We just completed this tour with Akiko as our tour guide. She had a wealth of information and stories about the area and we had a fantastic time! The bamboo forest is so impressive as well as all the beautiful temples, shrines, bridges, and the refreshing river. Akiko showed us the peaceful quiet areas. It made us feel so far away from all the noise of city life. What a delight! We met two other guest on this tour and we all agreed it was a fun day with Akiko. All the food tasting was great, but my favorite was the leek pancake! We will be back!
by SF_Traveler (10/06/19)
My daughter and I went on the Kyoto walking food tour. We had the best day. Our guide spoke terrific English and was extremely knowledgeable about the history and meaning of the sites we were seeing. The tour was an absolute pleasure and Naomi our guide was excellent. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Kyoto and am so happy we chose to do this.
by JessAm (08/20/19)
Excellent experience! Small group made the tour personal and easy to get to know everyone. Loved walking the streets, bamboo park and visiting temples as we ventured to each food establishment. Our tour guide was very friendly and kind!
by Kathleen (07/21/19)
Great experience and very well organised by Japan Wonder Travel. Our tour guide Niomi was excellent and made the tour interesting and fun.
by Richie (07/11/19)
Such an enjoyable tour seeing the best hidden treasures around Kyoto.
Our guide Mika Yoshida was excellent. We had a fun time and learnt really interesting facts and local secrets. The tour was very well planned to have tasty food treats and see much more than we expected whilst avoiding the crowds. The timing and content was very well judged by Mika.
We were so chuffed to have the tour with Kyoto FooDrink Tour and would highly recommend this for visiting Kyoto.
by Michael & Pete (06/08/19)
I really enjoyed this tour. It was my last tour after 3 weeks in Japan and was one of the best. We visited some beautiful places and ate some delicious food. Hiromi was an amazing guide. Not only did we learn all about the sites, but we got an insight into Japanese life and culture which Hiromi delivered with such enthusiasm and passion. She was considerate of everyone's needs and really went above and beyond. For example, when I expressed difficulty in finding a particular brand of Japanese cosmetics in Kyoto, she contacted the manufacturer to find out more and, after discovering the brand was not sold in retail stores, suggested some other options. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Kyoto, and see the city from a different perspective, I definitely recommend this tour. Make sure you ask for Hiromi.
by Luha (06/06/19)
This small group tour of Kyoto's Arashiyama and Sagano districts was one of the highlights of our or multi-day stay in Kyoto. Arashiyama and Sagano, in the past were lesser known to many who visit Kyoto, but for those willing to experience more of Japan, I highly recommend these lesser known districts for its beauty, food and culture. That aside, let's dive into tour a bit more. It is important to mention that this tour unlike others, does not provide transportation and is predominantly a walking tour, therefore some level of fitness is required. However, do not let that intimidate you as guide can be very accommodating to guest's preference. Another important detail to point out is that meetup with guide in Arashiyama requires a bit of travel on your own as there will be no pickup or drop-off service from your hotel. Personal Travel to meetup location is relatively straight forward from Kyoto Station to Saga Arashiyama station, covered by JR Pass and takes abut 30 mins. Guide will also provide details of meetup at Saga Arashiyama Station with pictures a few days prior to your tour. For our tour we we were fortunate to have Kazu as our guide who spoke excellent English and was able to make our visit to Arashiyama and Sagano fun for adults and children within our group. Understanding that guides usually make or break a tour experience, Kazu provided our group a memorable Kyoto experience for years to come. Main highlights of our tour were the many local foods to sample, Bamboo Forest, and Tenryuji Temple with its zen garden that has the picturesque mountain landscape in the backdrop. Highly recommend this tour for those who are willing to go off the beaten path to experience more of Japan's beauty.
by Jack_Liae (06/04/19)
Thanks to Kazu for a beautiful and relaxed tour in Bamboo Forest and in Arashiyama. Although we had to walk a lot, Kazu let us take our time to rest and to enjoy the beautiful views of the nature. Nice lunch, we loved the pancakes.
by tiheca (06/01/19)
This is a great tour because it combines food (food eaten by normal Japanese, not haute cuisine) and visits to wonderful shrines and temples as well as the superb bamboo forest in Aramashiyama. Akiko, our guide, was both knowledgeable and charming and answered all our many questions with great aplomb. She met us with a lovely smile at Saga-Arashiyama Station and left us three and a half hours later, still smiling.
