3-Day Mt Fuji, Kyoto and Nara Rail Tour by Bullet Train from Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

Capture the quintessential Japanese travel experiences - Mt Fuji, Kyoto and Nara - on a three-day Bullet train rail tour from Tokyo. Your experience begins with the spectacular scenery of Mt Fuji and Hakone National Park. Continue by Bullet train to Kyoto where you'll spend the next two nights. On day two discover Kyoto's rich history and culture with visits to the Golden Pavilion, Nijo Castle and Kyoto's Imperial Palace. In the afternoon travel to the historic city of Nara, the first permanent capital of Japan. Highlights include Todaiji Temple and Nara Deer Park. On day three you'll have the option to returning to Tokyo by Bullet train after spending the day sightseeing at your leisure, or staying on in Kyoto.

Your tour begins with a relaxing coach trip to Mt Fuji, Japan's highest mountain. Cruise Lake Ashi, enjoy a ropeway ride over Owakudani Valley and zoom your way to Kyoto aboard a high-speed Shinkansen Bullet train.

Next day, you'll take a morning sightseeing tour of Kyoto's famous cultural sites, visiting the Golden Pavilion, Nijo Castle, noted for its gorgeous interiors, and Kyoto Imperial Palace. After lunch at the Kyoto Handicraft Center, you'll travel to Nara and its abundance of Unesco World Heritage Sites. You'll visit the Todaiji Temple housing a great image of Buddha, colorful Kasuga Shrine with 3,000 lanterns, and the Deer Park, where tame deer freely roam.

On the third day, you can either spend the day sightseeing at your leisure and return to Tokyo by Bullet train in the evening, or you can choose to stay on in Kyoto.

USD $819.82

Traveler Reviews

Review by: maryghorah	December 2011
Brilliant 3-day guided tour of Mt Fuji; Kyoto and Nara: very well organised with helpful, friendly and knowledgeable tour guides throughout. Highly recommended and I will use viator again for my next adventure abroad!

Review by: Warren C	November 2011
The tour guides explaining the history and culture from points A to B were all wonderful, humorous, informative, and curteous. The 'hand-hold' drop-off and pick-up, even during all train boardings and transfer, was very nice. You get it all in at an enjoyable pace for a reasonable price.

Review by: Sara R	August 2011
Fantastic, hotel was amazing. Guides were so knowledgeable. Whole experience was brilliant. totally recommend it. Bullet train incredible!

Review by: JZALMANOFF	May 2011
I finished a fantastic Tauck tour of China in Hong_br/_ Kong. I ,then went on to Tokyo to start your tour_br/_ on my own. I , did not know what to expect on this_br/_ mini tour. Your people in Japan were fantastic,_br/_ always on time, never letting me get lost and_br/_ always polite and helpful. Thank you.

Review by: Gordon M	April 2011
We found our trip not only very educational,_br/_ but found our guides entertaining and engaging,_br/_ helping us with our Japanese. The staff meeting_br/_ at the bullet train was extremely efficient and_br/_ made us feel safe and secure knowing they _br/_ Were always on time to meet us.

Review by: Cecilia F	October 2010
We have taken tours all over the world, and the tour guides on this tour and one other that we took with the same company are the best we have ever had. We learned so much from them, and they answered all of our questions with enthusiasm and honesty.

Review by: William C	July 2010
The tour of Mt. Fuji was great. Our tour guide was knowledgable and nice. The trip between Mt. Fuji and Kyoto took around 5 hours because there was no direct train at that time. The hotel in Kyoto was suppose to be 5 star but was more like 3 star. The first room was filled with the smell of smoke. Both rooms we were given had 2 single beds, not romantic. The tour guide in Kyoto was ok. She kept telling us that no one should be late. No free time at sites to explore.

Review by: Keith T, United States of America	June 2010
Our tour guide was absolutely excellent during the Mount Fuji portion of the tour. The Kyoto and Nara were standard large group bus tours. The third day - we were "on our own" - was not very good. I would rather have had more guided sightseeing.

Review by: Anonymous, Singapore	June 2010
Thoroughly enjoyable tour. Definitely a must do if you are planning to spend at least a week in Japan. The trip was well organised and ran like clockwork. The guides were knowledgeable, friendly and courteous. Kyoto was the hightlight of our time in Japan, a very interesting and pretty city. The Bullet train was also a great experience.

Review by: Françoise G, France	May 2010
Everything was perfect except perhaps the hotel. It was not clear for me, when I ordered, in which kind of hotel I would stay. I thought I would stay in a ryokan in Kyoto, but I had to stay in a modern hotel... nevermind, I'll be back !!!

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	April 2010
Viator books and communicates excellently. Our particular journey was fraught with a snowstorm on top of Mt. Fuji and unexpected 5 hour traffic jam. We should have been sent back to Tokyo but our tour guide did not do this - another group did and did not have to wait out the traffic jam. Otherwise the trip was excellent, and the snowstorm was unusual. It is quite a busy trip seeing places in a rush, not for those who like to take their time. For my purposes, it worked and was excellent. Guides speak reasonably good English.

Review by: Anonymous, Philippines	April 2010
Excellent! Everything went on as planned.

Review by: Penelope J, Australia	March 2010
I was fortunate and saw Mt Fuji to the top. The tour guide for Mt Fujo, Meko was thoughtful and attentive.

