Kimkim Trip Reviews for Japan

Kimkim took the guesswork and anxiety out of my Japan trip with my 13-year-old son. Our tour guides Alisa and Lily tailored our experiences to our needs and offered us abundant kindness, patience, and hospitality. I have never taken a tour before, but this was an excellent and cost-effective way to take a one-on-one tour and see as much as we could see in a short amount of time. Both of the hotels were lovely and well-appointed.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro

Tokyo

This is a lovely hotel with an EXCELLENT breakfast buffet, wonderful location and excellent service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

THE HOTEL HIGASHIYAMA by Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

Kyoto

Fancy! This is a beautiful hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fushimi Inari Shrine, Pure Water Temple, Gion District,Nonomiya Shrine, Bamboo Grove

Kyoto

Gorgeous locations and we even got some complementary matcha soft serve while we waited for our driver.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Full Day Highlights | Kinkakuji Temple, Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market

Kyoto

We learned so much! We got to see the monkeys, too.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Tokyo Tour by Private Vehicle and Guide, Sensoji Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree, Akihabara, Sumo Show and Experience (with Sumo Lunch)

Tokyo

Super fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Today you will take public transportation for touring instead of a private van, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Shibuya, Pokemon Center, Anime cafe, Harajuku

Tokyo

Lots of walking - cool sights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My trip to Japan was an opportunity for my son and me to share some quality time together before he starts his first year of college. It was very important to me that everything went smoothly. Initially, I tried to plan the trip myself, but planning the trip was overwhelming. That’s when I discovered KimKim and decided to let them handle the planning. It turned out to be the best decision I made.

KimKim organized an amazing trip for us. We visited six different cities in Japan (Tokyo, Fujikawaguchiko, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama and Osaka), we had over six different tour guides that were so helpful and super knowledgeable, we had a bike tour in Osaka, we participated in a cooking class. Angel, our trip planner, was incredible—she reached out to us daily with our itinerary and had everything prearranged. Angel was truly AMAZING!

This trip was unforgettable.

Hotel Review

Cross Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

This hotel was so cool, it was located close to everything.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Imperial Palace, Senso-ji Temple and Tokyo Tower

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Sagano Bamboo Grove and Tenryuji Temple Tour

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Highlights Bike Tour

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The bike ride was so fun

Osaka-Nara day trip

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Shirakawa-go Tour

Kanazawa

This was so authentic, and so beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi Cruise Tour

Fujikawaguchiko

Our tour guide Somo was knowlagble and so nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Geisha (Maiko) Tea Ceremony & Show in Kyoto Gion Kiyomizu

Kyoto

It was so interesting.

Quality of Experience

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Osaka Cooking Class

Osaka

Quality of Experience

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour (Round Trip From Osaka)

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

So we went to China. Here are some notes.
Take in an acrobatics show. Good call on Nina's part.
Do a tea ceremony.
Be aware that the main meal of the day in China is lunch so it might be later in the day. Eat a decent breakfast.
I get the feeling that they're taking the tourism seriously. Clean and safe.
Cycled round the wall in Xi an. Mark was quite right to go early early, too hot otherwise. Terracotta warriors was an absolute bun fight.
Personally I didn't see the point in going around the harbour in Hong Kong to see a boat the had sunk ages ago. However my daughter loved it.
Chengdu for the panda's. Again take the guides advice and walk up because you miss part of the zoo otherwise.
Guilin for the rice fields. Lime mountains cruise very cool. Underground cave! Only saw one black snake walking down from the rice fields. The water show in Yangshou is not worth the money. Also Chinese people talk during a show, eat, join in etc. Part of learning the culture!
Trains were cool! These people are efficient, things are pretty much on time, so don't dither. Queues move so they're not a problem.
Daughter knew a bit of Mandarin which was super helpful. I don't think you could do a trip like this without guides to be honest. Local people were onto it though, they had Google translate loaded, as did I.
Just occurred to me now that we didn't go and see anything about porcelain.
Ladies take tissues with you. I got used to the hole in the floor type toilet. Glad my legs are still strong.
Kris in Shanghai did some great problem solving when we threw some extra activities at him, namely shopping! Barter hard people (not in stores with price tags).

Our trip to Japan included many items and logistics which were managed by Kate. Overall, my family, who were first time visitors to Japan, were excited and felt like they got to see the major sites in each city. For me, a return traveler to Japan, it felt like a series of generic tours to the major tourist attractions which could have been hired individually through other services (Viator, etc). Personally, I was hoping for more unique experiences but I did appreciate that fact that KimKim was a 'one stop shop' for the logistics (cars, tickets, etc).

