Kimkim Trip Reviews for Japan

Greg was our local specialist. He made the planning easy and fun and was also very helpful during our trip.

There were a few specific things that Greg helped with during our trip. We had a few questions about navigating the subways and trains that he was able to answer. One of our pocket WiFis stopped working after a day and Greg ordered us a replacement. One of our travelers forgot the QR code on the bullet train. This prevented us from getting out of the station. There was a moment of panic but Greg was able to resolve this issue quickly by sending us an image of the QR code.

We started in Tokyo, spent a few days in Kyoto, and one day in Osaka. The selected hotels were small but very nice. We stayed in rooms that had tatami mats which was cool. Everyone was very kind and helpful.

Travel got easier after a few days once we figured out the public transportation: subways, trains, and buses. Greg provided tickets with reserved seating and space for our luggage for our bullet trains between Tokyo and Kyoto.

It was our first time in Japan so we did a lot of the first time in Japan things: Shibuya Pedestrian Scramble, Skytree tower, Art Museum, Shrines, Temples, traditional tea ceremony, and a food tour. All of these experiences were amazing.

All the food from restaurants to street food was delicious. Themes for us were sushi and ramen.

Overall a 10 out of 10 experience. It would be fun to go back at some point. Thanks again Greg.

Shona, our KimKim travel specialist, provided excellent assistance in planning our vacation to Japan. She was very responsive and worked tirelessly on our behalf. We were especially impressed with the quality of private guides that she connected us with during our trip. We appreciate that using KimKim allows us to balance planned tours and activities that we would have never found on our own with time for self touring. In this manner we were able to plan a personalized trip, selecting an itinerary that met our interests and at our price point. KimKim may be more expensive that full self planning, but the quality of planning, care and intrinsic knowledge provided by the local KimKim agent is more that worth the money. We had a small issue arise and the KimKim team was on it immediately.
In particular, we enjoyed a sushi class and private guides who wear willing to be flexible and tailor our tour days to better meet our needs. On one particular day we only hired a "driver" - that driver, Kendo, ended up being so much more - he spoke English very well and acted more of a guide than a driver. We visited Mt. Fuji, toured Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. Our itinerary included a whiskey distillery, day tours to natural and historic sites, a food tour, a tea ceremony and a sushi class. We also really shopped the vintage stores in Osaka and the fish market in Tokyo. Our guides took us to lunches at local restaurants we, again, would never have found on our own. This allowed us to try local food specialties at very low prices compared to restaurants in touristy areas. We did enjoy the whiskey tour and tasting however, the tour was in Japanese with only minor English translations available - we still enjoyed the tour but I would consider skipping it if you don't have a full English language tour.
Shona selected hotels that were in perfect locactions and that included breakfast in the rate. Our Osaka hotel had a wonderful sky spa. In all I would highly recommend Shona and the KimKim team if you are traveling to Japan.

Hotel Reviews

Richmond Hotel premier KYOTO SHIJO

The Richmond Hotel Premier Kyoto Shijo was a very good accommodation. Its location was ideal, allowing easy access to many attractions, including a large market within a 20-minute walk, which suited our love for walking. There was also a chic supermarket in the basement where we could grab delicious snacks or dinner, which was convenient and tasty. Breakfast was also satisfying. While it ranked third among the three hotels we stayed at, it was a wonderful place to stay, just that the others were exceptionally better.

HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, A PARKROYAL Hotel

Tokyo

Great location and the best breakfast of all the hotels on the trip. Located in Shinjuku center, easy walking to shopping, restaurants, and a whole manner of tourist sites. About a 8-10 minute walk to the subway. Welcome drink and very helpful staff. We had to leave before the breakfast on the last day and the hotel provided a wonderful boxed breakfast. Very clean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great in room amenities.

Candeo Hotels Osaka Shinsaibashi

Osaka

Great location, wonderful breakfast. Loved the SkySpa! PJs were awesome.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi Tour with Whisky Tasting

Tokyo

The Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi Tour with Whisky Tasting had its pros and cons. Initially, I was disappointed as the tour got delayed to an 11:30 start. The whisky tasting was intriguing, but the tour was primarily in Japanese with limited translation, diminishing the experience for non-Japanese speakers like myself. We did, however, enjoy touring the distillery, tasting the whisky, and even received some credit at the gift shop to make up for the setbacks. The highlight was having a clear day to see Mt. Fuji, which was splendid. Overall, it was enjoyable, but I would suggest ensuring an English translation for international tourists to maximize the experience.

