Nikko tour - Wonderful informative day! Our guide Harry was excellent and was very insightful throughout the day!

Worth the drive! Beautiful scenery! - Excellent trip. Very well organized and comfortable. We skipped the organized lunch and found food on our own since my 12 year old is somewhat less adventurous than I am. Beautiful scenery and well worth the drive from Tokyo. Our guide, Kaori, was excellent!

Wonderful destination... - Wonderful destination with a lovely warm and enthusiastic guide who made it all so enjoyable.Would recommend seeing this wonderful place.

Shrine, lake and waterfall are all well worth the trip - Nikko Toshogu was very beautiful. There are quite a few steps to get to Okumiya photo, Tokugawa Ieyasu's tomb. There many ornately decorated buildings even if you can't make it all the way. We also went to chuzenji lake and kogen falls. Both are pretty. Even if the weather is good in Tokyo, bring a coat it was much colder in Nikko.

Magical shrine, lake and waterfall even with the icy weather - Fantastic tour run. Nori was our wonderful guide. She was exceptional even though the weather threw everything at her. We had snow and rain and naturally freezing temperatures. Nori stood out in the cold waiting for all of us to return to the meeting point. Even though a couple of people were very lax in being on time, Nori still waited with a smile. Nori gave us fantastic historic information as well as telling us about the landscape we were passing through. Mr Hero was our driver and at times it was a challenge with the roads covered in snow. He was a champion driver and we were all very safe in his hands. I absolutely recommend this tour.

My parents had an... - My parents had an incredible time during this tour, we thank Kay and her team for this lovely experience.

Enjoy a Day of a Perfect Blend of History, Nature, and Culture! - We took this tour of the Nikko region with HIS, and it turned out to be truly a very memorable experience. Despite the cold January weather, the sun was shining, making the day crisp but beautiful. The highlight was visiting Toshogu Shrine, dedicated to the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The shrine’s intricate carvings and rich history, not to forget the shoguns final resting place, offered a deep dive into the legacy of the Tokugawa shogunate. Our guide, Nozomi, was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, sharing fascinating insights into the history and symbolism of the site. She was accompanied by her equally engaging assistant, who ensured everything ran smoothly and provided additional support. Midway through the tour, we enjoyed a delicious traditional Japanese lunch, which was the perfect break—fresh, flavorful, and full of variety. The tour also included a visit to the stunning 100-meters high Kegon Falls, which was equally impressive. The towering waterfall, surrounded by snow-covered greenery, was a stunning contrast to the historical sites we witnessed earlier. Overall, the tours combination of cultural history, exposure to natural beauty and engaging interaction with the ever lively Nozomi-San made this trip a perfect balance of education and relaxation. Highly recommend for anyone interested in Japan’s heritage and stunning natural beauty.

First Ever Bus Tour - I have traveled solo in different countries and had planned to go to Nikko by train on my own, but decided to try a bus tour. This was my first ever bus tour so I wasn't sure what to expect. Luckily, it was a sunny day. Our meeting spot was the Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture near the Metropolitan government buildings. When I checked in and showed my Viator paid ticket on my phone, the assistant and tour guide could not find my name on their manifest list. I showed them emails confirming my reservation for tour and lunch, and that Viator had already charged my credit card for payment ahead of time. Only after talking to a 3rd person was I approved to board the van. The van was comfortable; the driver was very safe and competent. Our guide, Yasu, was kind to change my seat when I told her that I get motion sickness if I have to sit in the back of a vehicle. A fellow passenger gave me a Dramamine motion sickness pill; I was able to survive the ride to the mountains and back. Yasu gave some introduction to the history of Nikko temple and Ieyasu, the founder; she had a few placards with images and kanji that she held up. The hand-drawn handout depicting the day's agenda using pictures and words was nice--I am a nature journaler, so I appreciate visuals and not just lists. At the temple we were encouraged to explore on our own after some introductions to artifacts, such as the elephant. The assistant Isao, whose English was much better and clearer to understand, did not give any history or introduction to what we were seeing. The only time he spoke to the group was to introduce himself and then to thank everyone at the end of our trip. He did look out for those of us who were slower (I had brought my walking poles and someone with asthma who had to take it easy; and looked for people who didn't come to the bus on time); he chatted with some of us individually too. He explained how these tours are organized through partnerships with different companies and guides. Just before this bus tour I learned that Viator is a Trip Advisor company. I thought we would have lunch at a traditional-style Japanese restaurant; instead we lunched at a fairly large, nondescript place with multiple areas for different tour groups. Fortunately we were seated upstairs away from the other groups, so it was not noisy. We were seated at a long table, each with large round bento bowls and a pot of shared soup for each 2-3 people. Our guide and assistant did not eat with us, saying they had to accompany the driver. The food was tasty and vegetarian, which I appreciated. No one in our group chatted much; we were focused on tasting everything. After lunch we drove to Kegon Falls, seeing patches of snow on the mountains and on the ground as we drove by, taking 43 hairpin turns up, according to Yasu. We looked at the falls for a few minutes from a cold and windy platform. On our drive down the mountains back to Shinjuku, Tokyo, I mentioned to Isao and Yasu that the Tokyo Night & Light Projection Mapping Project would be on display, so she announced it to fellow passengers. ( I was the only one who walked a couple of blocks to see the display after we disembarked.) Our group was fairly international. Yasu was gracious and frequently thanked people for visiting Japan and coming on the World Heritage 1 day tour. On the ground, I did not observe her interacting individually with tour guests, as Isao did. He seemed much more at ease chatting with guests. The driver did not speak with any guests, but focused on her job, which for a 11 hour day must have been very tiring for her. (She was on the bus with engine on by 8:15 and dropped us off in Tokyo around 7 pm. Some recommendations: (1) ask the driver not to run the gas-engine of the van for such a long time waiting for everyone to board in the morning--that pollutes the air. (2) Besides introducing themselves (guide, assistant, driver), ask each guest to say their name and where they are from, to foster a little camaraderie among passengers. For anyone wanting to experience Nikko temple and its history more deeply and to explore the town, overnight stays would support that desire. Although I chose not to exercise this option, the flexibility of this trip is another positive aspect--Yasu told us early on that we had the option of leaving the group and staying longer in Nikko, as long as we told her. Bottom line: for people wanting an introduction to this historic temple, the Viator Nikko World Heritage 1-Day Guided Tour provides a viable opportunity.

Language barrier - Unfortunately the guide’s English was poor only understanding every fifth or sixth word. The site was beautiful but we didn’t get the historical information due to the language barrier. Bus driver was sensational.

Make sure of forecast before going - Awful day due to weather. Very heavy rain. Long walk to temple in puddles steep hill and lots of steps with no rails. Too many people with umbrellas in way. Then travelling up into mountains shouldn’t have gone. 5 ins snow cars sliding and broken down. Very high hairpin bends very frightening. And then when at top could not even see lake or waterfall!!!! Even guide said she was scared. Bus driver amazing. Food at restaurant no explanation of what things were and cold. Not enjoyable. Guide lovely but difficult to understand at times. Not a very good day mainly due to weather.