In terms of tour guides, our first guide, Peter Wong (Yoon) in Tokyo, was not a proficient English speaker. It turned out that our driver (who was excellent!!!) was a better English speaker than Peter. Hence, we did not receive very much information about the tours and the sites we were visiting. We spent most of the time googling the background information at each location. Peter is Malaysian (not Japanese) so a number of local questions we asked had him googling as well. When we first started, Peter did not have the agenda we were sent from KimKim so we had a bit of a disconnect on expectations for each day. He finally took a screen shot of the pages I received to align the agendas between what he had and what we were expecting. For the most part, everything logistically went well but we had one or two instances were the tickets were not accepted or procured. In the end, it worked out.

During our time in Tokyo, I booked the fish market auction separate than KimKim since the auction was not able to be organized by KimKim in the schedule (according to Kate). This event was a highlight of the trip. We hired a guide for this morning through the hotel and had a amazing experience since she was very knowledgable about Japanese history/architecture/politics/etc. In addition, as we were interacting with others, we would ask her questions and she would ask the host and then report back to us the responses. Our KimKim hosts (Peter and Naoki) did not behave like this and would just google to respond or listen to the Japanese response and then not revert back to us. We learned more from this lady about Tokyo in 4 hours than we did from Peter for the 5 days we had him scheduled.

As a side note, the KimKim agenda indicated we would be touring from 9am to ~5-6 pm each day (8 hours). This schedule was only true for some of the days. I highly recommend to KimKim to inform tour participants on expectations start and stop times to allow for meals and meal times. Since dinners were not included in the tour agenda, I worked off-line to book a variety of dinners and/or spa appointments in each city only to be told that we would not be back to the hotel in time or that we might need to skip something to fit the dinner schedule. In addition, on many days, lunch was not until 2 pm or later which also would have been good to know since we were having breakfast at 7-8 am and dinner at ~7 pm. If I had known this up front, it would have saved a lot of re-planning between myself and the tour guides and we could have brought snacks on the tours.

In Kyoto and Osaka, we had Naoki as a tour guide. Naoki was more engaging than Peter at a personal level and he had a better command of the English language. Unfortunately, Naoki is also more of a 'host' than a 'guide' and his college major was hospitality. For some of the places we visited, Naoki indicated he had not been to them prior to taking us to the see them so he was learning about them just as we were. When we visited the Palace in Osaka, he did not pre-book tickets (in fact, he told me he could not) so we spent time standing in line in the rain while others went through the 'fast track' to the entrance. I finally looked on-line and realized I could have booked them while standing in line to save time. These are all items that I would have thought they would have checked prior to our arrival.

For both guides, there were points when there were Japanese explanations of things we were seeing or touring instructions (no photos, etc) from the hosts at the sites and neither guide translated the information to us. We spent a lot of time trying to understand what was going on and what was next.

When we arrived in Okinawa, our driver was not at the airport arrivals. I called the number for Kate to check on the driver and no one picked up. There were two other numbers on the itinerary so I called the second number and got a voice mail which was responded to about an hour later. Finally, the person at the third number picked up the phone and asked why I was calling her (indicating we were bothering her.....not in a helpful way). I explained what was going on and she said Kate needed to help me so she transferred me to Kate who was sitting at the desk next to her. This was very frustrating that it took 3 international calls to locate someone and that Kate was at her desk while I was calling other travel agents in her system who were not aware they were on my agenda as a help desk person.

In total contrast, Wendy, our host in Taipei, was outstanding. She was well prepared and well educated. She explained each day in detail and worked with us to understand what we were seeing and why it was important (context). She was also very good at engaging my son. If there were any suggestions or updates to the agenda, she had us sign professional 'change orders' which we appreciated. Wendy was the type of tour guide that we anticipated for the entire trip. In addition, Wendy took a number of photos of us which was very helpful as we toured each location. We cant say enough about how much we learned from Wendy and enjoyed her tour. We wished we had her for the entire time.

Kuriko(Hakone day trip guide)was SUPERB. Professional,Well informed,patient,friendly and it was a pleasure to spend the day with her.
Melanie(Gion walking tour guide) was pleasant but did not give good information or history about the area. No depth of local knowledge.
Josh ,our Nara day trip guide was very good. Well informed, pleasant. Came very prepared for the day with lot of pictures in folders.
Amongst experiences:
Owl cafe
Sumo experience were both exceptional
Esp thanks to Angel for quick responsiveness and well planned itinerary with attention to detail.

Hotel Reviews

Gora Kansuiro

Hakone

Authenticity & Character

Old world Charm, attention to detail.

Location

Scenic, lush green.

Staff

Polite,helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cross Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Great location, helpful staff. Good sized room(deluxe twin). Excellent breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo: Enter the Sanctuary

Tokyo

This was an amazing experience!! The wrestlers and guides were so kind and helpful and fun to spend time with! They shared their history and profession with us, and we had a very fun afternoon with them. This is a MUST SEE experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Kim Kim company is great!! The guides are very professional and informative. Our main contact person Angela was very helpful every step of the way. She was able to make any requested last minute adjustments to make our trip more comfortable and convenient.