Osaka Cooking Class

Osaka

The Osaka Cooking Class was a completely unique experience compared to the tea ceremony. It was a private, three-hour sushi-making class, conducted by two wonderful women in a rented apartment in Osaka. We learned to make miso soup and various types of sushi, and enjoyed eating our creations at the end. It felt intimate, engaging, and gave us a newfound appreciation for the art of sushi making. Having the instructors guide us through each step in their little apartment was truly delightful.

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

The Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya was one of the highlights of our trip. My daughter and I loved the experience of dressing in kimonos, and the entire process was beautifully organized by the ladies who assisted us. Even my husband found it enjoyable. The ceremony itself was a fantastic blend of culture, fun, and history, conducted in a traditional home setting, which made it even more special. We appreciated learning about the history and the cultural context while enjoying tea in a traditional setting.

Our experience with KimKim was fantastic. From planning to guidance while traveling, we felt very supported. Leny was very helpful and made some last minute changes to accommodate us without hesitation. The local guides and hotels were great. The peace of mind that came with having Leny help plan and keep us on track enabled me to relax and enjoy my vacation! If you are on the fence about using KimKim, I would highly recommend.

Activity Review

Best of Shibuya Food Tour

Tokyo

My daughter and I loved this experience! Clara was such a great guide. We were able to experience a wide variety of foods from wonderful locations that would have been impossible for us to explore on our own in one evening! Her knowledge of the food and area was excellent and she shared so much that added to the experience. Would highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Clara was fantastic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was so friendly and knowledgeable!

Olivia was very attentive with my planning needs. Both guides were knowledgeable and helpful .
Beautiful tour!

Activity Review

Full Day Tokyo City Tour

Tokyo

This was a lot to do in one day. We learned so much about the history and areas. The mobility issues for one of our members did not seemed to be considered in planning and made it difficult to keep up.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful 2 weeks in Japan. Shona was excellent! We could call her at any time and she was always very helpful. Local guides and drivers were all very helpful and considerate as well.

Ben was the most amazing specialist. He was incredibly helpful and worked with us to craft a trip that was perfect for us. He chose wonderful sights for us to visit. The guides were all so friendly and knowledgeable. Even while we were on the trip Ben was right there when we needed help or had any questions. Everything went so smoothly and we can't thank Ben enough for his help and dedication to making our trip the best it could be.

Our drivers and guides were lovely and helpful and always on time. They helped us to see and do nearly everything we wanted to see on a short time frame. Although our full day in Tokyo was raining, we still saw a lot and loved the sumo stable experience, the fish market, and the TeamLab Planets which was a perfect end to the day! We also enjoyed the Tokyo Skyview which was a perfect way to get a birds eye view of the city (we did this on the first day before the rain thankfully!) The Shinkansen train to Kyoto was a nice interlude. Although we didn't see Mt Fuji on the way out due to clouds, we did get some nice pictures on the way back to Tokyo. We LOVED Kyoto. I especially loved the guided tour of Kyoto and the bamboo forest area and temples, as well as the tea ceremony and the beautiful Hotel Yuraku Kyo Yasaka . The food was amazing everywhere! We were really happy with everything and made some wonderful family memories.
Our local specialist, Katsu, was so great about making wonderful recommendations, figuring out the logistics for getting from one place to another on time, and providing details that helped make our trip smooth and enjoyable. Thank you so much!

Activity Reviews

Japanese Tea Ceremony at Camellia Flower (Group Experience)

Kyoto

This was definitely a highlight of our trip. The kimonos, the ceremony, the guide's explanations, and the tea preparation itself were all incredibly special and something unique to Japan that we highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arashiyama: A Journey Through Kyoto’s Timeless Treasures by private vehicle

Kyoto

Wow, Kyoto is so beautiful and peaceful especially compared to bustling and vibrant Tokyo! We loved the Arashiyama with the bamboo forest trail and gardens. We also enjoyed visiting the many beautiful temples. We loved participating in the Traditional Tea Ceremony wearing kimonos. And we visited Nijo Castle in the center of town. And our traditional hotel, or ryoku, was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Vehicle with English-Speaking Guide for 8 Hours in the Tokyo Area

Tokyo

There is sooo much to see and do in Tokyo! Highlights for our family included the sumo stable, Tokyo Skyview, TeamLab Planets, the fish market, capybara cafe, Meiji shrine, Hamarikyu Gardens, and Takeshita Street.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo: Sumo Morning Practice Viewing Tour

Tokyo

See sumo wrestlers conducting training with their coach was an incredible experience, especially for my husband and son who are both wrestlers. They want to come back again to see a sumo competition!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great trip to Japan. Our itinerary was detailed and the availability of drivers and guides was very useful. It made a big trip very approachable.

