Personalized trips to Japan
for independent travelers

We are so thankful we used Greg with Kimkim to help us plan our 8 day trip to Tokyo and Kyoto. He was not only helpful and answered all of our questions thoroughly throughout the entire planning process, but he gave awesome suggestions. We were traveling with our 8 and 11 year old daughters and wanted to make sure we hit the high points, but didn't totally beat them into the ground. We did various walking tours. Our guide Pam, who did the Temple and Shrine Walking Tour in Kyoto was one of the sweetest humans ever and we could tell she knew her history and has so much pride in Japanese history, which made the tour that much more fun. She was fantastic with the kids too and really made them feel included. Our guide on our vegetarian food tour through Shibuya, Mayu, was also fantastic. She took us to spots we would have never known were there in a million years. Our guide, Yujiro, on our walking tour through Nishiki Market, was kind and let us stop at food stalls and shops along the way to taste test everything. We had originally booked a tour to see Mt. Fuji, but it was so hazy the entire time we were here, that Greg actually recommended switching gears since he knew we weren't going to be able to see the mountain. So, he recommended TeamLab Planets and Tokyo Sky Tree for that day instead. TeamLab ended up being one of the kids' all-time favorite things to do. So if you're traveling with kids of any ages, I highly recommend going there. Also, 3 of the 4 of us are vegetarian, so with each day, Greg also listed out specific restaurants to try in whatever area we were in that day. Lastly, we are tall. My husband is 6'6 and I am 5'9 and we weren't sure if we'd fit in the beds there haha! Greg and Cory went above and beyond to help us find accommodations that we could configure beds together to be comfortable. We kept saying on our trip that had we not had Greg's help, we wouldn't have known where to start. We also would've never found some of the gems he led us to. If you are wondering if it's worth it or not to use Kimkim to help plan your trip - it 100% is. There is no way we would have had as great of a trip if we did what we normally do where we just plan it all ourselves and hope for the best. Greg also recommended getting a pocket wifi which was worth its weight in gold. We were surprised that Japan doesn't have free public wifi in a ton of places, so having the pocket wifi was immensely helpful. And we used both the subway and taxi cabs (which we used the Go Japan to hire) for so many rides, we became "gold" members on Go Japan in just one week. Greg also sent us guides on how to pack and tips on how to fit in with the customs in Japan, which I appreciated as we never want to show up in an unfamiliar place and come off as rude. I can say a million great things about all of the guides, tours, and Greg but the most important one is that you won't regret using Kimkim to help plan your next big trip! Thank you to all of our guides who made the trip that much more special too!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel New Otani Tokyo Garden Tower

Tokyo

The hotel is clean and in a great location. If you've ever been to Las Vegas and stayed on the strip, that is what this hotel reminds me of. It's not easy to just go in the lobby and get to your room. You walk past shops on the basement level and take two different sets of elevators and meander to get to your room. So the vibe of it reminded me of one of the larger casinos. Rooms were clean and we got two that joined together so we could have our 8 and 11 year olds in the room next to us!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nohga Hotel

Kyoto

We loved this hotel! We got the large suite on the top floor for our family of 4. (My husband and I and our 2 daughters - age 8 and 11.) The beds were comfy and large enough for my husband who is 6'6 which is always a feat! We also loved this breakfast buffet that our trip planner, Greg, added in for us. The location great and close to so many things. The room was clean and huge with so much space. Would stay here again and request our room in a heartbeat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Yuraku Kyo-yasaka

Kyoto

This was such a unique place to stay in Kyoto. We loved having an onsen in our room, as our 8 and 11 year old daughters did not want to go to a public one and be nude in front of other women haha! We loved our room and it was huge which surprised us! Beds were comfy and the staff was so accommodating on getting us a fantastic vegetarian breakfast in the morning. It was like a five-course fancy meal that we were not expecting at all. It also was walking distance to so many things including the Yasaka Shrine and Pagoda, all things we wanted to see. Would stay here again in a heartbeat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Blossom Hibiya