We worked with Myaen who was very accommodating of my preferences and questions. I traveled with my 2 teenage girls throughout Japan, and we wanted something we'd all enjoy - meaning very few temples and lots of teen-friendly activities. We also wanted to experience traditional accommodations and lots of great food. Myaen came through with meeting all of our requests, and her team was available to help navigate through issues once we were in the country. Had a good experience overall!

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Kanazawa

Kanazawa

We really liked the smaller town, and it was a good way to start the trip by getting used to transportation and customs of Japan.

Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirakawa-gō

Japan

This was one of our favorite sites in Japan because at the time of our visit, we didn't have to be among too many other tourists. We also enjoyed seeing the traditional homes and roaming through them at our own pace.

Traditional Tea Ceremony wearing a Kimono

Japan

This was our favorite activity. Not only did we enjoy putting on the kimonos, but we also loved learning about the meaning behind the ceremony and the picture taking opportunities in the gardens.

Day trip to Nara

Kyoto

Very cool to interact with the deer and to be in a peaceful forest setting.

Izakaya Food Tour

Tokyo

The tour and district were a bit too "adult" for my teens who could not participate in the saki tastings and perhaps didn't need to see the redlight district. Otherwise, the food was good and plentiful.

Get close to Mount Fuji at Kawaguchiko

Tokyo

It was a beautiful view from the bottom of the hill, as we did not make the climb to the temple at the top. We were already tired from the trip to begin with, and wished we would have known there were 500+ steps to climb. Instead, we took pictures from the viewpoint at the bottom and enjoyed the soft serve ice cream sold there.

Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo

It was a great visit, and it was good that we went when it opened in the morning before it got too busy. It started filling up quickly after that.

Tsukiji Fish Market Visit with Sushi Making Experience

Tokyo

Our guide clearly wanted us to have a good experience and tried to make the most of a very hot day. She made sure to give us breaks in air-conditioned parts of the market and provided electrolyte candies to make sure we were not overcome by the heat. We enjoyed trying the free samples and looking for the treats my kids had heard about on the internet. The private sushi-making class was also good and happened at our own pace.

Our family vacation to Japan was fantastic and Myaen was so thoughtful and did a great job of conceiving and preparing a trip that had the right balance of guides and self-exploration as well the right mix of contemporary / modern Japan and traditional sights.

Throughout the trip our guides (Junko, Haruki, Momoko and others) were quite amazing and did a great job of catering a tour to our needs that day.

Activity Reviews

Izakaya Food Tour

Tokyo

Our guide Haruki did a great job of creating a fun welcoming atmosphere and took us to some fantastic places in Kabukicho.

Quality of Experience

Our guide (Haruki?) was amazing and the food was fantastic! Exceeded my expectations.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Haruki was amazing.

Sumo Practice Viewing in Tokyo

Tokyo

I thought we would be touring an actual sumo stable. Instead we got a fairly sanitized sumo exhibition with slapstick comedy. The show itself was fun but much less authentic than we were expecting. .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tsukiji Fish Market Visit with Sushi Making Experience

Tokyo

An excellent tour of the “old” Tsukkiji fish market area. Sampling the fresh fish was quite amazing. But overall was a bit disappointed by the size of the market and how touristy the experience was.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Traditional Kyoto Tour

Japan

Our guide Junko was quite phenomenal. It was unbearably hot in Kyoto the days we were there and Junko did a Teriffic job of adjusting the itinerary to accommodate for the heat. She offered up a new sequence of temple visits to be outdoors during the early AM and then offered some new indoor outings for us in the PM.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Junko was a fabulous tour guode who accommodated my family when my son was not feeling well.

The Golden Pavilion and Magnificent Views in Arashiyama

Kyoto

Our guide Junko was quite phenomenal. It was unbearably hot in Kyoto the days we were there and Junko did a Teriffic job of adjusting the itinerary to accommodate for the heat. She offered up a new sequence of temple visits to be outdoors during the early AM and then offered some new indoor outings for us in the PM.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Junko was a fabulous guide.

