Personalized trips to Japan
for independent travelers

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

We just returned from an amazing 10 days in Japan to celebrate our daughter's high school graduation. From our first contact with KimKim and Greg, our trip planner, the process was smooth and efficient. Greg asked great questions and listened to our wishes to plan our itinerary. His knowledge of Japan helped us immensely! He took care of so many things for us - airport pickups, Wifi devices delivered to our outstanding hotels, train tickets with “Fuji view” seats and reservations for dinners and experiences. Some of our favorites were small group activities to make our own chopsticks, learn calligraphy from an expert, eat new foods with a local guide and participate in a tea ceremony in kimonos. His guidance was invaluable and his communication was thorough and timely. When we had an issue with tickets for an event, it was solved within 10 minutes of sending a WhatsApp message. We would definitely use KimKim and Greg if we are ever lucky enough to visit Japan again!

My wife and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this July and I knew early on that a family of four trip to experience Japan for the first time together would be a once in a lifetime event. I knew well enough that I would not be able to plan and execute such an important trip myself so I feel so grateful that I stumbled upon Kimkim and hit the ground running.

Ben was my wonderful trip planner and from the first interaction, he was so extremely helpful and patient with my 1,000s of questions and itinerary changes. I wanted this Japan trip to be something that would be relatively stress free for me and my wife but also contain a variety of activities and experiences that our entire family would enjoy. Working with Ben to plan the entire trip was such a breeze. Despite having never worked with a planning company before let alone with Kimkim, I felt completely at ease and comfortable with Ben's recommendations and suggestions.

Every part of the trip was designed and planned wonderfully. From the meticulous selection of amazing hotels across the spectrum of Japanese styles (ryokan, onsens, apartment-style, mountain resorts) to all the fun hands-on activities for adults and kids alike (sushi-making, samurai museums, sumo shows, etc), this was a trip that none of us will ever forget.

And I would be remiss without mentioning our incredible tour guides, Peter and Ursula. Peter was so on task and schedule with us during our Tokyo days and he was so patient and gracious with our children throughout the tours. I can't count how many times he and I would be carrying my napping daughter still in her stroller up and down various train station steps over multiple stations and transfers. He never failed to take care of our every need in this unfamiliar place. We had zero stress with Peter around that allowed us to soak up the joy of the experience 100%.

Ursula was our amazing tour guide (and pseudo member of the family) in Kyoto/Osaka. Our family hit it off with Ursula right from the get go and she was always so flexible with our minor changes in scheduling and events as we did our best to adapt to our children's energy levels and attention spans. The extremely hot weather in Japan also put added pressure on everyone but both Ursula and Peter were always ready to lend a hand and make sure we all stayed healthy and happy throughout.

This trip was planned as perfectly as I could have imagined and I owe Ben/Peter/Ursula/Kimkim a huge thank you on behalf of my entire family. The next time we want to take another adventurous trip, I would not hesitate for one second to work with Kimkim again. I also highly recommend Kimkim to anyone who wants to plan a milestone trip like ours without the hassle and stress.

Thank you again Kimkim team! Until we meet again!

Eric, Wanee, Easton, and Esther