There was not a negative aspect in any part of my travel experience. Leny gave a first class treatment and was there any time we needed anything along our trip. She made our 10 day trip to Japan as hassle free as one could make it. I will never plan a trip unless I have the help of Leny or the kimkim team. If looking to book a trip, rest in peace knowing you can make that journey and have everything you’ll need from start to finish. The knowledge Leny possessed and the tour guides she planned out for us were all 5 star experiences. Thank you for making our trip a true trip of a lifetime!

We have traveled around the world but our visit to Japan was one of our best trips so far. We have seen so many wonderful sites, both man-made and nature-made, that have exceeded our expectation. From a beautiful and very modern cities of Tokyo and Osaka through more traditional places such as Kanazawa and Kyoto, we experienced the new styles and ways of living with the old traditions. We will never forget the skyscrapers of Tokyo and Osaka and their amazing skylines and vibrant night life. But also, we will always remember the honesty and openness of people who helped us navigate the subway and train system in many cities. What surprised me the most were the lavish and green forests with many familiar and unfamiliar species of flora and fauna. We enjoyed hiking the Old Takayama Road with an amazing views of Mount Fuji, taking a boat trip across a lake in Hakone, visiting many Japanese gardens and learning the skills of making the matcha tea, ramen noodles and sushi.
The food was superb in every place we visited. The sweetness of strawberries that we bought at the local markets was the highlight of our culinary experiences. Although we wish that some of our hotels were in a better localizations or the rooms were a bit bigger, Simon tried to solve the problems and provided solutions to our satisfaction.
Our tour guides, specifically Slash and Johnny were superb! We enjoyed Johnny’s sense of humor and Slash’s gentle and patient guidance!
All of our drivers were courteous, prompt and punctual. Thank you!
We highly recommend taking this trip!

First time using KimKim and the service was exactly what we were looking for. Eleanor did an amazing job curating the trip + tours based on our interests. Eleanor checked in every day of our trip and was so helpful when we left a personal item at a hotel -- she coordinated having it sent to our last hotel stay. Our tour guides in Tokyo (Yumi), Kanazawa (Fumi) and Kyoto (Hiroko) were all wonderful. We especially enjoyed our tours in Kanazawa and Kyoto -- both Fumi and Hiroko were so knowledgeable and it felt like a friend was showing us around! We will definitely use KimKim and Eleanor for future travel!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Gajoen Tokyo

Tokyo

Wonderful hotel; more remote but enjoyed the spacious room + museum inside the hotel. Wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cross Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Great hotel & convenient location in Kyoto!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Wood Takayama

Takayama

We had issues with our initial, but Eleanor and the hotel were quick to move us to a different room! Wonderful amenities and central location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Kanazawa Zoushi

Kanazawa

Our favorite hotel of the trip! The staff was so kind & the location was on a beautiful, quiet street. We loved the suite + amenities - very comfortable & cozy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Excellent hotel, great location in Asakusa. Would stay here again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Japan

We had a wonderful 2 day tour with Hiroko. She was very knowledgable and shared so much history on the various sites. Hiroko also adjusted the tour based on our interests which made the tour even more memorable. Hiroko also worked magic taking photos of us without crowds in the background.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle & Tea Culture Tour

Kanazawa

Wonderful tour with Fumi who was our guide for 2 days. Fumi curated our tour based on our interests and shifted to off the beaten path, indoor activities when it started to rain. We highly recommend tours with Fumi!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Highlights Day Tour with Tsukiji Outer Fish Market

Tokyo

Great tour with Yumi!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cory and team made it super easy to plan our first trip to Japan. Using kimkim made the planning so much less stressful and the detailed itinerary made it pretty easy to do everything we wanted.