Our time in Japan exceeded all expectations and earns five stars across the board. KimKim travel took care of our adult group of 10 start to finish, and I would definitely use their services again. KimKim handled our travel and activity reservations as well as accommodations with professionalism and style. I cannot say enough good things about our local specialist, Angel, and our over-all experience. Each of our accommodations were clean and comfortable with excellent service, and the local restaurant suggestions were ideal. Yumiko escorted us on a busy day visiting the Imperial Palace East Gardens and Nakamise-dori. Angel and Yumiko organized a traditional Kimono Tea Ceremony which everyone enjoyed. We loved exploring the Mt. Fuji region with Yumi and were grateful for a break in the clouds and a miraculous view of the summit. Yasuko spent three days with our group immersed in the commerce and culture of Osaka and Kyoto. Highlights were the Nara Tour, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Bamboo Grove, Monkey Park Tour, and Foodie Night Tour. She added so much to our experiences! The Shinkansen bullet train was the perfect way to cross the country, allowing us to visit Hiroshima and Memorial Peace Park for an impactful memory to end our trip to Japan. All of our guides were extremely knowledgeable and energetic about their subjects, and it was evident how passionate they and the people of Japan are about their heritage and country. Thank you for a wonderful time!

Hotel Reviews

Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza gochome

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima

Hiroshima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half Day Imperial Palace East Gardens and Senso-ji Tour

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchiko Cruise and Oshino Hakkai

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Samurai Museum with Experience + Kimono Tea Ceremony at Tokyo Maikoya

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Osaka Castle and Shinsaibashi Tour

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Nara Tour

Nara

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Night Foodie Tour

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park Tour

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have been on many trips with Kim Kim but this was t disappointing. Asia highlights provided a very poor guide In Tokyo who both had no knowledge and a poor attitude. The other guides had good attitudes but also not knowledgeable except Mei at the end, who was both knowledgeable and hard working. Kate droppe the ball many times and never had good suggestions for activities, I would not recommend her or Asia highlights.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo Tour by Private Vehicle and Guide

Tokyo

It could have been a lot better with a warm knowledgeable guide who did more than just take us to places. She knew nothing, had no explanations and seemed generally unhappy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Harajuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Japan was amazing! Working with the Kimkim team was Simply wonderful. I have not used Kimkim previously and was initially skeptical of going with an online travel agent/agency. But it was the best decision I made. My travel contact was Katie and she was prompt with communication from the very beginning and especially during my stay in Japan. Starting with planning they came up with sample itineraries based on the number of days I was planning to spend and the cities I wanted to visit. I went off some suggested itineraries on the Kimkim website and looked up the cities on travel guides like lonely planet, and worked with Katie to find the itinerary further. I visited Tokyo, Matsumoto, Kamiki, Takayama, Kyoto with side trips to Nara, Araya and Hiroshima. Katie provided me with the local guide who is very helpful in navigating transportation, especially in Tokyo and Kyoto. Booking tickets for Japan rail, including Shinkansen trains was all done by them! The hotels they booked were simply amazing both in terms of location and service. I would highly recommend using them

Hotel Reviews

Shiba Park Hotel

Tokyo

A great hotel with a wonderful breakfast buffet That allowed me to sample Japanese cuisine (besides sushi). The hotel’s amenities and staff were simply wonderful. A great mid-century modern decor with a library. I have not seen a similar concept in any of the hotels I have visited in the US. The hotel location was walking distance from Tokyo Tower and subway stations. I will definitely be staying here again if I visit and reserve one day to spend at the hotel exploring there, Library.

Authenticity & Character

I have not stayed at a “book/library” hotel before! Each floor was dedicated to a category like cooking, art and architecture with books by Japanese authors! I regretted not spending enough time at hotel

Location

Close to subway, Tokyo tower, restaurants. It had a coin laundry which was convenient to use. Had luggage forwarding service and a currency exchange that had a better rate than I got at my US bank!!

Staff

Everyone was friendly.. many had excellent English speaking skills

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were small by US standards but so well laid out with such excellent design features that beats the top US hotels at a similar price range

Iroha Grand Hotel Matsumoto Eki-Mae

Matsumoto

Excellent location 5 minutes from train station, clean spacious room for our party of 3 and good breakfast buffet

Takayama Green Hotel

Takayama

A large hotel with 2 Onsens! We had a Japanese style room which was so spacious for our party of 3. The staff came twice a day to set up and remove the futons for sleeping. Had a great souvenir shop with Tax free option that was better than the one at Haneda. 3 great restaurants and the BEST breakfast buffet!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

They came to make and take down our futon beds twice a day.. room was the larger than any suite I have been to at comparative range of hotels in US!

Kyoto Ryokan the Kinoe

Kyoto

I could not have asked for a better Ryokan experience! It is a 70 year old hotel that seems small on outside but Rooms were large and convenient. The Onsen was clean but not the best Onsen I had seen on this trip ( after experiencing a hot spring Onsen in Takayama one would not opt for this “usual” style of Onsen ). The breakfast experience was so authentic! Everyday was slightly different than the next. The location was EXCELLENT.. so close to Kamo river.. watching the sunset there was unforgettable!

