Kimkim Trip Reviews for Japan

Our trip to Japan was very enjoyable and we learned a lot. We found our local specialist to be very responsive and helpful. All the transfers worked really well. Some drivers were particularly memorable such as the one who took us to the falls and Mount Fuji. Our most impressive driver/guide was in Takayama and Shirakawa-go . She was outstanding as a guide and was an excellent driver. The guides were generally quite knowledgeable for the most part. One improvement would be more complete descriptions of what to expect on the guided tours. For example, a gentle hike to see the 10,000 Toriis was anything but.

Accommodations varied. For the most they were fine. Our biggest challenges were the size of the rooms sometimes and features of a room that were difficult to navigate for older travelers such as the one in Kanazawa, Soki, due to the configuration of the beds and extremely small room,

The attractions and the historical sites were memorable and educational. The notable ones were the tea ceremony, the Buddhist Zen experience, and the visit to Shirakawa-go, and in general just exploring the different cities. We found traveling via mass transit from the local subways to the Shinkansen to be easy to navigate.

Overall, a good experience with no significant regrets. Happy we went.

I can't say enough about KimKim and our agent Angel, and how seamless the trip she put together for us, was. The experiences - knife making in Kyoto, kintsugi in Tokyo, visiting the kaga yuzen master in Kanazawa - were wonderful, fun, and informative, real learning experiences about each craft and its history. The guides were each great. They were each thoughtful, attentive, a wealth of knowledge and information, fluent in English, on time, and receptive to our inputs as we went through our time with them. They were also founts of information about what to do during our times on our own, where to go for particular interests (e.g., purchasing indigo fabric in Osaka, restaurants in each city, gardens to visit, where to purchase ceramics), and general information about each city, including providing a detailed understanding of how to use public transportation in Tokyo & Osaka. All local arrangements were also perfect - pickups at airports and hotels, train and hotel reservations. One small thing - we found hotel rooms to be on the small side, and in Tokyo & Kyoto, upgraded to larger rooms on our arrival. Had we paid closer attention to the information about the hotel rooms we were booked into, we would have handled this prior to departure. I see this as something that was our responsibility. In summary, we were very pleased, we would consult with Angel and KimKim first on any trip in their domain for our future travel, and we are highly recommending Angel and KimKim to all of our friends and family!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel JAL City Nagano

Excellent location (close to major interests & train station) and breakfast. Excellent staff, helpful with dinner reservations

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to attractions, comfortable room, excellent breakfast

Staff

Very helpful with dinner reservations

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kanazawa

Kanazawa

Beautiful room, excellent location, great staff, great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to all the things we wanted to see, including the historical garden, samurai section, other sights.

Staff

I left a treasured hat on the train that took us to Kanazawa; I realized this had happened as soon as we got to our room. Went to the desk and told the staff. They went into action, calling the train station and other parties. The hat was located and returned. I can't thank them enough!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Miyako City Osaka Hommachi

Osaka

Beautiful room with balcony. Excellent buffet breakfast. Large sitting area with soft drinks and sake/wine (for a small fee), very comfortable overall. Very helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Well situated in relation to major sights, and for those who shop, to Takashiyama and a major wholesale building (9 blocks long!).

Staff

Very hlepful and accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cross Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Lovely setting with sitting area. Great location 2 blocks from major shopping and food areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Shopping, food, the river! Great buffet breakfast!

Staff

Very attentive and responsive to our needs

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ryokan Aura Tachibana

Hakone

Authentic experience of a ryokan. Excellent food. Great baths!

Authenticity & Character

A real ryokan. Baths, included dinner and breakfast that were authentic foods.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingugaien Tokyo Premier

Tokyo

Great staff, lovely hotel - including public bath - and while a bit outside of the main attractions, next door to a subway station and some lovely parks!

Authenticity & Character

Public baths, adjoining park

Location

CLose to beautiful parks and subway

Staff

Very attentive and responsive to our needs

Cleanliness & Comfort

Impecable

Activity Reviews

1-Day Tour: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake in Nagano

Japan

Words cannot describe the experience of visiting the area with snow monkeys! great sake tasting experience, very educational. Also excellent - and huge - lunch!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Artisan Tour in Kanazawa

Kanazawa

Kaga Yuzen! Unbelievable craftsmanship and beauty. Also, the visit to the samurai section was interesting, educational, and beautiful, and was helpful for us to find ceramic gifts

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ai was great!

Full Day Gokayama and Shirakawago Tour from Kanazawa

Japan

Into the mountains - beautiful! Two villages comprised of thatched roofed houses, less than 200 left in Japan. Beautiful setting, very peaceful. Learned a great deal about this culture

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Mai was also our driver -safe, excellent. A fount of information.

