Osaka/kyoto: Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari & Nara Park Day Trip

Enjoyed the tour and was very good service! Bus was clean and the what’s app group messages were helpful during the day.

Charlie was very good guide. Had great knowledge of the areas he was taking us and very informative. He guided the group every step of the way. He cared for everyone's needs. He really seems like he enjoys working with people and has good humor. Use of time waa very efficent and on time. Also has cute accent.

Had an amazing trip around Kyoto with Scarlett! 🇯🇵 She was very friendly, helpful, and made the whole journey comfortable and enjoyable. Everything went smoothly, and she made sure we had a great experience throughout the day. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a wonderful Kyoto trip! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excellent! Frank is the best! He made everything so easy with great communication and the tour was seamless, fun and the sights were superb! 10/10

If I could rate the tour guide versus the tour experience, it would be two completely different ratings. Our tour guide Charlie was great! He was funny, informative, and friendly; if I could, I would give him 5 out of 5 stars. However, this tour experience, was not as pleasant and it did not follow the itinerary shown in Viator's description. We went to Nara Park first, and the deer were cute and peaceful there, except for the frisky deer nudging a lady trying to feed them the cookies, haha! Then we were headed to the Arashiyama spots in the itinerary, and that's when things went south for the experience. On the way there, our tour guide stated that some of our fellow participants purchased an hour long train ride to go through the bamboo forest, where it'll also sort of lead you through to the other Arashiyama forest spots in the itinerary. There was nowhere in the Viator itinerary where it said we had to purchase train tickets to be able to experience the Arashiyama part of the tour, so we weren't happy about that. Our tour guide did give us options though, we could try to figure out the forest of our own, do a tea ceremony, and/or rent kimonos; we decided on the tea ceremony, as it was a rainy day and we didn't want to walk around in kimonos in the pouring down rain. After the tea ceremony, we got a quick lunch since there were food stalls on this strip (a few more hours on the tour) and tried to see the Tenryu-ji Temple, but ended up unable to do that either because of the lack of time, too much crowd, and the struggle to get accurate directions using Google maps and directions from the locals. The bamboo forest was also not an option because our drop off stop was about 20 minutes away from the entrance of the forest, and the allotted time at these locations did not allow for us to try to figure out the directions to all these stops on our own, or the crowds. The last stop was the Fushimi Inari (Senbon Torii) gates, which was very short, but we got to see some of the gorgeous Tori gates and Inari Shrines, and it was well worth it. I just wish the time allotted there wasn't so rushed because some of the time used at this location was the time it took to actually GET to the shrine by walking from the bus drop-off spot, which was about 15 minutes along with the crowds. Overall, we really wasn't happy about the lack of following the itinerary that was promised on the Viator description, and when we made a complaint about it, we were told that the itinerary isn't always followed because it may "vary based on the day's conditions and may differ from what is described on the product page", but there was nowhere in the fine print or description on the product page that the itinerary is subject to change. It was a very rainy day, and I don't know if that was why it happened, but that doesn't explain why we weren't told about the train ride tickets that needed to bought for the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, because that was a big chunk of the trip and we missed all of those spots within or near the forest because of it. We were accommodated for the frustratingly disappointing tour in the end though. If you want much more time at all of these locations and a more hands-on tour for them as well, I would not recommend this tour.

48 people on a nine-hour bus tour in the rain… Sounds like a recipe for disaster! But our guide, Scarlett, made the rainy day bright with her high energy and encouragement to enjoy the sites at Nara, Arashiyama, and Fushimi Inari. Scarlett is very well organized, and kept our group on track and on time throughout the day, with on-bus previews of what each site offers to guide our independent exploration on the ground. Together with the exceptional driving skills of our bus driver, Scarlett’s organization gave us an extra half an hour at the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. The Bamboo Forest surprised us with an amazing array of temples and shrines that are not well publicized but well worth extended attention. This tour is a great option if you want enough time to see these three renowned and widely spaced sites in one day. Despite the rain, we enjoyed our tour with Scarlett very much, and recommend this tour highly.

Fiona was very energetic and sweet, during a rainy day and that made the experience very pleasant overall.

Moana was an amazing tour guide. Felt like we have lots of time to roam around and not constantly follow a guide. But she was very informative through the WhatsApp and on the bus. Lots of things to see during this tour. It was $55 per person. Not bad for a full day event. I would recommend for friends and family to book. We had lots of fun and ate lots of food at the random kiosk and venue.

Amy was phenomenal- a blend of humor and very information. Thank you so much!!! Family of 4 (kids 8/10)

Very good value tour. Super well organised with a fantastic guide. You should ask for Sarah if possible. She was funny, knowledgeable and respectful about being ON TIME 👍

It is a long day but we did see 3 sites I felt the time we spent in The bamboo garden was too long. There is no where to seat in the town. The town was very expensive and super crowded

Make sure you have good walking shoes because there’s a lot of walking. Make sure to keep an eye on your WhatsApp messages because the pickup spot and other important information will be on there, Fiona did a great job in giving us a lot of useful information about the sites that we were seeing. She made sure everyone was aware of the information and got back to the bus on time. She was the best tour guide ever. Thanks a lot

It was a long day that passed quickly, due the charming guide named Jun (the bus driver was also excellent, smooth without jerky stops). Jun was engaging and funny, while giving us history and recommendations. To pass the time, he held quizzes--with charm prizes--to test our knowledge of Japan. At each stop, he offered to lead us to points of interest--or just leave us to do our own thing (as long as we return to the bus on time :-). There was so much to see, and I didn't feel rushed (mostly doing my own thing). It was a terrific introduction to the Nara/Kyoto region.

A person. Should not be required for 100 character it's just a tour that was informative because of the tour guide it was just ok

A good day but a long day . Thank you Amy . Didn’t like deer at Nara park . Thought they were hungry. Bamboo forest, temples and gardens were amazing. Very picturesque. Shrine on hillside very interesting. Lots of people. We were a big group of 40 and it was hard navigating through the start of each place. We could have found our own way st each place quicker giving us more time.

I highly recommended this trip if you are with guide Lee. he sent us on whatsapp all the information about each location we are heading too, links for drop off and pick up. links for the places we need to visit. and some jokes. the only thing I think they need to do is reduce the time for feeding the deer, and add this time on one of the destination with the bridge. they haven't mentioned there was a side of there river that has a boat and honestly I wanted to try but ended up spending more time around the bamboo forest that we didn't get the chance to see otherer places. but in general was a nice places. might not that great in hot days like the one we picked as it was very stuffy.

Absolutely amazing tour! Our tour guide Sarah was fantastic — extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and professional throughout the entire day. She was fluent in both English and Mandarin, which made communication incredibly easy and ensured everyone in our group could fully enjoy the experience. The Kyoto tour was beautiful, and visiting the deer in Nara was definitely one of the highlights! Our guide Sarah gave us plenty of interesting information about the places we visited, helped us take great photos, and made sure everything ran smoothly without ever feeling rushed. The whole experience was fun, well organised, and memorable. I would highly recommend this tour and our guide to anyone visiting Kyoto and Nara. Definitely a 5-star experience!

What an exceptional day and Amy was an amazing guide. Very attentive and truly cared about our experience throughout the day. Strongly recommend!

Five stars for Valérie and Wang! At appropriate times, Valerie kept us entertained throughout the drive - balancing historic information as well as fun-facts with rest time. The hot wether also helped to keep us excited about touring the multiple sites and discovering the cultural heritage of every stop to/from Kyoto. I totally recommend this to every tourist that comes through the region!

The tour was well organized and very informative. There was enough time to be on your own, which was nice. The highlight of the tour was Fiona, who has a great attitude, sent us all kinds of info via WhatsApp (including pics), reminded us what to look for and do, and even gave restaurant recs for when the tour ended. Ricky, the bus driver, was great, too. I highly recommend!

Good trip plenty of information from our guide Valerie, the deer can be a bit aggressive so watch out, however our guide did warn us about this. Lots of info sent on whats app by our guide. Couple of downsides but this was not down to our guide. It was a dual language trip so lots of talking in Mandarin and a drop off in the centre of Kyoto was included coming home so added a chunk of time at the end. Neither of these things were mentioned on the decription of trip

It was a great experience especially the one in Nara park with the dear. We enjoyed the view in Bamboo park and love the tall gates experience . About Valerie our tour guide, she made us felt safe and well taken care off the entire time. She did a good job! Excellent work, we will recommend her to our friends.

Had an amazing day with Lee. He gave us a very comprehensive tour. Did great explanation of history and explained a lot about the culture of Japan. Very comprehensive.

We saw many attractions in one day. It was a good way to see a lot in a short amount of time. Our tour guide, Rex, did a great job.

Awesome day & arigato gozaimasu Jun for the great history lesson, advice and songs ;) Ros & Tim NZ

Seats assignment after 10 people missed the bus should prioritize those who arrived on time. Itinerary on ticket was not followed.