Activity Reviews

Geisha (Maiko) Tea Ceremony & Show

Kyoto

The tea ceremony experience was not exactly what I expected. I anticipated a traditional setup with a Geisha or a Maiko (Geisha in training). However, the tea experience we had was different from what was described in the itinerary. Instead of a traditional setting, it was held in a dry sculpture garden, where we did some gravel art meditation. Despite this, my kids enjoyed it. We were served tea and a dessert, but it felt like something I could have gotten at a local tea shop. Knowing that there were several tea houses near our hotel in Kyoto, I might have opted for a more traditional geisha tea ceremony if I had known.

TeamLab Borderless: MORI Building Digital Art Museum

Tokyo

I was really looking forward to visiting the teamLab Borderless at the MORI Building, but we ended up going to teamLab Planets instead. Initially, this change was a bit confusing and inconvenient since Planets was further from our hotel, but the experience turned out to be amazing. The guide informed me about the change the day before, which was really fortunate. TeamLab Planets had around five exhibits, and though it’s a smaller attraction compared to MORI, it was still a beautiful and immersive experience. Communication about the change could have been better, but overall, I was happy with the visit.

Full Day Hakone Mt Fuji National Park Excursion from Tokyo by Private Vehicle and Guide: National Park, Cable Car up Mt Owakudani, Pirate ship across the Lake Ashinoko

Tokyo

I had a fantastic time on the Mount Fuji National Park excursion. The car that picked us up was very comfortable, and the guide was great. We took a cable car up Mt. Owakudani, which offered stunning views, and then we enjoyed a pirate ship ride across Lake Ashinoko. The whole day was well-organized and enjoyable. Despite one minor issue with a driver, which was quickly resolved, the experience was memorable.

We used Fei to plan half of our trip - Kyoto, Kumano Kodo, and last day in Tokyo. The hotel in Kyoto was near the train stations which was fine but it would have been nice to be nearer to the historical areas such as Gion. The first day with the tour guide was good, difficult to get around all the school travelers. The second day, our agenda said we need to arrange our own transportation to the calligraphy class, tea ceremony, and cooking class and as we were making arrangement we got notification that a driver was coming; it would have been nice to know this in advance before we spent time making arrangements. There was confusion when we arrived at the tea ceremony that we only had reservations for kimono rentals and not the tea ceremony. Not sure what happened and we tried to get a hold of Fei but only had chat as an option.

The Kumano Kudo schedule was not update with the arrangements made by the Kumano Kudo agency - when we arrived in Tanabe the agency was expecting us at 12:00 and we didn’t arrive till 4:00. This caused problems for the people who were picking us up and for the dinner. Also, by coming in late we didn’t get to hike that day. Returning from the Kumano Kudo trip, our train from Tanabe to Osaka and Osaka to Tokyo had 2.5 hours layovers - not enough time to do anything and we were able to catch an earlier train from Tanabe to Osaka but we didn’t have the information to change the Shinkansen tickets - we contacted Fei via chat (again, didn’t have any other means of communication) but didn’t hear back from her. We therefore had a long travel day and limited time in Tokyo to get dinner.

Our last day, we were supposed to go to the Ghibli Museum and when we arrived our tickets were scrutinized. We weren’t sure if we would be let in as the staff felt our tickets were forgeries. We again tried to contact Fei and the staff were asking for the contact person who booked our tickets and we had no information to provide them. After about 20 minutes, they allowed us to go in but they said they would be contacting you for the future.

Overall, we had a great trip but wish we had better communication with Fei or someone else that we could have requested immediate feedback.

Hotel Reviews

Kiyohime

Tanabe

They picked us up at the bus stop and took us to the house. They made amazing food, both dinner, breakfast, and bento box lunch!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was nice to have a traditional sleeping space.

Minshuku Chikatsuyu

Tanabe

Beautiful location by the river.

Authenticity & Character

Traditional sleeping mats

Location

Loved that it had an onsen after hiking.

Staff

Very helpful and had great food

Cleanliness & Comfort

Glad they had a washer and dryer as we were soaked by the rain.

Kawayu Midoriya

It was a nice location but with the rain the outside onsen flooded. The bathroom was rather dated.

Authenticity & Character

Bathroom was dated and there weren’t many amenities that a fee wasn’t charged.

Location

near the river and a bus stop

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

Very difficult to find using Google maps.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing traditional.

Location

Large hotel with a good view of Shibuya Crossing.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by GRANVIA

Near the train station with good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good to be near the train station but nothing unique.

Staff

The staff weren’t very helpful when we asked if they could make a dinner reservation for us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Typical large hotel

Activity Reviews

Half Day Arashiyama Cycling Experience

Kyoto

It was pretty crowded dodging visitors but we could get to locations quicker.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Had a guide and driver

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

Loved seeing the shrines and temples but very crowded.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great guide and driver

Transport

Calligraphy Class

Kyoto

We only had an hour and wish we had had more time.it seemed rushed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No guide but a driver picked us up and dropped us off.