Minato

Loved this hotel! We were here the first two nights of our trips and got two separate rooms for my husband and I and our 8 and 11 year old daughters. The view from the higher level rooms knocks your socks off as your first time in the city. We included breakfast in our daily stays and loved the breakfast buffet too. The location was great, hotel was clean, staff was friendly, and it was in a great location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Kyoto Temples & Gion Afternoon Walking Tour

Kyoto

Our guide Pam is what made this walking tour even more magical. She was so sweet and kind and made our 8 and 11 year old daughters feel included. She knows her history and really gets excited to share it, which made us so excited to hear it. She led us through various shrines and temples and was so patient while we shopped at washi club which is a unique stationary store. She gave great recommendations for restaurants and even helped us find ones that had vegetarian options. It was blazing hot on the day of the tour and she handled it like a champion. She was definitely one of our favorite guides we have ever had on any tour ever in all of our travels.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pam just has the best demeanor. She's so kind and thoughtful and knowledgeable.

Transport

We were walking distance from our meeting spot at the Yasaka Shrine which was fantastic!

We had an incredible time in Japan. KimKim had everything planned out and made it easy. We would use them again going abroad

Visiting Japan, a country none of us had ever visited before, was a little daunting. Angel made excellent suggestions that enabled us to fulfill specific requests while also having memorable experiences. We were very happy with the expertise of our guides, which was first noticed as we navigated public transportation (trains, subways, buses, etc.). The guides answered all of our questions about local landmarks and provided good suggestions for modifying or augmenting our tours. We walked a lot of steps and endured a lot of heat, which is to be expected in June. The rain wasn't too bad, and in truth, we appreciated the guides popping into air-conditioned shops/stores as we moved about the cities.
Tokyo was a large area, and we crisscrossed the city via subway, seeing multiple shrines and temples, but also museums and eating locations. There was a lot more green in each city than we expected, and walking through gardens and greenbelts was helpful to counteract the heat. We had a good experience riding the bullet train (shinkansen) and had oversized luggage seats (which we probably didn't need since we only had a carry-on and backpack each). There were many last-minute questions that we asked of our local specialist (Angel), and she answered them all very quickly. I was happy to feel like we had some flexibility to alter our itinerary (during our tour days) on the recommendation of our guides, with the intent to avoid crowds or remain cool during the hot part of the day. Overall, each of our guides had excellent English and demonstrated very good local knowledge. We were able to answer most of the questions about Japan's history and some of its significant cultural aspects due to a thorough explanation from the guides prior. We remained in awe of the order and control of the society/country as a whole and remarked that we would return, as there were many areas that we didn't see. We were very happy with the KimKim experience and would use them again to build our itinerary on a future vacation.

Activity Reviews

Kyoto Night Foodie Tour

Kyoto

Walking around at night gave us a different view of Kyoto and we appreciated the local food and drink. Our guide (Nami) was very accommodating and friendly. We were supposed to have another couple join us, but they cancelled so this became a defacto private tour. The food difference between Tokyo and Kyoto were noticeable - our guide explained why. Great experience on our last day in Japan.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Samurai Ninja Museum and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Learning about Ninja/Samurai history and getting a chance to feel and touch the weapons (take pictures with) was fun. The tea ceremony with kimono was amazing - so much history and culture wrapped up in that event. My family very much enjoyed the matcha tea, and we found we loved the mochi (especially the cinnamon flavor). The host was very good at explaining the ritual but also at ensuring the customs were understood (and practiced).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo: Enter the Sanctuary

Tokyo

Learning about Sumo and watching the family participate was amazing. The sumo wrestlers were excellent - gracious and humble. We enjoyed their personalities and the lunch was very good. Finding and arriving on time was a little stressful as this was our first experience in Japan, but we persevered and had a great time. Having someone in the family to cheer for was an important part of the event. Photos were priceless.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport