We joined this tour in mid November, and the peak autumn leaves made every stop especially beautiful. Although we boarded at Umeda, we were still taken to Namba to transfer to the main bus, which added an extra leg to the start of the day. Our group had only eight people, travelling on a forty seater bus. Seats were technically allocated, but we were free to sit anywhere we liked. We were guided by Kazu, who was friendly, organised, and helped us with group photos throughout the day. The tour began at Fushimi Inari, followed by a simple Japanese style buffet lunch. It was a “choose what you like” meal rather than an eat all you can buffet, and we were given only forty minutes. After lunch, we continued to Arashiyama before boarding the Sagano Romantic Train. Seats on the train were pre allocated, so there was no need to rush for the best views, though the train timing was fixed and we needed to adhere to the schedule. The day ended at Kiyomizudera, where the autumn foliage was at its peak. The pacing was comfortable, with sufficient time for the key highlights at each stop. We ended around 5pm, but heavy traffic leaving the area delayed us by about thirty minutes. We reached Osaka Namba OCAT at around 6.30pm and Umeda at about 7pm. Overall, it was an organised and enjoyable day tour, made even better by the perfect autumn colours and Kazu’s thoughtful guidance.

The experience was great despite the weather. The Sagano Romantic Train ride was my favorite, it offers beautiful scenery and watching brave people navigating on the rafts in the river was fun.

Good as a highlights tour. Quite a large area covered resulting in limited time to take in the sights of the towns. Would have to go back to really appreciate the areas seen.

The hot and humid weather definitely affected the trip which is no fault of the tour operator. However the lady guide name Maki English is difficult to understand. Perhaps might be lacking of motivation as there were only 5 of us on this trip. I personally feel that tour guide English must be clearly spoken so that tourists like me know exactly what is happening.