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

There was confusion with our reservation but we they made sure we had the experience.

Quality of Experience

Liked understanding the process and the history.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Just a driver

Transport

Kyoto Cooking Class

Kyoto

Loved the class and the instructions. They were able to modify the recipe/ingredients for my husband to have a gluten free option.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No guide

Transport

I cannot say enough about the level of service, patience, detail and organization that Sandy, our contact at KimKim and Odynovo, provided. I changed my mind and plans so many times in the planning process and she always responded with cheer and a desire to help me achieve our goals. We had an extremely seamless vacation experience in Japan, and I credit this to her and her team's incredible organizational skills. We never had an issue checking into a hotel, meeting a guide, with a reservation or anything. I didn't realize until we got there how much arranging they had done in terms of reserving a time for us to canoe; meet our guides; planning out trains; etc. Sandy checked in on us many times during our stay in Japan and always wanted to make sure we were having the best experience. I am so pleased we worked with them. Some of our desires may have been difficult to achieve since we were travelling in a less touristed region but they made it happen. There are too many great details of our trip to list all, but I will add some highlights and then a few things that we (or mostly I) would do slightly differently next time. I do want to go back soon and I would definitely use KimKim and Odynovo again.
Highlights- our guides Kohmin, Tomoko and Chie were all so interesting and knowledgeable, and gave us so much insight into local culture and history. Chie in particular is a riot and very personable. We really enjoyed the tuna auction and fish market in Shiogama; those were very different and uncrowded experiences I can't imagine that most tourists get to experience. Matsushima was beautiful and we loved going to the little tea house with Kohmin and Tomoko. With Chie, we explored Yamadera, which is a beautiful mountaintop shrine where we climbed up for gorgeous views and we had a fun local lunch with her and took local trains. One of our most memorable stays that Odynovo booked for us was in the ryokan in Tendo; what a beautiful, soothing and fancy cultural experience with gorgeously served meals I will never forget. I would have liked a little more time in this area. Kakunodate was also very memorable; we loved the samurai district tours with Koh and he also took us to a nearby waterfall. We went back ourselves the next day before leaving for Tokyo and were going to go on a hike up the hill for a view of the town but there were bears in the area! Instead we walked around this lovely town more, had coffee in a little and interesting local place and lunch in the hotel. It would be amazing at cherry blossom time, I'm sure and is quite famous for that. I had found a farm stay called Midori No Kaze but couldn't get in touch with them; Sandy did and booked that for us. It isn't for everyone - very rustic and basic, just 2 roooms in a couple's house, but we really enjoyed being outside the town and walking around their rice fields. They are incredibly hospitable. From the reviews online I had thought we could participate in some farm activities; though that didn't happen, we still had a great time just staying over there. Kazuko, the owner, is Internet savvy and books guests from all over who want something a little different. We really liked her and she even was happy to speak very simple slow Japanese with me so that I could practice! Our other favorite activity which Odynovo booked for us was canoeing in a group in the submerged forest in Lake Ishikawa, an opportunity that only comes along a couple of months a year in the spring when the snows from Mt. Ide melt. A very unique opportunity and fun to be the only foreigners in the group at a beautiful spot. The guides always called ahead to let various activities and hotels know we were coming and make us feel welcome.
The only things I would have done differently are more my responsibility. For example, I would have liked more time to just wander by ourselves through some of the towns. Ginbekei Gorge was a disappointment and I should have read more about it before hand- I was mixing it up in my head with another gorge in the area. At Ginbekei, I thought we could hike and walk around a lot but there are no trails. The "flying dango" were fun to see but I could have skipped this place altogether if I had known more about it, and would have preferred doing something else outdoors in a more expansive natural area. I think that KimKim may want to let people know if a particular activity is not necessarily the best use of their time, but of course again this is something that I should have been aware of myself. The only other thing I would have done differently is upgrade my hotel in Tokyo to one with a slightly bigger room since we were there 5 days. The Knot staff is absolutely lovely, and breakfasts were delicious, and it is opposite a really nice park, so it was fine. The staff also helped me arrange a reservation at a local jazz club one night. However, while Japanese hotel rooms can be small, I know, the KNot's are REALLY small with no place to put our clothes during a longer stay. Also, had I researched it a bit more, while it is good to be near the station, but Shinjuku is really crowded and huge and a little exhausting, so next time I would maybe stay in a slightly quieter area such as Asakusa, or rent an Air BnB if I'm going to be somewhere for more than a few nights.
In Tokyo, Odynovo arranged a fabulous tea ceremony demonstration for us with Mariko, and we were the only people besides one other Japanese woman and we had the BEST time. Thank you! So interesting to learn about. It is right next to the Kabuki Theater so we bought tickets to a performance there ourselves. On our own, we took the bus to Lake Kawaguchi one day to see views of Mt. Fuji and walk around, and that was also a great experience and awe-inspiring. W