This experience was phenomenal! From the bus from the airport and back on the day of our departure. Yumi & Yoshiko were fantastic tour guides. All of our excursions provided us with amazing memories. Our two sons enjoying exploring Tokyo and Kyoto. My wife and I are already planning to return. Thank you (ありがとうございます) for this experience KimKim team.

Hotel Reviews

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

Kyoto

Great location! Very close to Amida-do temple. Not a far walk to shops.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ryokan Aura Tachibana

Hakone

Authentic Japanese experience. My wife enjoyed the onsen.

Authenticity & Character

Very authentic. The food was very traditional. No ramen, etc dishes so make your konbini run while you’re there if the food isn’t to your liking.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

This hotel was perfectly located in Tokyo. Access to literally everything that you would want to experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The Shibuya Scramble was right outside the door. Exceptional location!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tour of Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

The bamboo forest was a bit crowded., but Yoshiko helped us take good pictures. She also provided good background history of the areas we visited.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Samurai Sword Experience for Families

Kyoto

Our guide Yoshiko was great! Very helpful. We enjoyed the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Hakone to Kyoto

Japan

The Shinkansen was awesome! Tried bento for the first time and enjoyed a self-heating one.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The arrival and departure time was precise! Very impressive.

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Tokyo

Even though the weather was cloudy, we were able to see Mt. Fuji peeking through the clouds. Great fun on this day! We were actually sad to leave Yumi.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Highlights Day Tour - East & West

Tokyo

Our tour Yumi made this excursion amazing! Our whole family enjoyed this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yumi and our driver were great. The driver came out of the vehicle to greet us as we approached the vehicle after every stop.

Transport

Very timely!

Eleanor organised everything beautifully for us.
The private guides in Hiroshima, Okayama and Matsue were all excellent as were the hotels.
Many thanks to all.

Sandy was able to fulfill all the requests we asked of her. The responses to e mails was exceptional.
The accommodation was varied in style ,with all of them being excellent. Highly recommend the Miyako City in Osaka, Ryokan Koho in Kyoto, Metroploitan in Sendi and Shibya Excel in Tokyo. All for different reasons. The Kanazawa Zoushi and Hotel Wood in Takayama were also unique. We could not have managed such unique stays on our own.
Thanks Sandy for all the train bookings. Each trip was wonderful, and seating could not have been better. We managed to have luggage room on all trips and did not need to "on send" our luggage. All vouchers and tickets for tours and travel arrived well in time for the experience. The one time we had to book train tickets on our own-we had a minor issue. It pays to use the professionals!!
The suggestions for free time were invaluable -as we did them all.
The private drivers ,although most had limited English ,added their own uniqueness to each day.
High lights for me were:
Nara park
Bike ride in Kyoto(so many cherry blossoms),
Full day bus trip with Kaci in Kyoto, Sunrise Tours. Kaci was one of the best tour guides-so knowledgeable and witty.
Matsushima bay cruise - Despite the fact that the weather was wet and cloudy
Sky tree in Tokyo
Trip to see Mt Fuji and the visitors/museum on Fuji .This suggested by the driver and well worth the visit.
Hike and chair lift on Mt Takao. Also saw street theatre and musical performances by the ticket office.
Day walk in Kanazawa. The guide- Yasuko- was the best we had.
Bike ride in Hida hagiwara. A long train trip to get there but the young man was knowledgeable and informative. He helped us get a bus back to the hotel due to an unprecedented train delay.
Bus trip to Shirakawago
These least inspiring tour was the Yanaka historical tour in Tokyo- Nezu shine was stunning with the azaleas, however too much time making the maneki-neko cat and not much else.
We also had two hiking tours amongst the time planned with Sandy.(with another tour company) She managed to make it all flow seamlessly. In hind sight I did not realize the number of trains we were catching-however it was the best way to see Japan at its most picturesque-cherry blossom time. We managed to see the blossoms in every town and city at their very best apart from Tokyo. I would highly recommend Sandy and Kim Kim to other travelers.
Big thankyou to Sandy for managing to satisfy all our requests and added suggestions.

Wonderful experience, will use this service again in the future!

All of our guides were really great and I absolutely recommend all them for future travelers.

The whiskey tasting was good, but you only taste whiskeys from Suntory because the bar has an exclusive deal with the distillery. That was a bit limiting, but it was still good to learn more about Japanese whiskey and then we tried other distilleries on our own. Hiro was a good host. Overall, I would suggest a stop at Suntory's distillery for a guest already going from Tokyo to Kyoto.