Excellent!
by Anthony Dwyer (05/17/19)
So enjoyed this tour. Our guide Mika was excellent. As well as seeing temples etc and enjoying traditional Japanese food she gave us an insight into the life or a working woman in Japan.
by Indy (04/23/19)
We were on our honeymoon trip through Japan with stops in Tokyo, Koyto, Ossaka, Kanazawa, Matsumoto and Fujikawaguchiko and the Arashiyma & Sagano Walking Food Tour was for sure one of our absolute highlights! Our guide Akiko was very lovely and made the tour unforgetable for us. Thank you so much! We had a great time!
by Erwin (04/01/19)
Great great tour! It felt like walking with my friend. It was fun, informative and delicious. Yes we tasted so much yummy food and I was totally full. Besides the bamboo forest and the temples, I was introduced to high quality stores and specialities stores. I totally appreciated the end of the tour and the serenity of the tea house we went in. I loved my guide and everything on this tour. Highly highly recommended. I will repeat when I go back to Kyoto in the future
by Manal (03/05/19)
It was a great and very enjoyable tour.
Akiko was an excellent guide showing us everything around, telling us about Japanese history and picking up excellent food for us.
I really recommend it to everyone visiting Kyoto, we wouldn’t have seen it so well on our own.
by Marisa (01/13/19)
This tour was a highlight of our trip. Kazu was an extremely generous and knowledgeable tour guide who was sensitive to the needs of everyone. The places we visited were beautiful and the food a welcome addition. Bamboo grove is lovely and a must see, but even at the end of December it was busy with tourists. It made our sidetrip to an out of the way Buddhist temple feel very special indeed and it was our groups favourite spot. We highly recommend you do this tour. You will not regret it!
by Morfetts (12/29/18)
We had an amazing time, one of the best excursions of our lives.
Ellie is amazing very friendly and very knowledgeable
Thanks a lot once again
by Chrysovalantis Paphitis (12/04/18)
We had an excellent time on the tour! Koji took us to many scenic and historical sites, plus we had some great conversations while over delicious meals. Highly recommend this tour!
by atl (11/25/18)
We had a great time on our tour. Our tour guide, Ellie, was very knowledgeable, personable, and funny. In addition, the food was tasty and we got to see some beautiful temples and shrines in the fall, while Ellie provided historical context.
by katdav (11/13/18)
Hello, we think this tour was good and nice.
Easy to have children with you during this tour.
During the tour we had questions, and the guide answered.
We had a lovely time, day in Kyoto.
Best regards
Fam Overgaard, Rabe.
by Ing-Marie Camilla Rabe Overgaard (11/03/18)
Great guide and very knowledgeable /good food and not too rushef
by aaoptics (10/20/18)
While you can always visit areas like the bamboo forest in Arashiyama yourself, it is always more informative and memorable if you are able to explore an area like this with the help of a local guide.
Our guide, Koji, provided an excellent walking tour of Arashiyama and the surrounding areas. He was able to explain all of the areas we visited, the history behind them, and provide insights into Japanese culture and mindsets. It was a pleasure to spend time with Koji and enjoy his stories and insights. His English was excellent, he was an attentive tour guide, and we greatly valued his company.
The tour itself takes you for a walk from Saga-Arashiyama station to Jojakkoji Temple, the bamboo grove, Tenryuji Temple, and Horinji Temple. Along the way, we were treated to a few samples of local street food and ideal photography spots.
The walking tour was an excellent experience and was much better than trying to explore the area yourself.
by NickM (10/16/18)
We were lucky enough to get a personal tour just my partner and myself, Akiko was an amazing guide, taking us to several beautiful gardens while sampling a great selection of Japanese snack foods!
The food was amazing and being able to converse one on one with Akiko was amazing, including her personal stories :D
by Allastair (10/05/18)
What a fantastic tour experience. With a wide spectrum of tasty food along the way with local specialties and delicacies that we would not have been able to find otherwise. Our tour guides, Koji-san and Wataru-san were both very caring and knowledgeable with the area. They took a lot of trouble to explain the local traditions and history behind the temples that we saw along the way. We owe our wonderful memories of our lifetime to them and thank you once again for such a great format to enjoy the trip.
by Amol (08/11/18)
We had a great tour to the Bamboo Forest, visited several temples in the area and tested a good selection of local food. We particularly liked having Naomi as our guide as she was highly informed, organised, friendly and focussed on making the tour highly enjoyable.
by Paula Dolan (07/20/18)