I'd also like to be able to speak on the phone with the agency more at the beginning of the planning stage next time although email/ KimKim platforms works very well. Sandy is incredibly responsive, knowledgeable and diplomatic and I really credit her with making our trip such an easy and memorable one!!! She is amazing.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Metropolitan Sendai East

Sendai

Great location, nice staff, amazing breakfast selections (Japanese and western). We enjoyed being above the lively and convenient station in Sendai. The room was very tiny, which is not unusual for hotels in Japanese cities though.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tsunagi Onsen Hotel Shion

We really enjoyed it but it's a little different. Feels kind of like a Japanese version of a Catskills hotel. There is a large banquet room for meals (food is great!). People go around the whole hotel in their yukatas. Mostly older people or families with young children. We were the only foreigners at the time which was enjoyable for us! Staff is very nice. There are some stores in the lobby and there was a dance show after dinner that we enjoyed. Beautiful view of the lake. We loved the futons and our tatami room which was really comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very pretty view of the lake. Hotel is outside Morioka. We didn't find Morioka all that interesting since it is after cherry blossom season.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tuna Auction & Fish Market Breakfast in Shiogama

Sendai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Encounter Splendid Nature: Matsushima Bay Cruise and Zuiganji Temple

Matsushima

Beautiful views of the bay and islands. Our guides were great in figuring out the best place to take the boat from and also took us to a lovely tea house in Matsushima.

Visit Yamadera, a Historic Mountain Temple

Yamagata

One of the highlights of our trip. It is a moderate climb up the mountain on steps and you get incredible views. Our intrepid and fun guide, Chie, also told us many great anecdotes and information about what we were seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took local trains. We had our luggage with us, and while I was at first dismayed I had not arranged for luggage transport or been advised to do so earlier, Chie helped us figure out where to store our luggage in the train stations and it was very easy. I was glad we just had carry on size bags too. Not a problem.

Lake Shirakawa

Zao Onsen

Beautiful lake area! I would have liked to spend time hiking in this area but I didn't fully research it before going. The views from the lake of the Mt. Iwate are stunning and we had so much fun canoeing with a group in the submerged forest.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Hiraizumi: Chusonji Temple, Motsuji Temple, and Genbikei Gorge

Hiraizumi

Gorge was disappointing - no place to really hike or do much - it's pretty but limited - see main review. I could have spent this time elsewhere.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A little far for what we ended up doing there. The town seems kind of sad as well.

Delve into Samurai Culture in Kakunodate: Samurai Quarter and Sake Brewery Visit

Kakunodate machi

We loved Kakunodate - a lovely small town and it was great to just stroll the streets and learn about the bygone culture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Learn about Miso and Soy Sauce Making: Ando Jozo Brewery Honten

Kakunodate machi

We ended up skipping these as we had already been to a whisky and sake factory and I thought this would be too much of the same. In general next time I would incorporate more free time to just walk around interesting towns or spend more time in nature walking or hiking. (Only gave the one star since we didn't do this)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Just gave those

Tea Ceremony in Tokyo

Tokyo

A wonderful and interesting activity! Very intimate and enjoyable and Odynovo gave us great directions to get there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We got there easily by public transportation.

The trip was amazing!! The guides were so nice and helpful. And the overall experience was everything we could have hoped for. Thank you so much to Sandy and your team - we appreciate everything you did to make the experience so easy and memorable!

Angel with Kimkim did a fantastic job of making sure we had an amazing vacation we will cherish forever. Our tour guides she set up were amazing and the hotels were great as well. I will definitely use Kimkim again for travel. Angel was great on getting back to us if we had any questions about our trip!
Thank you Angel and Kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Groove Shinjuku

Tokyo

Loved how room is set up, and it had great views. It was in a very busy area of Tokyo but you could not hear any noises. I would stay there again if going to Tokyo.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Always were helpful and treated us great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Shijo

Loved it was more in neighborhood and that it had public baths for use as a guest.

Authenticity & Character

Zen gardens.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

Osaka

Loved sitting and having drinks in bar with the water feature.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near subway

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tokyo City Exploration ( private group ) & Sumo show with chanko nabe lunch ( join in, small group )

Tokyo

It was fun and campy at same time. The food was good and I would recommend it to everyone.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi

Tokyo

Fun day and loved visiting the artist village.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Cooking Class

Osaka

We had fun at this little ramen restaurant. It was delicious

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No guide and it was difficult to find.

Transport

Osaka Foodie Walking Tour at dark

Osaka

Great food. Took us to eat 3 types of food local to Osaka, it was fun and delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Kiyomizu-Dera Temple and tea ceremony

Kyoto

Very full day I think it would have been better to break this day up into 2 days. Loved the tea ceremony

Quality of Experience

All the amazing places visited

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Could have done with more transportation to sites.