There absolutely needs to be a guide for the Sumo experience. If not for a guide with another group, I wouldn't have learned or understood a single thing going on in that practice. You have to be completely quiet the whole time and no one from the facility talks to you, explains anything, etc. We really liked going to practice though and immersing more into that historical part of Japanese legacy so I highly recommend for other guests, but absolutely with a guide.

Nick was a good guide for Tokyo. He showed us a few cool spots that only a local would know like the view of Tokyo Station from the corporate business next door.

Yukari, our guide in Kyoto, became a friend during the trip. She quickly pivoted and took us to places with fewer crowds. Absolutely 10/10 guide.

Both Yokos were wonderful and very knowledgable too.

One of our favorite parts of the trip was the Tea Tasting in Kyoto. I wish we had done more immersive experiences like that.

Our hotels were all 5 stars except in Hiroshima, but I know we were a bit budget conscious on that one. I'm also glad we upgraded to the green car for the longer train rides. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH for booking us on the correct side of the trains so that we could see Mount Fuji, what a treat on a beautiful blue day from Osaka to Tokyo on our way home. That was absolutely wonderful!!!

Overall...Sandy was really good, but I just didn't feel like I was working with someone currently local. We asked her about a HUGE event in Osaka - the World Expo - and she didn't know about it but when we got to Japan, everyone knew about it. We should have pushed her more on alternative places to go versus mainstream tourist hotspots. Thankfully we were able to work with our tour guides in each city to learn a little more about what crowds to avoid and how we could see similar sites without as many people.

Hotel Reviews

Zentis Osaka

Osaka

This hotel was incredible, very modern. The staff were very friendly and spoke great English. The breakfast was limited to a Japanese and English preset option, but both were very good. We loved our room and the location was pretty good, maybe a little closer to the subway would have been nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Odd that we were literally annexed from the main hotel, but I liked that it was smaller and felt more "boutique" from the main location. I loved that we were able to take advantage of the larger hotels high rise breakfast buffet though. One of my favorite pictures from the trip was from the location. Also, the hotel had on floor self serve laundry which we took advantage of twice! It was amazing and I wish more hotels offered that. The biggest issue with this hotel was the smoking room on the 2nd floor, you could smell it so strongly anytime we were around the front desk.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Laundry facilities!

Activity Reviews

Tea Ceremony in Kyoto FLOWER TEAHOUSE

Kyoto

WOW! What a highlight of our trip. We felt taken back in time. I wish the experience had been a little longer but otherwise it was perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

So much fun! We loved our private tours, but it was fun to have a group activity for the food tour. Our guide Yuki was wonderful, very enthusiastic. Would recommend to others!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Japanese Whisky Tasting Experience at Local Bar in Tokyo

Tokyo

Good, guide was informative but only tasted Suntory whiskey.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sumo Stable Tour

Tokyo

This was a wonderful experience, one of our favorites! That said, you absolutely need a guide if you want to learn about sumo and what's going on during practice. Thankfully there was a guide for another group so we could learn some from her, but we still missed out on much of what she was sharing with her guests.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our group of six had a very good experience in our recent two week trip to Japan, and we enjoyed visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima. Eleanore was our Kimkim trip specialist and we are grateful for her help in planning and making arrangements for tours, bullet train tickets, private drivers, and well informed English speaking guides in all cities. She was attentive and listened to our concerns. She addressed each concern and provided excellent and timely advice before and during our trip. We handled our own hotel reservations and dining arrangements. I am confident we were able to have such a wonderful cultural and educational experience was in large part due to the amount of information and behind the scenes work she did on our behalf. Thank you to Eleanore and the Kimkim team for your guidance and support.

Leny and her team were extremely responsive and always available for anything that came up during our trip. They made sure that we had everything we needed and followed up on any last minute changes that had to be made to the arrangements. Overall, they did a great job and we had a wonderful experience in Japan.

This was our first visit to Japan and started as a 25th wedding anniversary trip, which eventually lead to a family vacation. We are a family of five, with 3 teenagers ranging in age from 16 to 19 years old. The interests within our group varied from wanting to explore big cities, learning about the history and culture, to experiencing life like a local. Despite these differences, we all had fairly high expectations and Japan did NOT disappoint!