Review by: Wilson T, Singapore	March 2010
The only disappointment was not being able to go up to the 5th station at Mt Fuji due to weather. Lunch was good.

Review by: Anonymous, Philippines	August 2009
For the first day, the traveling time was longer than the sightseeing. So if you do not get to see Mount Fuji due to the weather, then the viewing points will be disappointing. And once you do get to see it, you will wonder what the big deal is with the tour guide for subsequent sightings. I liked the gourmet Japanese-style lunch. The Owakudani black egg is a tourist trap. It just tastes like ordinary hard-boiled eggs with a foul sulphur smell. I liked the cruise in Lake Chuzenji. Even if the Shinkansen is fast, it still takes at least 3 hours before reaching Kyoto. On the second day, the lunch in the Kyoto Handicraft Center was a bit bland, and one can't really enjoy the buffet too much because you are only given a 45 minute break. Again, the drive to and from Nara is longer than the sightseeing. Take note that there are only two sites there, because they are both inside the deer park. If you are taking the Shinkansen back to Tokyo on the third day, you can still take the related Kyoto afternoon tour offered here. But it might be better to take it from the Kyoto Handicraft Center, so you can do other sightseeing in the morning (i.e. Silver Pavilion, Philosopher's Pathway, Nanzenji Temple). Drop off can be at New Miyako Hotel, so that it is right across the train station. What I like most about the tour is the door-to-door service. At each leg there is a representative to assist you, even if it is just to change trains.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2009
Excellent opportunity to visit Mt Fuji and Kyoto when on a tight schedule. Guide service was exemplary! They took such good care of us! They all spoke English and worked to provide a lovely trip. They truly cared for us during the journey and activities. The tour hotel was wonderful. We enjoyed the sights and tours tremendously. We especially appreciated the drop-off and pick-up services at our hotels and train stations.

Review by: Carla F, United States of America	July 2009
Great, but the trip to Mt. Fuji was on a very windy road and took FOREVER!

Review by: Dianne F	July 2009
Great, but the trip to Mt. Fuji was on a very windy road and took FOREVER!

Review by: Amy R, United States of America	April 2009
Very well organized. Tour guides were thorough, friendly, and informative. The whole tour went off without a hitch. Guides met us at trains and escorted us to taxis. I was travelling alone with my 14 year old daughter, and we felt secure and comfortable at all times.

Review by: Gilbert M, Switzerland	September 2008
Unfortunately Mt Fuji was covered with clouds, we did not see anything.

Review by: David L, United States of America	June 2008
The tour operator really has its act together. A representative met us at each station and took us to the next train. There were absolutely no problems whatsoever.

Review by: Grace L, United States of America	June 2008
Taking the bus up to the middle of Mt Fuji was definitely an experience not to be missed! Hakone was a nice place with many little shops to buy souvenirs and snacks. The cruise was rather windy and a bit chilly, but nothing a good jacket couldn't combat. I think I could have skipped this portion of the trip and been just as happy. The bullet train ride was definitely a new experience for me. I had purchased the upgraded tour package, so I got to ride in the "Green Car" of the bullet train which was the first-class seats. It was almost as nice as first class on an airplane! Kyoto was amazing with Nara deer park being the highlight of my day. I got to purchase crackers to feed the deer! Also there was plenty of leisure time after the tour to roam around Kyoto and see some of the Gion district. There are many shops and restaurants all around. I enjoyed the entire trip, and the only confusion that occurred for me during the trip was the different tour guides each day. The guide I had for the Mt Fuji and Hakone portion of the trip made many comments about his personal life, which made me feel a little awkward. The guide also hand drew maps and charts of where we were going on the back of old calendar paper. I thought the tour could have provided maps for him that would have been more legible. Also, at times, the guide's English was hard to understand. However, all-in-all, all of the guides were very helpful and, when asked, gave great suggestions of places we could see cherry blossoms, where we could find a good place to eat, and where to visit.

Review by: Cheryl L, Australia	January 2008
The tour company did a fantastic job of organizing the whole trip. Believe me, this was no easy task as many things could have gone wrong, but we had excellent service from them. If I had to be picky, the only thing I was disappointed with was my hotel room; I had paid for the better class of hotel, and while the hotel was a superior hotel, I was disappointed by the room. There were two twin beds for me and my husband. We didn't mind too much, but it would have been good if we had been asked whether we wanted a double or a twin bedroom. Also, as the hotel is in the process of renovations, I think we got one of the older rooms; it was still nicely maintained and very clean, but it would have been better to get the renovated room. Other than that, I think the tours were great, the food was good, the tour guides were professional, and service was excellent. We would book with them again.

Review by: Aylwin L	January 2008
The tour company did a fantastic job of organizing the whole trip. Believe me, this was no easy task as many things could have gone wrong, but we had excellent service from them. If I had to be picky, the only thing I was disappointed with was my hotel room; I had paid for the better class of hotel, and while the hotel was a superior hotel, I was disappointed by the room. There were two twin beds for me and my husband. We didn't mind too much, but it would have been good if we had been asked whether we wanted a double or a twin bedroom. Also, as the hotel is in the process of renovations, I think we got one of the older rooms; it was still nicely maintained and very clean, but it would have been better to get the renovated room. Other than that, I think the tours were great, the food was good, the tour guides were professional, and service was excellent. We would book with them again.

Review by: Uma B, India	September 2007
This trip takes you very close to nature, and our guide gave us an insight into Buddhist history. Spectacular!