Half Day Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park Tour For Families

Kyoto

Fun seeing the monkeys. We also went to Golden temple as well.

Quality of Experience

Golden temple and grounds were beautiful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Used public transportation

Our 10 day trip to Japan was beyond amazing
It was perfect ! Each day seemed to got better and better . We traveler with our 21 year old son .Sandy was so easy to work with and responded promptly to every inquiry ensuring our free days were also well planned with recommended activities
Team Labs , Saki and going to the food markets. We also recommend Shibuya Sky .
Sandy put together an incredible itinerary and everything was according to schedule !
Every guide was knowledgeable , personable and each tour was informative and varied .
Hiro went out of his way to ensure our 2 days with him in Kyoto were perfectly planned to the Bamboo Grove and Monkey Forest and the Insight on Religion Temples.
We loved the day we did the Authentic Sumo Experience and Tokyo Bar Hopping in Shinjuku .
Miyajima Island was so special and then Horoshima sobering but we recommend this tour for anyone going to Japan .
Thank you Sandy for your expertise in assisting with us with such special memories that will be with us forever.
We loved the temples and fortunes , the culture and small alleys in Tokyo and Kyoto.
We will definitely use Kim Kim again for future trip planning.
Sincerely ,
Rhonda , Jes and Jaden

Hotel Review

The Royal Park Iconic Tokyo Shiodome

Tokyo

Great hotel big room nice bar

Authenticity & Character

Modern

Location

Near train station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo : Enter the Sanctuary

Tokyo

We loved this tour !

Quality of Experience

The wrestlers were so nice ! The lunch delicious We received a souvenir hand print picture and were able to wear wrestling clothes and then kimonos

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Skytree

Tokyo

Wonderful full day Kevin our guide was so great and a delicious lunch at the fish market

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

So much fun especially the whiskey bar at the end! Shinjuku is so lively with the bright lights and small alleys

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park Tour

Kyoto

Loved the monkeys

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An Insight into Local Religion: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji

Japan

Hiro is the best guide in Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hiro

Transport

Great having a driver and car

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

Loved Miyjama Island

Quality of Experience

Food

Excellent curry lunch

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leo was a very good guide. He was most helpful in getting to and from the various sites. He was knowledgeable and patient with us. The food tours and the guides were also excellent

Excellent organization and help throughout my multi-city stopovers in Japan. Fei was in touch throughout my stay with daily updates. I will be in touch again soon for another memorable trip.

The overall trip was great. The first three days in Tokyo were relatively unplanned, but Myaen offered wonderful suggestions for visiting sights. We enjoyed having the unscheduled time. Leo, our tour guide in Kyoto, was knowledgeable and friendly. Visiting Nara was one of the highlights of our tour. The bowing deer were adorable and the Toda-ji Temple was my favorite temple. I also thought the Golden Pavillion in Arashiyama and the Bamboo Forest were trip highlights. The Iwatayama Monkey Park was not my favorite experience, the trek up is rigorous for minimal interaction and is very crowded. Our favorite guide was Ako, who took us to Miyajima Island. She was a thoughtful, knowledgeable guide, even bringing tea and snacks up to the top of the mountain for us to enjoy the beautiful view.

We requested a minimum of four-star hotels, and they were, for the most part, very nice. The hotel in Hakone, Hakone Airu, is traditional and a beautiful facility. The food was amazing! In a traditional hotel room, we slept on mats and didn't have raised seating, which might be physically uncomfortable. The ensuite onsen was delightful. I wish we had more time in the town because it was truly charming.

My least favorite hotel was the Hotel Vishio, only because the hotel had no restaurant or bar. The shared baths were very nice, and the room was large and comfortable, but since we were out all day on tours, we could have used some on-site dining. It is conveniently located across from a shopping center with a large Don Quixote (worth checking out).

I highly recommend the JR pass. Taking the trains was incredibly easy, affordable, and comfortable. Be sure to have your passports to make seat reservations through the kiosk.

Having your passport for shopping is also necessary because many stores will not charge tax if you have your passport.

Overall a good overview of Japan’s highlights.Mie has been by far our most helpful and caring guide especially at time we had a health care issue with my mother.Overall the drivers delivered well ( accuracy and flexibility). Other guides were actually quite unhelpful, falling short on understanding our group’s needs, logistics and providing insights on the sites visited. Some logistics opportunities of improvement ( ex: pick-up planned far too early last morning we had to change, meeting point for food tour in Tokyo unclear causing 1/2 h delay).Some days could have been less packed allowing to better benefit from nice hotels and enjoy some experiences: Hakone’s busy day was leading to very early diner ( 5 pm) so postponing the onsen experience to a timing not relevant with the kids.Hope this will help.