We really enjoyed our tour of Uji with Sae! Our group of six ranged in age from fifteen to eighty-five.  Having someone teach us the history of the locations we were seeing and answering our questions elevated our experience.  We all enjoyed the lunch (which was considerably better than one of the previously posted reviews), as well as the matcha/hojicha ice cream and the matcha-making time.  When we return to Japan, we will definitely ask for Sae again!

Take a sip of sake, taste their beer, enjoy their tasty seafood and finish with a wide offer of sweets. Some people consider it a Tourist trap, but if its your first time here you can take a close look to a wide variety of their culinary offer. Visit the site and decide for yourself, I enjoyed being trapped here.

A great experience, learning about Sake and tasting Sake. Eduardo was an excellent guide, showing us around the area and pointing out areas of historical interest, like the ‘Cowboy’ Samurai. I would highly recommend the tour.

We were so excited as we love Matcha and were ready for a great experience. When we arrived, it was hard to tell if our guide was really with Arigato Tour. There was no branding on his shirt or bag and the folded-up sign he was holding was a crinkled piece of paper in a sheet protector. Our Guide Russ was doing the best he could with the first Rainy day he's had in his 6 years of being a guide. Arigato tours should have their guides set up for things that may come up. We booked through 3 companies while in Japan- Arigato Tours, Viator and Get Your Guide. Arigato Tours was the least professional and least prepared and by far the most expensive. Most of the tour was outside and there was no umbrella's provided by the company- Russ gave up his personal umbrella and stood in the POURING rain to start the outdoor tour. He felt bad and we could tell he wasn't sure what to do. Due to this pouring rain and all of us being soaked, we sidetracked and did the Matcha making first. They said they could accommodate the time-change, which they could not. We could tell the attention the tour should had have was not there. First there was a small intro/history of this Oldest Matcha Making company and we had a QUICK tour with the owner. Then a group came in and they whisked us off to the matcha making room where there were 3 set-ups (there were four of us that paid for the tour)- we mixed our newly ground matcha then moved to another seat. We were then scooped Matcha powder from a container and NOT our matcha we just freshly ground. They then pumped water from a countertop dispenser. It would have felt more authentic if we had been served our hot water from something as simple as tea kettle. The Matcha treats were, one wrapped cookie and one wrapped candy. The worst part - and there were many, was the lunch (see photos below to compare). What we got was noodles and a piece of fish. That was not the meal we were expecting. We then went to the temple which was fine. Then we went for Matcha Ice Cream which was delicious. We were then to go on another walking tour- still a bit rainy- and we passed as did the other 2 - there was no chance of this tour getting any better. Don't waste your money. Go on your own, there was nothing on this tour you can't go and do yourself for 1/4 of the cost.

We have had Kaiseki dinners previously in both Tokyo and Kyoto and have had incredible culinary experiences. AS we only had one evening in Kyoto with my sister who had never been to Japan, we decided to book the tour to see Gion and learn about the preparation and cultural significance of the Kaiseki dinner. At almost $300 each, we expected a fine dining experience. Previously we paid up to $200 each for an excellent dinner, including high end sake and drinks. The 90 minute tour of Gion was fine but that could be done separately for well under $100 each. The dinner was mediocre at best, typical of what you'd pay about $50 per person at other locations. Some dishes were of the same quality of what you'd buy at a food court. We did not learn anything about the history and culture of the Kaiseki dinner. The dinner only included one drink, basically beer or cheap wine or sake. The were out of white and plum wine. We had to pay for a second beer. Our advice is to book a tour of Gion lseparately and ask your hotel concierge for advice on restaurants.

We had a wonderful evening with our guide Eduardo and learned a lot of interesting things about life and food in Kyoto. The food stops were awesome, more delicious food than we could eat. Most of the stops were places we would be too shy to go in as tourists or would not have thought about. Overall it was such a fun experience that we booked another tour with the same company in Osaka.

Atsuko was our tour guide and she is amazing! I would definitely recommend her. She was very knowledgeable and taught us a lot of the history of the temple and shrine we visited on the tour. She is very organized and made sure we were having a good time. She had a binder to make sure she talked about everything and even gave us recommendations on where to eat while in Japan. She is what made the tour one of the best we’ve taken. The lunch was delicious and we got to pick what we wanted from a local restaurant and the matcha making part was very informative.

Had an amazing day with Atsuko with my family. She have shared history and cultures about Uji and goes into depth with the religious places and their practices. Had a great time making the matcha and the correct way to drink it. And ending the tour with an awesome lunch and matcha ice cream.

Our tour with Sae was amazing! Truly one of the highlights of our trips. We had a rainy day but still had a great tour. Sae was so knowledgeable on the area, the culture and the history of not just Kyoto but all of Japan. It was so cool to learn about all the nuances of the Geisha district and of Kyoto itself. Besides the cool walking portion, the Kaiseki dinner was amazing, and being talked through it and all the work that goes into it made us appreciate it even more. We learned a lot in the most fun way, Sae was the best guide we could ask for, so fun and kind and answered all our questions! On top of it all we were lucky enough to see some Geisha rushing past us at the end!

Midway through our June trip to Japan, our family had lucked out mostly avoiding rain until our evening tour of the Pontocho and Gion districts of Kyoto. This didn’t faze our guide Mickey at all and she ensured we all had a fantastic time tasting delicious snacks, skewers, noodles, and desserts along with some sake for the parents and ramune for our two boys! Mickey was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and its history and we came away with a much deeper appreciation for the experiences we were having than we would have on our own. This was our fourth Arigato tour during our Japan trip and continued on from the great experiences we had earlier. Mickey’s kindness and fun energy easily overcame any rainy weather and we had a fabulous time - thank you Mickey!

Departing Tokyo, the next stop for our family in Japan was Kyoto. Our guide Thomas got us off to a fantastic start there with our late morning experience in the “kitchen of Kyoto,” Nishiki Market. He expertly navigated us through a crowded market to sample one delicious item after another, all the while providing great context and background for what we were seeing and trying. He delighted not only us parents but also our two boys and kept them engaged throughout the tour. Some of the highest praise we can give is that we were all so absorbed and enjoying the tour that three hours flew by before we knew it! A third great experience with Arigato on our Japan trip. Thanks Thomas for getting our Kyoto adventure off to such a great start!

Our guide Mickey was super friendly, and did such a good job finding good vegetarian options for us to enjoy during the tour. She was also very considerate of me being pregnant. We were very surprised and impressed to learn that she has lived 3 years in Oslo and still speaks some Norwegian. The group was quite small, which made it easy to be social with everyone, and we really enjoyed exploring the nishiki market together. Thank you for a great tour!

Very fun evening with Yoshiko. She was super friendly and knowledgeable about local traditions.

It was an average food tour - and I've taken many around the world. Decent but not outstanding. The guide did go over and beyond and remained with us for a longer duration than we expected.

Our Kyoto Evening and Geisha Food Tour was awesome - sugoi! Thanks to our wonderful tour guide, Yoshiko. She showed us all the beautiful sceneries of the city. She was knowledgeable of each place's history. Best of all, we had a great time during our traditional Japanese dinner. We ate as a family, learning and sharing each other's culture and traditions. Yoshiko was very friendly, polite, warm and beautiful. We would love to have her as our tour guide on our next visit, and spread good words about her to friends/relatives who would tour Japan. Thanks Yoshiko for giving us a very memorable night in Kyoto! Take care.