Great tour! We visited all of the viral, instagrammable, and inspirational spots. Valerie was the best! She was very knowledgeable and funny. I would recommend this tour to anybody.

it was amazing and Varelie was exceptional. it is worthy for your money. I highly recommend to my friends

This is one of the best tours I’ve ever been. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. He spoke many languages and made our trip very memorable and fun! The bus was comfortable. We had enough time to enjoy each stop. Highly recommended!

Great Tour Experience I had a wonderful experience on my trip today! Jack was so kind, friendly, and very helpful throughout the tour. He gave us all the information we needed and made sure we felt comfortable and enjoyed the experience. He was also so thoughtful and kind to take pictures for me, which I really appreciated. Thank you, Jack, for making our trip so enjoyable and memorable! I highly recommend him!

Know about Kyoto, Nara park history, temples, and feed the deers Enjoy boat drive and train drivre Enjoy bus drive

Phenomenal experience with a great guide! This tour was the best way to see all those amazing places in one day for a reasonable price. Be sure to book with Theodore Chan, he was super fun, informative, and helped us make the most of our tour. 😀

Host was great. Good tour. Lots of fun memories with the family. The bus was very nice and punctual.

Aug.4th-Guide Valerie-Nara & Kyoto Day Tour Valerie was such a wonderful guide today full of knowledge & charisma, she made us laugh throughout the day. Our family loved the day Thankyou so much Valerie 💚 The Charltons 🇦🇺

I had a fantastic experience on this Kyoto tour. Amy was an outstanding guide—friendly, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel welcome. She shared fascinating insights about Kyoto while keeping the tour fun and engaging. Amy also organised kimono hire and took photos throughout the day, which was a really thoughtful touch and made the experience even more memorable. This tour is the perfect introduction to Kyoto and gives you a wonderful taste of what the city has to offer. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Kyoto!

Great guide good day would recommend to my friends the tour guide Amy had great knowledge of the sites and went out of her way to give us little snacks and gifts

Valerie is wonderful, a great host Best ever tour guide ⭐️🌟 She really have a high safety concern to all

It was great, our tour guide fred was funny and very accommodating.

Great activity to visit Arashiyama, Nara and Fushimi Inari. Amy was a very energetic and happy guide. She gave a lot of good information on where to go and where to reconvene. We were on our own to explore at each location which was nice. We went at our own pace and didn’t have to follow in a group. The only feedback is that I would have liked a little more history of each location, either on the bus or right when we got to each site before we went on our own.

Whole day but well organised . Guide was very clear & kept checking in throughout. You were always clear about where to go & what was happening next . Visit the deer park - Napa - & temple was great

A great way to see the high points of Nara/Kyoto in a single day. Our guide Fiona was great, knowledgable, helpful, and energetic.

Valerie was a fantastic tour guide. She provided great information on all of the stops during the bus ride. She was very welcoming and her interactions with everyone on the bus was very sweet.

Huda was a wonderful guide. She was attentive, knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. I would certainly recommend her as a guide.

Good experience, and I have a lot of fun. Thanks the good services from Amy. Kyoto is a good place for holiday.

Tour guide Amy was knowledgeable, personable, approachable, warm, and friendly. She’s also an excellent photographer and took amazing pictures of us. Would recommend for those who want to experience a lot of Kyoto in one day.

I’ll just say the guide was overbearing and didn’t read the audience when people had enough of her. She had a two way conversation on the microphone while everyone was disengaged. She shared so much about the tour I went on the day before, info and pics, that it probably ruined it for those that were paying attention. She laughed so often it was like some annoying Pokémon character. I’ll refrain from using the name. I’d do it solo next time or if I had the guide I had the day before, it’d of been way better. Worst tour experience in my 32 countries of traveling.

This was a great tour I highly recommend it. Our tour guide Amy was the best she was very knowledgeable and super funny and kind. She made sure our large group stayed together and although group was large it felt like a small intimate group she was very attentive. If you want to see alot in one day at a comfortable pace choose this tour with Amy she’s the best

Scarlet did an amazing job showing us around the sites. She was a felt of knowledge and answered all questions and kept everyone one schedule. Great job

Valerie was an amazing tour guide. Her energy level was top notch. I loved her energetic personality and enjoyed hearing the history and connection to culture which she presented in a fun way. The day was long and jam packed with lots of experiences and Valerie made it worthwhile. I encourage travelers thinking about this one to definitely indulge and hope to get or request Valerie as your guide.