3-Day Mt Fuji, Kyoto and Nara Rail Tour by Bullet Train from Tokyo

Reis was goed georganiseerd. Alles op tijd, boekingen in orde, hotel prima. Eerste gids (Mount Fuji) was uitstekend. Tweede gids (Kyoto en Nara) praatte veel te veel en was moeilijk verstaanbaar. Trip is de moeite waard. Geeft naast het 'westerse' Tokio een beeld van het meer traditionele Japan.

Excellent tour. Very well organised with great tour guides. I personally found the first day quite taxing and could have happily visited either the Owakudani Ropeway or Lake Ashi on the Pirate boat, both of which were interesting, but possibly not both. After that, the ride on the Shinkansen to Kyoto was nice, but in the dark and stopping at almost every station (in spite of being a "superexpress train", having to change trains at Nagoya, and not getting to the hotel until around 10 p.m made it a very long day, as I had to be up at 6 a.m. to get to the beginning of the tour. The Righa Royal Hotel in Kyoto was very comfortable and good quality for a tourist class hotel, but I was surprised to have to pay extra for breakfast at 25,000 yen each day for a buffet breakfast, even accounting for the high prices in Japan as a whole. Generally a good trip and to be recommended. If you travel, as I did, on your own, one of the highlights of the trip may be meeting others from many countries taking the same trip. I found that part very pleasant and interesting.

We found our trip not only very educational,
but found our guides entertaining and engaging,
helping us with our Japanese. The staff meeting
at the bullet train was extremely efficient and
made us feel safe and secure knowing they
Were always on time to meet us.

Miriam and Gordon-Canada

Our tour guide was absolutely excellent during the Mount Fuji portion of the tour. The Kyoto and Nara were standard large group bus tours. The third day - we were "on our own" - was not very good. I would rather have had more guided sightseeing.

Viator books and communicates excellently. Our particular journey was fraught with a snowstorm on top of Mt. Fuji and unexpected 5 hour traffic jam. We should have been sent back to Tokyo but our tour guide did not do this - another group did and did not have to wait out the traffic jam. Otherwise the trip was excellent, and the snowstorm was unusual. It is quite a busy trip seeing places in a rush, not for those who like to take their time. For my purposes, it worked and was excellent. Guides speak reasonably good English.

The only disappointment was not being able to go up to the 5th station at Mt Fuji due to weather. Lunch was good.

For the first day, the traveling time was longer than the sightseeing. So if you do not get to see Mount Fuji due to the weather, then the viewing points will be disappointing. And once you do get to see it, you will wonder what the big deal is with the tour guide for subsequent sightings. I liked the gourmet Japanese-style lunch. The Owakudani black egg is a tourist trap. It just tastes like ordinary hard-boiled eggs with a foul sulphur smell. I liked the cruise in Lake Chuzenji. Even if the Shinkansen is fast, it still takes at least 3 hours before reaching Kyoto. On the second day, the lunch in the Kyoto Handicraft Center was a bit bland, and one can't really enjoy the buffet too much because you are only given a 45 minute break. Again, the drive to and from Nara is longer than the sightseeing. Take note that there are only two sites there, because they are both inside the deer park. If you are taking the Shinkansen back to Tokyo on the third day, you can still take the related Kyoto afternoon tour offered here. But it might be better to take it from the Kyoto Handicraft Center, so you can do other sightseeing in the morning (i.e. Silver Pavilion, Philosopher's Pathway, Nanzenji Temple). Drop off can be at New Miyako Hotel, so that it is right across the train station. What I like most about the tour is the door-to-door service. At each leg there is a representative to assist you, even if it is just to change trains.

Great, but the trip to Mt. Fuji was on a very windy road and took FOREVER!

Unfortunately Mt Fuji was covered with clouds, we did not see anything.

Taking the bus up to the middle of Mt Fuji was definitely an experience not to be missed! Hakone was a nice place with many little shops to buy souvenirs and snacks. The cruise was rather windy and a bit chilly, but nothing a good jacket couldn't combat. I think I could have skipped this portion of the trip and been just as happy. The bullet train ride was definitely a new experience for me. I had purchased the upgraded tour package, so I got to ride in the "Green Car" of the bullet train which was the first-class seats. It was almost as nice as first class on an airplane! Kyoto was amazing with Nara deer park being the highlight of my day. I got to purchase crackers to feed the deer! Also there was plenty of leisure time after the tour to roam around Kyoto and see some of the Gion district. There are many shops and restaurants all around. I enjoyed the entire trip, and the only confusion that occurred for me during the trip was the different tour guides each day. The guide I had for the Mt Fuji and Hakone portion of the trip made many comments about his personal life, which made me feel a little awkward. The guide also hand drew maps and charts of where we were going on the back of old calendar paper. I thought the tour could have provided maps for him that would have been more legible. Also, at times, the guide's English was hard to understand. However, all-in-all, all of the guides were very helpful and, when asked, gave great suggestions of places we could see cherry blossoms, where we could find a good place to eat, and where to visit.

The tour company did a fantastic job of organizing the whole trip. Believe me, this was no easy task as many things could have gone wrong, but we had excellent service from them. If I had to be picky, the only thing I was disappointed with was my hotel room; I had paid for the better class of hotel, and while the hotel was a superior hotel, I was disappointed by the room. There were two twin beds for me and my husband. We didn't mind too much, but it would have been good if we had been asked whether we wanted a double or a twin bedroom. Also, as the hotel is in the process of renovations, I think we got one of the older rooms; it was still nicely maintained and very clean, but it would have been better to get the renovated room. Other than that, I think the tours were great, the food was good, the tour guides were professional, and service was excellent. We would book with them again.

Very disappointed in hotel. Room was small and hotel restaurant only served sandwiches at dinner.
Quality of buffet food in Kyoto was awful!! Plus trying to feed over 100 people in no orderly fashion a buffet lunch is a disaster! We had less than 45 min. to eat lunch, because of an afternoon tour,while others had almost 2 hrs. before their tour started. It should have been better organized and the people with less time should have been given priority.

I rate this first day to Mt. Fuji as a Two Star.
Too long to get to our destination; half hour boat trip; poor lunch; too long for leisure time in a place with nothing to do; mediocre tour guide.

The second day, the tour was good; the tour director was very good; the sites chosen where very good; lunch was too fast. I give this second day a 4 Star only because of the tour director.

The third day, kept us all day Kyoto with a train ride late.
I was sick the entire time and asked for a train back to Tokyo earlier than scheduled. I was denied. This type of tour they should have an insurance in case someone was sick. I followed the tour with fever and sick, no help at any time. I was promised an English Speaking doctor to our arrival in Kyoto, that never happened.
I WILL NEVER TAKE ANY OF YOUR TOURS. Thank you for poor service.
Carmen San Miguel

Morning part of trip was too rushed, and with size of group we often missed what the Guide was telling us about the particular site.
Afternoon was better, and not as rushed.

The tour of Mt. Fuji was great. Our tour guide was knowledgable and nice. The trip between Mt. Fuji and Kyoto took around 5 hours because there was no direct train at that time. The hotel in Kyoto was suppose to be 5 star but was more like 3 star. The first room was filled with the smell of smoke. Both rooms we were given had 2 single beds, not romantic. The tour guide in Kyoto was ok. She kept telling us that no one should be late. No free time at sites to explore.