Japan Travel Agents

THANK YOU for the trip – it was SO well planned, and clearly a LOT of thought went into it. We are so grateful, and we are now big KimKim fans!

We travel a LOT, to all kinds of crazy places! It is unrealistic to travel across the world and expect things to NOT go wrong. What matters, and why we work with travel professionals like you KimKim, is to have support and back up when things DO go wrong – THAT is what matters! KimKim seamlessly fixed an issue on our travels, and they are THE BEST, and you can travel worry-free!

Our planner Ben was remarkable - attentive, knowledgeable and friendly, and our guides Roy, H and Piter were exceptional.

10/10, DO recommend! Thank you, team KimKim, for an amazing experience and incredible 'whatever it takes' service!

My Husband and I had a fantastic honeymoon in Japan, all thanks to our trip planner/agent Eleanor, our Tokyo guide Yoshi, our Osaka foodie tour guide Jimmy and Moika, and lastly our Kyoto guide Maasake. We especially enjoyed a Temple in Kyoto where we descended into a pitch black, dark area to make a wish on a stone, and come out the other side "rebirthed". It was such a different experience and we felt immersed in Japan's spiritual culture. The food was incredible. The foodie tour showed us unique foods that we had not had before and wouldn't have though about trying otherwise. They were great company too; it felt like going out on the town with a couple of local friends. Tokyo was our first destination and Yoshi was fantastic about teaching us how to use the public transport system and appropriate ways to enter Shrines. He answered all of our questions that mightve come off as "silly" or "ignorant" without judgement. This was our first trip ever to another country and it couldn't have gone better. Eleanor answered every single question cam and I came across, even during the trip. She always got back to me no matter what, and gave some good advice to avoid struggling a lot through some of the busiest areas of Japan. Thank you everyone and Kimkim for an unforgettable honeymoon.

The trip was great. We planned our trip to Japan during a very busy season of life when we didn't have time to do the research we'd normally like to do. Sandy connected us with all the important sites and was accommodating to our requests. She booked all our train reservations and knew what needed to be booked ahead of time in terms of trains and museums. Her suggestions about what to do in our free time were very helpful. Highlights were the Ghibli museum and Food tour in Tokyo and the bike tour in Kyoto. Our tour guides in every city were knowledgeable and kind. The hotels she chose for us were very nice, and all throughout the trip she shared updates of what was coming up next and info on using the transportation in that city. The only thing that was disappointing was finding out the Peace Museum was closed while we were there for the new year holiday. We would have scheduled our itinerary differently had we known that ahead of time and put Hiroshima earlier in the trip. So double check those types of details if you are traveling during the new year, or other major holiday. For a family of 5 it's also much easier to eat if you have a reservation, so plan ahead for that. Overall it was a fantastic trip and the experience with KimKim both before the trip, and while we were there, was very good.

Hotel Reviews

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

This hotel is clean and had rooms with 3 beds if you are traveling with kids/a group. The breakfast was good with a good coffee option in the morning. Location is near the Senso-Ji temple and markets around there. Nice friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good for visiting Senso-ji temple and markets but far from some other parts of town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien TEN-YU

Hakone

Fun to have bathtubs on balcony to have hot springs baths not in the onsen. Buffet was huge but got old after 2 days. Shuttle available to take you to the Open Air museum, but it doesn't pick you back up so need to acquaint yourself with public transportation. Staff was nice, had great massage at their spa.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

THE KNOT HIROSHIMA

Hiroshima

Loved having the bar area on the 14th floor to hang out with views of the city. Great proximity to the bus that takes you to the train station! Breakfast was decent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cross Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Great location, nice lobby, good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Akihabara district

Tokyo

Good overview of the city. Our tour guide was flexible and accommodating to what we wanted to see. nice to have a driver to take us around on our first day in the country, helped us get our bearings!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Asakusa Sumo Club: Sumo Show Admission with Chankonabe in Tokyo

Tokyo

This was campy fun. Glad we did it but felt very touristy! Food was pretty good.

Quality of Experience

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

One of our family's favorite things we did! Jun was our guide and he was fantastic and had great energy.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Drive to Hakone with Mt. Fuji Tour

Japan

Had a great guide who shared a lot of history as we drove. We ended up with a freezing cold day which made it a little less comfortable than it would normally be!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto: Guided E-Bike Tour

Kyoto

Our family of 5 (2 teens + a 20 year old, plus parents) loved this. Our guide Philippe took us to off-the-beaten-path locations in east Kyoto which was great after having seen all the crowded main sites. Our kids ranked this high on the list. We had electric bikes so it was easy!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Miyajima Island and Memorial Park Tour

Hiroshima

Our guide Mayumi was excellent, telling us a lot of history about Hiroshima and the impact of the bomb there. She took us somewhere yummy for lunch, then onto Miyajima. It was a great day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Hakone and Lake Ashi Tour with Hakone Tozan Railway

Japan

Tour guide was great but this just wasn't our favorite part of the trip. The hike we did on our own, Mt. Kintoki, was wonderful. A little steep so a bit of a challenge but we were rewarded with amazing views of Mt. Fuji!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, we found the experience to be very good. While the itinerary was somewhat fast-paced, it was ultimately very satisfying and offered a nice balance between cultural activities and experiences specifically enjoyable for the girls. We truly appreciated the effort and care that went into designing the program.

That said, we would like to share a few recommendations that we believe could help strengthen future trips:

First, in some cities we arrived in the late afternoon and were directed to places that were already closed or about to close. This happened in Kanazawa, where despite rushing, we were unable to access the gardens, which closed at 5:00 pm. It might be helpful to adjust recommendations or arrival times in these cases.

Second, several of the guides did not speak English well. While we fully understand that the general population is not expected to speak English, we were told that we would have support from guides with at least an intermediate level of English. Unfortunately, this was not always the case. We prefer not to mention names, as we feel that would be inappropriate, but we believe this is an important point to take into account.

Third, the last day in Osaka felt too short. It may have been more beneficial to spend less time in another city in order to make time for Osaka or possibly skip Osaka altogether.

Finally, we suggest taking into account the situation we shared regarding the museum in Hiroshima, in order to be especially careful with schedules during public holidays.

We share these comments with appreciation and in a constructive spirit, as we truly value the experience and the work behind it.

A big hug and congratulations on such a well-organized trip.

Warm regards,

My husband and I went to Japan for a little over two weeks to see the red maples and gold ginko leaves, and we were not disappointed! Claudia and her team did a wonderful job of making sure our vacation went smooth and helped arrange tours with excellent guides we adored. From Kiyo and Yuki for our Tokyo Tours to our Osaka food guide and our self-discovered Kobe Sake Guide (Kampai Sake Tours with Hiro), we had amazing and kind people showing us the culture and beauty of Japan. The hotel accommodations, especially those in Osaka and Kinosaki were great. Food recommendations and activities were also top notch. Thank you Claudia and team for your hard work and help— we had a lovely time!

Hotel Reviews

The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji

Osaka

Beautiful hotel, large room, great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very convenient to train stations, nice area to be in

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Royal Twin Hotel Kyoto Hachijoguchi

Kyoto

Loved the ambiance of this hotel. Very calming and elegant. Location was a little far from Kyoto’s station, but not awful (10-15 min walk). The room was a little smaller than our other rooms, but was still very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nishimuraya Honkan

Kinosaki

A very expensive stay, but so worth the price! Keiseki meals, private in room baths and onsens, and kind/attentive staff makes this place super special.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit the World of Ghibli and explore more of Tokyo!

Tokyo

Kiyo was so fun and lovely to hang out with! Really enjoyed all her knowledge and her amazing food recommendation in town.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto History and Culture

Kyoto

Leo (Ryosuke — I think his name was), was previously a teacher, I believe, because his knowledge on history of landmarks in Kyoto was impeccable. We had a great time with him leading the way and saw beautiful places and learned a lot! He also took great pics!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Akihabara Tour

Tokyo

Yuki was so knowledgeable about the area and fun to spend the afternoon with. He and his colleague showed us all around akihabara, which otherwise would have been very overwhelming. He even was able to connect us to a great restaurant and make a reservation for us in Kobe later on our trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Food Tour

Osaka

One of our favorite tours! The food was SO GOOD and I am convinced there is no way we would have found this place without our amazing guide! Thank you so much for the experience and all the great knowledge of Osaka and its food culture.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport