Kyoto Tours in Fall

The entire Trip was much more than I had expected. The hotels were great and pj's?? in every room? Some with Onsens! The activities planned were really special. The sites we visited was like a tour book/calendar that came to life. I am so sorry I came home as I wanted to see more. Our tour manager was fantastic. He was a wealth of knowledge and very engaging. I would highly recommend this tour! and so far Collette has no disappointed me, this was my 6th trip with them.

The Shogun’s palace, Nijo Castle, was a memorable experience. The tea ceremony and the traditional Japanese dinner were great examples of Japanese culture. Loved the visit to the Orange Tori and the bamboo forest (an extra experience added by our tour manager).

Some of the accommodation was old and dated and not up to normal standards, for people taking on this trip you need to be fit and mobile as all of the trip is on public transport, bus, train and metro system

The tour was nice but one thing that needs to be tweaked is the visit to the thousand tori gates. We were given just a little over an hour at this site and would have loved to walked the whole loop. This is a famous site and even just 1.5 hrs would have given those who wanted to do the whole loop enough time. Also, when talking about Hiroshima, you have to mention the horrible things that happen at Pearl Harbor also. If we are going to recount historical events, we need to be balanced and paint a complete picture. When discussing the bombing, it was as if the Japanese Emperor had done nothing. It was an odd conversation and awkward.

Zachary was a knowledgeable and caring guide, well prepared and organized. I very much enjoyed the itinerary, particularly the backroads parts, walking through the countryside. The food and accommodations added greatly to the enjoyment of the trip. We were lucky to enjoy great weather for the duration of the trip, and the group was easy to be with. Taking public buses and trains between walks added to the experience of the culture. The hiking was more challenging than expected, but quite manageable. I very much recommend Backroads of Japan for anyone wanting a more intimate experience of Japanese culture.

My trip overall was wonderful. Our guide Zachary Kurtz was absolutely phenomenal! He was so attentive to every single detail. His great knowledge of Japanese history & culture and his fluency of the Japanese language, both speaking & writing. He was also excellent at being able to read people, physical ability & congeniality etc.