Our itinerary was fairly ambitious - Tokyo, Disney Seas, Hankone, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Miyajimaguchi/Hiroshima and Osaka. Perhaps we could have scheduled more 'down time' but we wanted to see and do as much as possible in our two weeks. Our Kim Kim travel expert Sandy was outstanding! We had 5 or 6 trip versions before we made our final itinerary and Sandy was always prompt to respond to our requests and questions. Even while on the ground in Japan, she was in touch and checked in to ensure the trip was running smoothly. She went above and beyond to ensure it was a once in a lifetime experience for us and even arranged a surprise anniversary cake during our trip!

We also arranged a few guided tour days during our two weeks and it was money well spent. And while all of our guides were friendly and extremely knowledgable, we would like to specifically thank Nick Sakurado in Tokyo for helping us on Day 1 to navigate the city and the subway/train systems. This allowed us to confidently use public transportation for the remainder of our trip. He was also brilliant in his lunch food recommendations!

We'd like also thank Tsuyama Hiroshi (Hiro), for walking us through Kyoto and Nara. He thoughtfully planned out our days to ensure we would avoid the peak tourist times at the more popular attractions. And lastly, we would like to express our appreciation to Kigami Masako for her patience and sharing her knowledge of Hiroshima both past and present. This travel day was very warm and she thoughtfully made lunch accommodations to allow those of us in the group extra time to cool down, before continuing on with our day.

I could go on and write much more but it would be a book length review. Each member of our travel group simply loved every minute of our trip and Japan exceeded all of our expectations. I know we will be back again one day. Arigato gozaimasu!

We worked with Jasmine and Hiroshi of Oshinobi Travel, and regret the decision.

Although their service did provide several memorable experiences (Miyokaiku carpentry tour, Yoko the guide for Nikko, Emi's help in coordinating connections), these were overshadowed by repeated disappointments:

The wrong ryokan was booked for the Nakasendo trail, and this was a major disappointment. But even more upsetting was the lack of response to making any correction or taking any responsibility for the oversight. Instead, fault was seemingly placed on us (via the Kim Kim dialog). I requested a refund, and was denied.

Even when we cancelled planned arrangements--such as a guide we no longer needed--no compensation was offered. We enjoyed most of their guides, but some did not have the requisite knowledge / experience of the places we visited (temples, gardens, etc.)

The hotels they selected on their own were standard Western rooms, except for specific requests we had made. We did enjoy the ryokan they booked in Kyoto. The places you stay matter in terms of the experience you have.

The train bookings were also standard / basic, and could have easily been upgraded, given the cost of the trip.

Overall, for the ~$30,000.00 we spent for 10 days, we felt we had an average experience. We had booked with Esprit Travel in the past--and for less--and had trip experiences that were exceptional. We will book with Esprit next time we visit.

Hotel Reviews

The Tokyo Station Hotel

Tokyo

Simply a Wonderful hotel... With History, a Soul, and wonderful staff and food.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Okunoin Hotel Tokugawa

Nikko

Also sterile, western experience.

Hatago Tawaraya Ryokan

Nakatsugawa

The Wrong ryokan, and hence our disappointment. Not much of a Soul, but clean.

Kyoto Yuzuya Ryokan

Kyoto

Loved this place, and its location. We will return.

Authenticity & Character

A true ryokan experience.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shourekiji Temple Stay

Ayabe

Enjoyed the interactions with the hosts, especially the participation in the Buddhist traditions.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very remote--1.5 hours from Kyoto

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Leisure Time at Nikko

Nikko

Our guide, Yoko, did an amazing job here. Although she had been told we were planning to hike, we went to Nikko for the temples and World Heritage Sites. This took some adjustment on her part, which she did artfully, and took us on an amazing tour. At the end of the tour--which included almost Everything at a leisurely pace--she even sent us off by taking us to various food spots (including saki) for the train ride home.

Embark a Special Himeji Miyadaiku Carpentry Tour and Castle Exploration

Japan

Our best arranged experience, overall. We met the master carpenter at his shop, where he educated us about joinery and various techniques. And then the carpenter himself took us on the tour of the Himeji castle, which he himself had restored 10 years earlier. The guide / translator also did an exceptional job.

Private Transportation Service

Japan

The private transportation was very expensive. We requested a car after we cancelled a previous arrangement, and Hiroshi gave me a price of $350-400 for the morning of the request. We walked instead, had immersive experiences in Kyoto, and then simply took a cab back to the ryokan for a total cost of $8.00.