Transport

Kanazawa Geisha District Night Tour with Dinner

Kanazawa

A VERY interesting and educational experience regarding the history of Geisha 'culture' and how it lives on today

Quality of Experience

Food

Had a great, authentic dinner.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Osaka-Nara day trip with Osaka Castle

Osaka

The deer! But the high point was the Buddhist Temple, largest man made wooden structure in the world circa 740s. It left me in awe. I was deeply moved and did not have the words to describe how or why. It stopped me in my tracks. The castle was also interesting. We chose not to visit the tower as it had already been a full day and we wanted time to find indigo dyed fabric - which we did!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Asuka was an excellent guide!

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

An immersion in street food of Osaka. Interesting, but not the food of my first choice. Nonetheless, and worthwhile evening. VERY jam packed with people!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was a bit of a 'newbie' and a bit nervous, but she was lovely.

Katana Sword Making in Kyoto

Kyoto

WOW, We REALLY made knives! A real blacksmithing experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

A VERY full day with our guide Zumi! Visited the Shogun castle, and both Shinto shrine and Buddhist Temple. Each highly worth the visit with much learned and extraordinary beauty. Especially the garden at the Golden Temple and overall, the castle, where we learned about how each room of the castle was used to communicate awe to those who sought an audience with the Shogun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Can't say enough about how attentive and informative Zumi was. He forgot to give us a few pieces of information we had gathered during the day (and which he carried for us). he delivered them to our next hotel!

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Wow! Dressed to the 9's in kimono, AUTHENTIC! Not quite a formal teas ceremony, but more of a learning experience. Lots of fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park

Japan

Yuki was amazing. He was our driver and guide. Excellent English, very informative all along the way,, explaining and describing, and answering our many questions. Helpd us locate and purchase sparkling sake! Beautiful trip through a mountainous area. Cedar 'forest at teh Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen shrine (other worldly big), Mt. Fuji was in the clouds, but its top emerged as we walked along one of the lakes. Delivered us safely t our hotel

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Authentic Pure Gold Kintsugi Workshop with Master Taku in Tokyo

Tokyo

Very interesting to learn about this practice and do it! We worked with a master. We have our pieces on display in our home.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked and found a beautiful garden

Tokyo Day Tour with Tsukiji Outer Market & Senso-ji - East & Central

Tokyo

A very full first day in Tokyo with our guide Yumi. She was excellent, spoke English fluently, helped us find gifts to purchase, our first teacher on this trip about Shinto and - among other things - the history of the fish market and associated shrine, how to approach a shrine and temple, etc. Taught us how to use the subway. Can't say enough!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We just returned from our trip to Japan and as the title says, the trip completely exceeded our expectations thanks to our local contact, Cannon. He was amazing to work with, start to finish, and even during the trip! Nothing was left to chance. Our entire experience was seamless. The excursions, the guides, the drivers, the hotels, were perfection. I can't imagine planning a vacation with Kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Osaka

Osaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Kyoto

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Green Hill Hotel Onomichi

Onomichi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Suiun

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Osaka Highlights Bike Tour

Japan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Kyoto to Osaka via Nara

Japan

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

Tea Ceremony with Kimono & KAISEKI Dinner

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Hakone to Kyoto

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Kawaguchi & Mt. Fuji Ice Cave Adventure

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yanaka Historical Walking Tour in Tokyo's Old Town

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Guided Small-Group Biking Tour

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leny and her team were awesome. They arranged spectacular private tours of Tokyo and Seoul for us. We saw and experienced so many more things than we could have on our own. The guides were amazing. They went out of their way to be helpful and provide us with the best possible experience. They bridged the language barriers and explained all the cultural nuances of the sites we visited. They suggested restaurants and amazing local cuisine to try. The vans were always waiting to take us on to the next stop. The whole experience was seamless.

Leny and her team were always in contact with us throughout the trip. Confirming pickup times and guides' names and phone numbers. When we wanted to make changes to our itinerary. It was done over night. They could not have been more caring or helpful. I would strongly recommend booking with Leny.

In Tokyo, the one experience you should not miss is the Shimbuya Food Tour. It was spectacular. No one on their own could find all the small hole in the wall restaurants we ate at. The food was divine!

Activity Reviews

The Alluring Nami Island (Private)

Seoul

Nami Island is a very peaceful and beautiful way to spend a day. Well worth the drive outside of Seoul.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Danny was a great guide.

Transport

Seoul Adventures: DMZ Tour, Korean Cuisine, And More of the City (Private)

Seoul

Everyone should experience this tour to understand the historical significance of a divided country.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vincent was amazing. Extremely knowledgeable about the DMZ

Transport

The Soul of Seoul: Hightlights of Korea's Heritage (Private)

Seoul

Over whelming all the culture and heritage in Seoul.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Esther was amazing again. Very knowledgeable.

Transport

Modern Seoul and Cultural Heritage Half-Day Tour (Private) Airport Pick-Up with Direct Sightseeing Transfer

Seoul

A great way to spend half a day seeing Seoul. The Lotte Tower was a highlight.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Esther was great. She went out of her wat to ensure we had a great experience.

Transport

Welcome to Seoul!

Seoul

Seamless pickup from the cruise ship terminal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kamakura with English Speaking Guide and Vehicle (Private)

Tokyo

Kamakura was great, Especially the giant Buddha. Well worth seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore East Tokyo: Full-Day Private Tour with Multilingual Guide

Tokyo

The tour was great. Wish we had more time to spend at each of the sites. Especially the Imperial Gardens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kashima-san was agreat guide. Very knowledgeable.

Transport

Best of Shibuya Food Tour

Tokyo

This tour was definitely one of the highlights of our whole trip. The food was divine.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alex our guide was awesome. He knew so much about the food and culture of the area. We were blown away.

Transport

West Tokyo Highlights: Half-Day Private Tour with Guide & Vehicle

Tokyo

The Meiji and Yasukuni Shrines and the Rikugien Garden were spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome (Irrashaimase) to Tokyo!

Tokyo

A seamless pickup at the airport and transfer to our hotel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bella was great. She organized a custom trip through Japan for our family. She was helpful at suggestions for what might work best. We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. We had two wonderful local guides, Ms Cho and Mr Hideo. We also had two different drivers. Bella was great at keeping in contact through planning and during our trip. If you get the chance to work with her, you won’t be disappointed.

Our trip was very well planned. Ben was amazing from the beginning of planning to the end of the trip. Any small hiccup was quickly fixed.

We feel we left Japan was a great appreciation for the country and its people. I know there is more to see. Maybe one day, we will be back.

This is my second trip with KimKim and will use them again next year.

guides

Guide’s Name: Ms Iris - very good. took great care of us. a little breakdown in communication.

Guide’s Name: Mr.Yukinori Hashimoto - great…really enjoyed our time together. Very patient… very empathetic to our needs

Guide’s Name: Mr.Ricky - ok…great guy. Some things were off. we would have loved to have dinner in Kyoto where all the action is. he was just going to leave us though.. I asked how do I get back to hotel… and didn’t get an answer. so we didn’t eat and followed him back to hotel on a long trek via public transportation.

I get japan now for their public transportation. but we seemed to have spent hours on it with him. when a taxi was available for a little more money.

Finally on our last day.. he seemed to hurry us off the island. we got done with kayaking…then he wanted to get through the temple. fine… but we were dehydrated, hungry, and had to go to bathroom. he lacked any kind of empathy for our needs. When we had to demand to eat.. we finally did. then he wanted to leave. I thought we were supposed to have private time. then we leave and get in tram for over an hour or o get back to hotel.

there were bright spots with him… but

Hotel Reviews

Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel

Hiroshima

nice. not my favorite, but nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Thousand Kyoto

Kyoto

really nice place.. no view and felt we weren’t in the middle of kyoto where all the action was… but very convenient to train station

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hyatt Centric Kanazawa

Kanazawa

nice for the night..

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Honjin Hiranoya Kachoan

definitely out of our comfort zone. but really fun

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Hotel Kowakien Tenyu

Hakone

favorite.. just a cool place

Authenticity & Character

had that japanese character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

it was perfect

Authenticity & Character

easy… fun

Location

seemed in the middle of everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Miyajima Island One-Day Guided Tour (with Kayaking)

Japan

Great day… but rushed by our guide. there are things I would have loved to do.. but couldn’t. the guide literally walked us back to the ferry and then said.. is there anything else you want to do. he fell asleep on the 1.5 hour tram. maybe he was not feeling well

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip: Kyoto to Hiroshima with Cultural Sites & Okonomiyaki Cooking Experience（Private Guide, Public Transportation）

Hiroshima

Good fun day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Kyoto's Timeless Treasures: Fushimi Inari Shrine，Golden Pavilion, Nishiki Market，Gion District and Geisha-Kaiseki Elegance

Kyoto

all good… hated being on bus for so long during day loved the Geisha!! and the taxis at night!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hozugawa River Boat Ride and Arashiyama Exploration and Japanese tea ceremony (Private Guide &Public Transportation)

Kyoto

boat ride was fun the rickshaw was really fun. climbed the mountains to see the monkeys was fun tea ceremony was great wish we could have gotten a good dinner… guide rushed us

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rural Charm to Refined Craft: Shirakawago and Kanazawa Gold Leaf Experience （Private car, Guide）

Japan

Fun day

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day E-Bike Tour through Takayama’s Countryside and Mountain Villages（Private Guide）

Takayama

we went everywhere

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Tokyo to Hakone: Lake Ashi Cruise & Owakudani Experience

Japan

rain out.. but guide and driver made the best of it

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Sumo , Anime, Art and Culinary Adventure day tour （Guide, Public Transportation）

Tokyo

Sumo was a blast. rest of day.. ok… again a little confusing on the plans

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo in Rhythm: Markets, Shrines & Taiko Beats（Private Guide, Public Transportation）

Tokyo

the market was fun. I wish iris would have laid out exactly what we were going to do… it made it a little confusing. the drum thing was t worth it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This has to be one of the best organized trips I've ever been on. KimKim organized everything from beginning to the end and it was seamless! The itinerary matched exactly what I wanted within my budget and Ellen's suggestions for some other experiences were perfect! From letting us know the times and locations of where to meet our guides to the exact platform to be on for the trains, we never found ourselves lost, confused or stressed. The drivers picking us up were bilingual and very helpful and our guides were off the charts! Lily, Jun, Meri, Satoko and Kiko showed us so many wonderful places in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and incorporated my desire to visit Ueno and Kappabashi (so I could get some Japanese Knives!) and to visit some smaller neighborhoods as well. We also asked for visits to the Inari gates and the bamboo forest but without the crowds and our guide came up with solutions. Overall our whole trip was 100% perfections and I have absolutely no complaints about anything. I plan on using KimKim again for future trips to other countries!

Activity Reviews

*Private Guided Tour in Kyoto: Heritage and Timeless Paths

Kyoto

Kyoto is beautiful and special in its own way. Staying at a Ryokan and having Kaiseki dinners were such a great experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

*Private Guided tour in Osaka: Castle, Street Eats and Local Energy

Osaka

Osaka is for food lovers and it did not disappoint! As well as the shrines, Tori gates and the Bamboo forest, all were beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

*Private Guided Tour in Tokyo: Highlights and Hidden Gems

Tokyo

I loved that we were able to also include exploring Ueno and Kappabashi as I requested. There’s sooo much to see in Tokyo but I love these two areas!

Quality of Experience

Small streets of great food and experiences!

Quality of Experience

Small streets of great food and experiences!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My guide found my favorite gyoza restaurant from an old photo I had!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My guide found my favorite gyoza restaurant from an old photo I had!

Transport

Clean, professional and bilingual drivers were extra special!

Transport

Clean, professional and bilingual drivers were extra special!

Ada was very prompt in answering our emails. She also provided excellent pre-tour information that helped us a great deal with our planning. The information we requested always came quickly. She understood very well what we were interested in and planned our entire tour accordingly. We were very satisfied with her arrangements. The hotel in Tokyo was great. It offered a great breakfast buffet and it was near shopping and restaurants. In Kyoto, the hotel was also very nice and near shopping and restaurants, but unfortunately the breakfast buffet was mediocre and none of the staff spoke English, so it was very difficult to ask for things. We think the staff did not even speak much Japanese. It is a restaurant run by Vietnamese staff, so communication was very hard. The hotel in Osaka was a nice hotel as well with a great breakfast buffet, very friendly staff, but not close to restaurants or shopping. We had to take a taxi to do some shopping on our last day. Fortunately, taxis in Japan are not terribly expensive. The one suggestion we would like to make is that when purchasing tickets in the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, the seats need to be on the right side of the isle (ideally seats D and E) so that the tourists can have a view of Mount Fuji. Also suggesting that a snack be brought on the train would be great.
Bea was our guide in Tokyo and she was totally amazing. She was kind, patient, knowledgeable, likable, and very helpful. Even after our tour/day with her was finished, she said we could contact her at any time if we had questions. She even helped us purchase our bus tickets to DisneySea. By the way, we were super lost when leaving DisneySea at the end of the day because turns out that there are two different exits to leave the park and they both look extremely similar, especially at night in the dark. It would be very helpful to tell the tourists going to DisneySea to pay very close attention to how they get into the park and to get out the same gate in order to catch the bus back to Tokyo.
When we went to Nara, we could not find the temple to see the Buddha. We contacted our guide in Kyoto, but when we did not get a response right away, we contacted Bea because we were very hot and wanted to get help as quickly as possible. We were lucky, and Bea was able to do a video chat with us and even sent us a link so that we could locate the temple where we could see the Buddha. By the way, Jason did get back to us, but by then we had already spoken with Bea. Even after we returned home to the USA, she contacted us to make sure we were okay. What a great tour guide! Plus, it was very nice to have someone who spoke such good English.
Our guide in Kyoto and Osaka, Jason, was also very good, funny and very knowledgeable as well. He tried to be patient, but my husband was having trouble with his back and was walking very slowly, so it was difficult for him to keep up with Jason even though Jason tried to allow for it. Jason also helped us buy our train tickets to Nara. This was very helpful because not many people speak English. One suggestion would be that, if the weather is not good and it is rainy in Osaka, it is not worth it to make the long walk to the Umeda Sky Building to get a view of the cityscape. Overall, we were very happy with Ada, the hotel accommodations, the places we visited and both tour guides. We loved Japan! It was a fun and exciting trip!

Hotel Reviews

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

Osaka

It was a nice hotel, but you do have to switch elevators to get to the restaurant. Their breakfast buffet is excellent and the restaurant staff is very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Thins you do not see in US hotels like heaters in the elevator, trash cans that open up when you walk up to them :0 etc.

Location

It is not close to restaurants or shopping, but a taxi can take you there for about $10 dollars

Staff

Very friendly staff, especially the restaurant staff. Someone even brought me a blanket because I felt it was a little cold.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean room, everything in Japan seems to be clean :) even the subway :)

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto ekimae PREMIER

Kyoto

This was a nice hotel, very clean and with very friendly staff. The hotel is very close to the train station, but not knowing the layout of the "basement" coming out of the train station we decided to take a taxi. The hotel is close to shopping and restaurants, but their breakfast buffet is not the best. The staff in the restaurant does not speak English.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to even a Baskin Robins :)

Staff

Very friendly staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room and bathroom were very clean.

Hotel Gracery Shinjuku

Tokyo

This hotel is in a great location. Close to shopping and restaurants. The reception is on the 8th floor, the rest of the rooms are above floor 8th. The restaurant, Sizzler, is on the first floor and it offers and amazing breakfast buffet. The entrance to floors 2-7 is around the corner of the building. There are shops and even a movie theater inside the building. And if you are interested in Godzilla, this is the perfect hotel for you. They have props from some of the Godzilla movies.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near restaurants and shopping. Super lively day and night.

Staff

Very helpful. My travel agent asked that I be placed in the lowest possible floor and I was placed in the 8th floor which was perfect for me.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was very clean and comfortable. You will love the toilet :)

Activity Reviews

Full Day City Tour with Osaka Castle

Japan

We discovered that upon getting out of the subway station, you can walk up to a little train that takes you to the castle. Taking the train is totally worth it because otherwise the walk up to the castle will completely wipe you out, especially on a warm day. I do not remember the cost of the little train ticket, but it is not too expensive.

Quality of Experience

Honestly, everything stood out. These visits are so different from what you see in Europe or Latin America that everything catches your attention.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Without the tour guide one would be lost all the time. There are very few signs in English and most people do not speak English, so it is very difficult to go places on your own. With our guide, Jason, we took mostly the subway, and without him we would not be able to do it because there are many many subway lines and it is unbelievable busy in the stations, so you cannot see where you are going. Once, during our free day, we returned from Nara to Kyoto and it took us almost 45 minutes to be able to get out of the station. Luckily, when we finally came up to the street, we were just about three blocks from our hotel, but it was not the place where we intended to come out. It is like another city down in the subway station, seriously.

Transport

Transportation is Japan is great. You can go from Kyoto to Osaka in the bullet train in just 13 minutes! They have a great transportation system, if you know where you are going, otherwise, just take a taxi. We asked the people at the hotel to write down in Japanese the name of the place where we wanted to go and we just showed that writing to the taxi driver. We never had any issues.

Kyoto's Cultural Treasures: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji

Japan

Kyoto is a beautiful place to visit with so many temples, Torii gates, history, culture, etc. Kyoto is what we expected to see in Japan: many beautiful places such as temples, pagodas, gardens, etc. The visit to Kinkaku-ji Temple with the famous Golden Pavilion with its two floors covered in gold leaf is beautiful and impressive. The Nijo Castle is impressive and as with everything else surrounded by beautiful gardens. Finally, the visit to Fushimi-Inari Taisha with its endless torii gates. beautiful. Finding out that they all have been donated by individuals and businesses was mind boggling. Everyone going to Japan must visit Kyoto. Everything there is beautiful, you cannot take a bad picture :)

Quality of Experience

Honestly, I cannot pick out one thing. I look at my pictures and everything was amazing: the Golden Pavilion, the Nijo Castle, the Fushimi-Inari Taisha with all the torii gates, everything has its own special quality and beauty.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a very knowledgeable guide, Jason. We used the subway several times and were impressed by how clean it is and how well organized and on time the trains run. People inside the cars of the subway are clean, well dressed, and quiet. Everyone is either looking at their cellphone or reading. There is no loud chatter and everyone behaves in a polite manner.

Transport

Cannot say enough about the transportation in Japan. Whether you are taking a taxi, the subway, a train, or a bullet train everything is clean and quiet. The seats in the subway are padded and comfortable! The windows are clean, no trash on the floor, and the seats in the trains are like in an airplane but comfortable, clean, and spacious. Truly an amazing transportation system. I do have to admit that our tour guides always purchased our tickets because there is no way to understand what you need to buy or how if you try to do it yourself. The instructions in the machines are all in Japanese and the ticket machines look like a station at NASA :)

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Tsukiji Outer Fish Market

Tokyo

The visits to the gardens were very nice. Very enjoyable to see those beautifully manicured gardens and walk through them. The visit to the market was also interesting. Bea also took us to a department store called Isetan which we found super interesting, particularly the bottom floor with endless food booths. We had never seen anything like that. It was great, so different.

Quality of Experience

Everything we saw was very different from things we have seen in Europe, so it was interesting and beautiful. Everything so clean and organized. I loved it!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide, Bea, was absolutely the best. She was very nice, spoke great English, super friendly and patient. She helped us so much. We just loved her!

Transport

I think that on this day we took mostly taxis, which was a great way to see how this works. For example, taxi doors open on their own, you only pay what the meter indicates (the fare starts at 500 yen), you can stop a taxi just about anywhere in the street, and you do not need to tip the driver.

Cory is an amazing trip planner!! She planned all the details of my family trip to Japan. I have a family of 5 including 3 daughters in their 20's. My family is a demanding client, but we all agreed that this was our best family vacation ever. Not only did Cory plan all the details, but she was available while we were traveling to answer questions. I would highly recommend Cory and KimKim for anybody considering a trip to Japan.

Hotel Reviews

Kyoto Takasegawa Bettei

Kyoto

This is a 3 star hotel likely because it does not have a full service restaurant. But the rooms were spacious, comfortable and well maintained. Breakfast was delivered by room service daily and was very good. The people working at the front desk were all very kind, efficient and helpful. We really enjoyed staying at this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

All the people working at the hotel went out of their way to help us. They were fantastic!

Hakone Retreat villa 1/f

Hakone

Top notch 5 star resort. We had 2 villas which were very spacious, luxurious and had private onsens.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Prince Park Tower Tokyo

Tokyo

We had 2 rooms which were both very comfortable and roomy. The facilities including the restaurants options in the hotel were excellent. The breakfast buffet was truly outstanding. All the staff we dealt with were courteous and efficient. I give this hotel very high marks and would return.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very good at their jobs and pleasant to deal with.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel is clean and well maintained.

Activity Reviews

Luxury Transfer by Private Car to Tokyo Disney (Round-Trip)

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Akihabara Anime & Gaming Adventure Tour

Tokyo

I'm sure this was good for the right people. Once we started the tour we realized we were not particularly interested in Anime and gaming so we ended the tour early.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Culture Walking Tour

Tokyo

Our tour guide was pretty good but a bit hard to understand. I think we could have done this tour on our own without a tour guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Japanese Calligraphy Experience (Nara)

Japan

Another highlight of our trip! The 3 woman (2 sisters and their mother) who taught our private class were excellent. We took our final work product home and will be hanging it on the wall. We will never forget this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony with Kimono Wearing (Higashiyama)

Japan

This was a fun and memorable experience. One of the highlights of our trip. We took great photos of our family in kimonos and enjoyed the entire experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Kyoto Temples & Gion Tour

Japan

Pam was an outstanding tour guide. She was very kind and patient with us and gave us an excellent tour experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pam was the best.

Transport

Tokyo Night Food Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Max was an excellent tour guide. Food was all great and the tour was very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Japan was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we are incredibly grateful for all the planning and support provided by our travel agency.

From the moment we arrived, every detail was thoughtfully arranged. The hotels were comfortable and well-located, transportation instructions were clear, and the itinerary gave us the perfect balance of guided experiences and free time to explore on our own.

We experienced the energy of Tokyo, the beauty of Mount Fuji and Hakone, the rich history and culture of Kyoto, and the vibrant atmosphere of Osaka. We enjoyed everything from ancient temples and peaceful gardens to bustling markets, incredible food, and the efficiency of Japan's world-famous rail system. Every destination offered something unique and memorable.

What impressed us most was how smoothly everything came together. Traveling internationally can feel overwhelming, but the guidance we received gave us confidence every step of the way. Even when unexpected changes arose, we felt supported and informed.

Japan exceeded our expectations in every way. The kindness of the people, the cleanliness, the respect for tradition, and the breathtaking scenery made this an unforgettable journey. We returned home with wonderful memories, a deeper appreciation for Japanese culture, and a long list of experiences we will cherish forever.

Mahalo for helping make our bucket-list trip a reality. We would happily recommend your services to anyone considering a visit to Japan.

LENY you are amazing!!!!

P.S. The luggage forwarding was great, ensure you research how many days from one hotel to the next. ADDITIONALLY our luggage being sent straight to the airport on the last leg of travel was exceptional!

I had a really good time, and all of the guides I had were especially good.

Our recent trip to Japan, organized by KimKim, was an unforgettable experience from start to finish. The itinerary, Cultural Harmony & Culinary Discovery, was perfectly designed, beginning in Tokyo and ending in Osaka. It gave us a wonderful balance of Japan’s rich traditions, modern energy, beautiful scenery, and incredible food.
Every part of the journey felt thoughtfully planned and seamless. We especially want to recognize the wonderful guides who made our trip so memorable. Davin led us on an amazing walking tour of Osaka, bringing the city’s energy and food culture to life. Yosh guided us through Tokyo’s old town and the beautiful Nezu Shrine, where we also had the special experience of crafting our own maneki-neko lucky cat.
Masa gave us an incredible tour of Tsukiji Fish Market and introduced us to the anime and subcultures of Akihabara, which was such a fun and unique experience. Toru showed us Mount Fuji on the most perfect viewing day imaginable — truly an iconic and unforgettable moment. Asuka led our amazing tour of Nara and the Kyoto area, sharing so much history and local insight. Masako was also outstanding, bringing deep knowledge and expertise to our tour of Hiroshima and Miyajima Island.
The culinary side of the trip was another highlight. We enjoyed delicious regional foods, explored local markets, and experienced the depth and variety of Japanese cuisine. Ending the trip in Osaka, known for its food culture, was the perfect finale.
KimKim made the entire process smooth, organized, and enjoyable. The recommendations were excellent, the logistics were well coordinated, and the trip felt personalized and stress-free from beginning to end.
Overall, this was a truly special journey that combined culture, food, history, and discovery in the best possible way. We would highly recommend KimKim to anyone planning a trip to Japan.

Overall I was very happy with this trip. Adeline did a good job of communicating when planning the trip. All of the local guides were great except one and she was still passable. We did a lot of the trip on our own. As an experienced traveller we were able to figure out the local transportation but for people who are not seasoned or dont have a good understanding of Google maps the trip would have been difficult. I would encourage every one to stay in a Ryoken.

Carinta was super helpful and accomodating when it came to planning our trip to Japan. She was able to make the best plan that fit our budget and contained all the essential things we wanted to do.

During the trip, she was also quick to respond to various questions we had and provided awesome recommendations for food and travel.

We were able to focus more on having a great time since Carinta handled all the booking and scheduling. This took a lot of stress and friction out of the planning which made a great difference in our first trip to Japan.

We just returned from an incredible 7-day journey through Japan, and we are still floating! From the neon-lit streets of Tokyo to the tranquil hot springs of Hakone and the historic charm of Kyoto, every detail of this trip was flawlessly executed thanks to Bella.

A massive shoutout to our incredible team who made the logistics effortless. Right from the start, we were picked up at the airport by a very capable driver named Song, who also safely and smoothly drove us out to Hakone later in the week. Navigating the country was a breeze thanks to our spectacular guide, Roy. We cannot say enough good things about him! He helped us master the Tokyo rail system and expertly guided us through our stay in Hakone. We affectionately referred to him as our Japanese Dad. If given the opportunity, request Roy to be your guide.

In Tokyo, we stayed at the Keio Plaza Hotel, which was incredibly comfortable and so convenient for exploring the city. Tokyo was a whirlwind of amazing sights, perfectly balancing futuristic fun with deep history. Some of our highlights included, flying through the streets doing Akihabara Go-Karting, immersing ourselves in the stunning digital art at teamLab Borderless, and experiencing the organized chaos of Shibuya Crossing.
We slowed things down with beautiful tours of the Imperial Gardens and Meiji Shrine, and ate our way through the spectacular Tsukiji Food Market.

We then traveled to the countryside (Hakone) with our guide, Roy and driver, Song. Hakone was arguably the highlight of the entire trip, largely because we stayed at the stunning Ten-Yu hotel. It featured amazing hot spring onsens, which quickly became our absolute favorite part of the trip. We cycled along Lake Yamanaka with a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji framing the background—a picture-postcard moment we will never forget. We traveled by cable car and gondola up to the Owakudani valley to see the steaming volcanic vents. While there, we tried the famous black eggs boiled in the hot springs, which are said to add seven years to your life!

We then traveled to Kyoto by bullet train. We wrapped up our week staying at the Celestial Hotel Gion in Kyoto. It was in a fantastic location right in the heart of the historic Geisha district, and it even featured its own onsen for us to enjoy. We got dressed up in traditional Kimonos and attended a beautiful, serene traditional tea ceremony. On our last day, our wonderful guide Ursula took us to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and the monkey park, wrapping it all up with a food tour through Nishiki Market. Ursula was fantastic—incredibly flexible and more than willing to adjust our schedule on the fly to make sure we got the most out of our day.

This trip was the perfect blend of fast-paced city life, deep relaxation, and rich cultural immersion. The warmth of the people, the expertise of our drivers and guides, and the sheer beauty of Japan made this a vacation we will cherish forever. Thank you to Bella for all her help in planning it.

Hotel Reviews

The Celestine Hotel Gion

Kyoto

Location, location, location. This hotel was in the Geisha district and surrounded by shrines and temples. You could also walk to the more modern areas of Kyoto within 5 minutes. The rooms are very well designed with probably the best water pressure in the showers that I have ever experienced. The onsen is also very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

Loved this hotel. The Onsens were spectacular! The views from the 6th floor onsen were breathtaking. The breakfast buffet had a wide variety of food.

Authenticity & Character

Probably the most authentic hotel of our stay. Each room had "bath clothes" or Yukatas for you to wear around while during your stay. We were even encouraged to wear them to dinner (which we did).

Location

Not really a hotel in which you can walk to many places. But the hotel had all the amenities you could ask for. They had 3 restaurants on site.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

Convenient to the rail system and had a 7 Eleven in the lobby. The breakfast buffet had an amazing variety of Western and Japanese food. The rooms were large and quiet. I would stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

More modern. Not much Japanese character.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kyoto Cultural & Active Full-Day Tour (with Guide, by Public Transport)

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hakone Adventure: Exploring Mt. Owakudani and Majestic Landscapes in Public Transportation

Hakone

Traveling by cable car and gondola up a volcano was so cool! We even added 7 years to our life by eating the black eggs cooked in the natural hot springs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo to Mt. Fuji (Lake Yamanaka Biking) & Hakone Relaxing Day Trip

Japan

Had amazing views of Mt Fuji while cycling around Lake Yamanake. Roy led us around the lake.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Highlights Full-Day Tour (with Guide, by Public Transportation)

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Cultural Experience at Kinkaku-ji & Kimono Tea Ceremony, and Gion（Private Guide &Public Transportation）

Kyoto

A must do.

🚗Tokyo Cultural & Culinary Adventure: Markets, Shrines, Sky-Views （Guide, Public Transportation）

Tokyo

I would skip the Imperial Gardens and just do the Meiji Shrine. Our guide, Roy, knew all the best spots in the Tsukiji food market. We got some of the most delicious fatty tuna thanks to Roy's knowledge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roy was the best!

Transport

Angel was absolutely wonderful to work with while planning my trip to Japan. Traveling through several cities can be overwhelming, but she made the entire process seamless from start to finish.

Having every detail organized and a clear plan in place allowed me to relax and truly enjoy the experience. With accommodations, transportation, and tours were carefully coordinated, and everything went smoothly throughout the trip.

What I appreciated most was that Angel checked in along the way and reminders of the next days activities. She was always available if I had any questions.

I highly recommend Kim Kim to anyone planning a trip, especially a more complex itinerary. Kim kim took the stress out of travel planning and helped make my Japan adventure an unforgettable experience

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Tokyo Hotel

Tokyo

Great location and shuttle service to Shinjuku. Rooms were spacious and clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

property is beautiful, peaceful and surrounded by stunning mountain scenery. The onsen facilities were a highlight of my stay. The staff was AMAZING !!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma

Kyoto

Clean and comfortable hotel. Rooms were great size and laundry on site and location was great

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Tokyo Haneda Airport

Tokyo

clean and quite and close to Hotel

Authenticity & Character

clean

Location

Haneda airport location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kamakura Historical Walking Tour with the Great Buddha

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Onsen, Ryokan, and Mt. Fuji Experience in Hakone

Hakone

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nara Half Day Trip Walking Tour

Japan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kyoto Arashiyama Rickshaw Tour

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Zen Meditation & Garden Tour at a Zen Temple with traditional Sho-jin lunch

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Geisha (Maiko) Tea Ceremony & Show

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Glimpse into Shinto Religion: Fushimi Inari Taisha Visit

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Both Pitt and Hideo were wonderful guides to the beautiful country of Japan, five stars for both. The trip was well organized and went very smooth thanks to the planning assistance. We just had to show up every day ready to roll and the guides took care of the rest! Would do it again!

Our guides were some of the most memorable parts of this trip:
Pitt was incredibly enthusiastic, professional and knowledgeable. He made every day super fun and was so kind. He also takes amazing photos!
Hideo was calm, knowledgeable and made us feel so comfortable while navigating the cities of Kyoto and Osaka. He always had great suggestions for places to eat and shop

I thought all our guides were good but Tomoe in Tokyo was the best. We also really liked our last day with Fuji in Kyoto.

I booked this trip with my travel agent, Cruises-for-Africa in South Africa who uses kimkim in Japan.

Generally speaking, it was a good trip with very few things to complain about.

If I were forced to complain, then my big complaint would relate to the size of the hotel room in the first hotel we stayed in when we arrived at Tokyo. You couldn't swing a cat in it. It's a pity that they chose to compromise in that way on cost. I would happily have paid more to get a room of similar size to the rest of the hotels on our itinerary. The room in the Mount Fuji Hotel was enormous. The only problem was that there were no normal beds. There were just futons on the ground, but it was interesting, nevertheless.

As for the rest of the hotels, they were excellent, and all hotels, including the first one, had very good breakfast buffets.

Your correspondents, KimKim were quite responsive, albeit at times a little slow. All in all, they did their job well.

The vehicles that were used to transport us privately from place to place were of very good quality, with really nice features.

Our guides were generally good, save for the last one in Osaka whose English was way below par.

From a personal point of view, I found the itinerary to be too busy, and I ran out of steam, forcing me to shorten the day by eliminating things that I wasn't particularly excited about seeing. These related primarily to temples and shrines. When you've seen a few, they all become the same. If I had it over again, I would exclude many of the temple/shrine visits and do something else.

Selecting food to eat was quite intimidating as there is very little description as to what each Japanese dish comprises. Towards the end of our trip, we became a little more adventurous and I must say we had some very nice meals.

If asked whether I intend to return to Japan, my answer would tend to be no. I found that there was very little unique about Japanese cities beyond the shrines and temples. Tokyo itself wasn't particularly pretty. It seems that every square meter of space has been populated by skyscrapers of the size that I have seldom, if ever, seen. They might have been interesting if the architects had shown a little creativity, but sadly, there was nothing pretty about them, just monoliths all standing in a row with remarkably little space between each building. Could never tolerate living there.

The highlight for me was the Japanese people themselves. Disciplined, extremely respectful and very kind people. If the world was populated by such people, it would be a much better world than the one we live in.

Therefore, all in all, a good trip, but not for me to be repeated.

Thank you very much for your help and support throughout the process. You were, as normal, excellent.