Highlight of our trip to Japan! We did the Secret Kyoto tour and it was absolutely brilliant! We are in our mid 50s and found it very manageable (the electric bikes make is super easy, the traffic is minimal, and the group is small)
Our guide, Yuta, was magnificent. He was funny and interesting and looked after us all very well. His english is excellent and we learnt so much about life in Japan, the history and the culture of the country, it was wonderful . He even gave us all individual restaurant tips at the end of the tour (depending on what we were looking for!) and made sure we knew how to get back to our bus stop. He knows the best spots for photos and knows how to tell a story, or a history, without going on and on forever.
One of the things we really appreciated was the flexibility of the tour. When we arrived at one of the temples, the crowds were unbelievable (even for Kyoto) and so Yuta suggested that if we wanted to, he could take us to a more remote temple that he likes. He made sure to give us the option of sticking to the program too - but we all decided to go with his recommendation of the quieter temple. I'm so glad we did, it was so beautiful and peaceful that I was moved to tears.
I won't tell you all the places we visited as I think the discovery was part of the fun - but the last stop of the day at the rock garden was exceptional - it was such a classic Kyoto experience.
We loved every minute of this tour - thanks so much Yuta, you were the best! We're still talking about all the things we learnt and the beautiful things we saw - and about our incredible guide!
