Fantastic day out - Fantastic tour! Met Hiroko on time at the train station where she reviewed the plan for the day along with maps and photos to illustrate what we would experience. Tour involves taking the local trains to each destination and she helped guide us through the ticket buying process. First we went to the famous Torii gates, where arriving early is a must to avoid the crowds. We arrived with few tourists and had the ability to take lots of photos, and Hiroko was helpful in taking lots of family pictures along the way and throughout the day. She explained history and symbolism of the shrines and gates as we walked. They are as impressive as you have seen! Next we went to the golden temple, which again was magical and stunning. It did start to get crowded but there was still plenty of opportunity to view the temple, and take photos. Again, Hiroko spoke about the relevance and took lots of family pictures. Third, we hopped back on the train and went to the bamboo forest. Started to get a little more crowded but we still got there early enough (before lunch) to enjoy the walk as well as the view. Hiroko was engaging with conversation both relevant to the location as well as general discussion about Japan and other subjects. We stayed for lunch in the area and enjoyed cherry blossom ice cream for dessert - a recommendation from Hiroko! Hiroko also provided us with other recommendations for our stay in Kyoto, which has been extremely helpful and sent our photos from the day which turned out great. Highly recommend this tour - It’s a don’t miss!

Great comprehensive tour of major sights of Kyoto - Noriko was our guide. Was so friendly, spoke great english and really showed us around the 3 major sights of Kyoto. We enjoyed our 5 hours with her and learned so much about Kyoto. Meeting point was easy, communication was easy and her knowledge of each area and the city was really great. Thank you Noriko!

My tour guide Ken - is the man!!! - My tour guide Ken Sugli was amazing. He spoke great English, was very knowledgeable about the area that we tour, he was compassionate, and genuine. I was suppose to meet him at the Fushi Inari station but since I arrived at the Kyoto Station, he made the effort to go there to meet me instead to prevent confusion. He even mapped out for me in advance how to get to certain places and how to get home. Highly recommend him to anyone. 5 Stars all-around…

Great half day tour - Great communication and planning with our tour guide prior to the day. Our tour guide Ken was punctual, helpful and friendly. He made sure we stayed hydrated and stayed cool throughout the tour as that day was supposed to be the hottest day of the year ( July 2024). We would be able to complete all the three attractions in time. Thanks to Ken and his excellent time management.

Loved this tour. - We loved talking with our guide Sumiko. We have a young child (12) who was tired and she was very accomodating to his needs. We saw more that day with Sumiko than we would have on our own.

Early Bird gets the worm! - Our tour guide, Fuji, was friendly and knowledgeable about each of the sites we visited. Early bird start time is the way to go to beat the crowds and, in the summer, to avoid the heat. Each of the three sites we visited was beautiful. Highly recommend this tour!

Perfect Way to Spend the First Day in Kyoto - This tour is a fantastic way to experience some of the best highlights of Kyoto. On top of it, my friend and I loved being there earlier than the crowds. Every location had very minimal crowds and we were able to get in and see everything before the school crowds showed up. Misae, our guide was an absolute delight and gave us a true flavor of the city. The transit was much less stressful with her there and she even found us the station stamps at each stop of the way. She took us through less crowded streets to walk and we found a delicious lemonade soda at one point from a street vendor, which was perfect for a hot day. My friend has strict diet restrictions and Misae was very helpful in finding her food to eat and explaining to the locals what allergies she had so we knew what she could or couldn’t eat. Misae also gave us great recommendations for after the tour was over and the whole day was everything we could have hoped for and more!

Great Kyoto early bird tour - We met Hisashi at Kyoto station the morning of our tour and he was waiting for us with our name on a sign, as expected. He toured us around the 3 sites as advertised and gave us very good information. He also answered all our questions very well. He’s a nice, knowledgeable and gentle person. We truly enjoyed the experience and highly recommend!

Fantastic half day walking tour with wonderful guide! - Great half day trip to see most important parts of the city!! Naoko was lovely and explained the history and customs so well. A true pleasure to have all day!! Would highly recommend this early morning tour!! Please note it is a 5.5 hours walking tour. Very hot and humid in summer time. Bring plenty of water! Lovely trip and lovely guide!!

Misleading title - early bird only applies to first stop - We really enjoyed our tour guide. She was great! But the itinerary of this tour is misleading. You’re an “early bird” for only the first site. With all the time wasted traveling on multiple trains and buses, by the time you reach the second stop the crowds have hit! It was so hot on our day that we had to end the tour after the second stop. We did the third stop, the Bamboo forest, on our own on a different day at 7:30 in the morning and there weren’t tons of people. I suggest skipping this tour and just go to each one in the morning. Take the money you’ll save and use it for an Uber.