stories with us. He also asked questions about us and he also took our pictures.
He even offered to wait for our shopping time and when we're about to get off, he asked if we have plans for the next day because he's willing to give a city tour. However we do have planned itinerary already so we just thanked him.
He also helped me find my purse which I lost on that day. Sadly, we weren't able to retrieve it.
I recommend him as a very friendlya nd helpful tour guide. He speaks english well and can converse naturally.
Thank you Nyssa for you comment. I hope your final went OK and you are spending a good time.
I just looked at the picture, our tour was on March 19th.
I myself had fun with your group because I don't often have young people on my tour. I hope to see you aging.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2017/06/30 |
Reviewed by: MML
On the morning of our tour, our guide, Taiji was waiting when we exited our hotel lobby. After introductions, Taiji familiarized himself with folding my wife’s wheelchair. Once we were in our seats, we explained that we would prefer not to participate in the hot springs bathing. Taiji accepted this and said we should still see the lakes and towns along the way to Mount Fuji as they are quite remarkable.
Taiji took us to the World Heritage Site Visitor Center where we watched an informative video about Mount Fuji. It was there that my wife noticed photography by Rocky Tanaka. We later learned Taiji and he are friends. At the end of our tour Taiji arranged for us to meet with Mr. Tanaka so we could view his gallery and purchase a piece of his art.
From the Visitor Center, we traveled on to see lakes and ponds which have formed by snow melt from Mount Fuji. Some of the villages along the way also exist only because Mount Fuji is towering in the distance. Mount Fuji is a Religious symbol to the Japanese.
We saw and ate white strawberries for the first time. We saw a traditional Japanese home with a thatch roof that will last for 100+ years. We saw bonsai trees and gardens and shops and fish ponds with giant fish and markets. We ate a traditional Japanese meal in an authentic Japanese restaurant where no one spoke English except for us. The food was DELICIOUS and the portions were HUGE! Then we continued on to the Fifth Station.
Taiji is an exceptional tour guide: He was a very safe and capable driver. Even in the high traffic areas of Tokyo’s interstate, we felt we were in safe hands. His English is impeccable and he is extremely articulate. His manners are first rate and he was professional, observant and intuitive. He has a seemingly unending knowledge of Japanese history and culture.
Thank you so much for giving me such an impressive comment.
You posted actually few days after my birthday and I felt like a gift for having the best comment I've ever had.
I felt like you found me at the right moment and we've had a wonderful day and you finally found your favorite picture of Mount Fuji at the end of the day. It was beautiful one and I'm also telling Mr. Tanaka that I will one day get one of his picture and bring it to my place.
I also learned from you about the shift of power in US from an objective angle and could have a fair understanding witch keeps on helping me every time I'm asked what I think of your new president from US guests.
Everything that took part of the service I did it because I don't think as a part of the job, but I myself enjoy or even love to do it and I appreciate so much that you could keep such good memory of the day.
I really hope that your wife is getting better and we will have the chance to meet again.
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| Packages: | Mt.Fuji 5th Station and Lake Kawaguchi Tour < 10-Hour > |
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2017/05/26 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/05/06 |
Reviewed by: Marie Holland
A great day spent with our guide. He was very well informed and friendly. We saw so much in our short time from shrines, temples, the Palace and we were even lucky enough to see part of an traditional wedding. Lunch was something we'd not experienced before but was very delicious. Looking forward to coming back and spending more time next time.
Dear Marie
Thank you for having choosing my service. I had a very good time and we were very lucky that we could see the traditional wedding but also able to see one of the biggest festival in Meiji Shrine.
Sukiyaki lunch was awesome, IMAHAN is actually in one of the well reputed sukiyaki restaurant in Tokyo.
We've definitely had a good day with sunny sky.
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| Packages: | 6-Hour Private Tokyo Tour with Local Guide |
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2017/05/20 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/04/29 |
Reviewed by: Sylva Adourian
A nice overview of Tokyo with a chance to see major attractions in One day.
Our Tour Guide Taiji Endo was professional, friendly and informative. He gave us a lot of background and history of the sites we visited.
Highly recommend this tour.
Thank you Sylva again for choosing me out of many and for your kind comment. It is such an nice idea to travel with relatives especially when you are not so close to each other.
I hope you enjoyed the lunch as it still is a memorable dish for me, definitely one of the best place that I've tried so far, and I really enjoyed men's talk with your husband.
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| Packages: | 8-Hour Private Charter with Guide |
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2017/04/25 |
| Activity Date: | 2017/04/20 |
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Reply from activity provider
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Dear Evelyn,
It was very nice to have you and your friends in Japan the other day. We are glad to know you enjoyed both contemporary and traditional Japan during the tour. We do hope you visit Japan again not too distant future and allow us to have another opportunity to take you to other fantastic places in this beautiful country. Once again, we appreciate your choosing our company and encouraging evaluation to us.