One-day tour of Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, and Uji

Actually, I had already been to all three spots on this itinerary, and I had visited Uji just two months ago. However, revisiting old places has a different charm. This tour turned out to be unexpectedly small, with only six participants, plus the driver, Xiao Ge, and the tour guide, Tina. I was the only Chinese-speaking tour member, so Tina really worked hard. After explaining everything in English, she would explain it all over again in Chinese. Although I understood most of the English, hearing things in my native language always gives me a more precise understanding. Nowadays, these one-day tours use various messaging apps. Tina would explain the next itinerary and introduce the destination on the bus ride there, using a tablet to show photos and maps. She was very dedicated and attentive. She would then send all this information to the messaging apps (LINE, WhatsApp, WeChat) so you could check it or use it for navigation during your free time. She would also announce the meeting times here. Everyone was extremely punctual on this tour; not a single person kept the group waiting at any of the stops 👍. My personal habit when traveling independently in Japan is to usually join one or two tours per trip to catch up on some sightseeing spots I might have missed. This guided tour experience ranks as the absolute best out of the ten or twenty times I've done it 🥇. Thank you, tour guide Tina, thank you driver Xiao Ge, and thank you to the fellow group members.

The tour experience is nice. Our tour guide CC introduced the background of attractions and Japanese history on the touring bus in a fun and comprehensive way, so we got to have much free time to explore attractions by ourselves. In addition, she also recommended some great and affordable restaurants to avoid tourist traps. Although going three attractions in a day is a bit tight to view deeply in the attractions, it’s worth for beginner travelers to enjoy the sights and vibes. Moreover, having a designated touring bus saved us lots of energy, husstle and time moving among attractions.

Tina brought such great energy to the experience! She was very friendly, shared helpful insights, and guided us clearly on where to go. I really appreciated her sharing Google Maps links for the key spots around Kyoto. Overall a great experience!

The day trip to Kyoto and Uji led by tour guide Theodore Chan was an absolutely fantastic experience! Mr. Chan was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, sharing insights that we wouldn't have gained on our own. He is very familiar with Japanese history and is fluent in both Chinese and English, allowing him to explain the historical significance behind each attraction. My family and I both agreed that Mr. Chan's explanations were far better than just sightseeing on our own! The schedule was also perfectly arranged, and the ancient charm of Kyoto combined with the peacefulness of Uji added vibrant colors to our journey. We are incredibly grateful for his guidance; he even recommended some of his favorite hidden gems for food and attractions! We highly, highly recommend booking a day tour with Mr. Chan. We hope to join one of his tours again in the future! We also hope everyone gets the chance to experience Mr. Chan's five-star guiding service.👍

Great day trip with Cali! She put together a fantastic itinerary and gave us some really interesting history lessons along the way. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the whole experience fun and enjoyable. Highly recommended!

Very fun experience! We saw a lot of nice areas in Kyoto. The matcha street experience was very nice and the water was beautiful. Our tour guide was very knowledgable. i truly recommend you this tour.. Sayonara

Booked this for convenience as it was my last day. I think the tour is evenly paced. Tour guide was friendly and even took photos of me as a solo traveller. I appreciate his effort to give some tips about each stop and gave us some great photo spots.

We chose this program with an English-speaking guide. The guide was excellent. On a day with heavy rain, the guide consistently updated us on every minute of delay via the LINE group. Upon arrival, we received a warm welcome, and the guide explained every tourist spot clearly and understandably, showing great care for all tour members. Thank you to our guide, Theodore Chan, for taking such good care of us. He also professionally recommended delicious restaurants, check-in spots, and photo opportunities.

it was saturday when we went here. it was way crowded than i expected. i think it would be really nice to come here on weekdays. wasnt able to take some good photos because of the crowd but it was okay. i was able to enjoy my visit in kyoto all thanks to our guide Effy. she was amazing and did a really great job. she always makes time to check on us individually whether we're okay or if we need anything. she even prepared a presentation to explain all the history about our destinations. it was very informative. she made sure that we get to enjoy our time in each attractions by leading us to the right ways, giving useful tips and giving us ample time to explore on our own. she also prepared souvenirs for us. 🥹 so thoughtful of you, EFFY!! thank you so much. the tour wouldn't be this memorable without your help. thank you so much, Effy! ❤️

the tour was great! we had ample amount of time to go around the temples and got to eat delicious food. Amanda, our tour guide, was very kind and very helpful to us.