Angel Tang

We’re not typically “tour bus” travelers, so we wanted the freedom to explore on our own while still having the support and security of a tour company—and this trip delivered exactly that.
Angel, our contact at Kimkim, arranged everything seamlessly, including hotels, transportation, and local guides in each town we visited. Throughout the journey, Angel stayed in touch, which gave us great peace of mind.
In Tokyo, our guide Koiku was excellent. Not only did they show us many key attractions, but they also taught us how to navigate the subway and train systems, giving us the confidence to explore independently.
The hotels along the way were consistently clean, comfortable, and very welcoming. Traveling by train between destinations was smooth and easy to manage.
In Takayama, our guide Ikue introduced us to off-the-beaten-path spots we never would have discovered on our own. Masa, our driver and guide through the mountains to Kanazawa, was both informative and entertaining, and made the journey truly special by taking us to some lesser-known locations.
In Kanazawa, our guide Ai went above and beyond. She not only provided an excellent tour, but also took us to her favorite restaurant and even helped us make arrangements for an event the following day—on her day off. Truly exceptional service.
Overall, the trip was incredibly well organized and made for a comfortable, stress-free experience. A big thank you to Angel and the Kimkim team—I would absolutely travel with them again on a future adventure.

Working with Angel via kimkim was fantastic! She was very patient with my many questions, requests, and concerns. She was very responsive as well. She planned a fantastic, kid-friendly trip to Japan. I wouldn't have changed anything! I would definitely use kimkim again, and I would recommend Angel if planning a trip to Japan!

Activity Reviews

Kanazawa Full Day Walking Tour

Kanazawa

Our full day tour with Ai from Kanazawa Tours was fantastic! She is very knowledgeable and passionate about the history and culture of Kanazawa. The entire tour was interesting and educational, and she explained everything so it was easy for the kids to understand. Speaking of the kids, she interacted with them so well! It's clear that she loves children and went out of her way to make sure they were having a good time. I would absolutely recommend requesting Ai for this tour, especially if traveling with children!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Japan

Yoshiko was a fantastic tour guide! She was very patient with us and with the kids, despite our slow moving pace. She was kind, knowledgeable, and explained everything so well!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We worked with Angel for 12 months. She knocked it out of the park. It was the perfect trip from start to finish. She answered all our questions that came up through out the entire process. She was so thorough and very prompt to respond. All tour experiences were 10/10. They were exactly what my husband and I asked to experience. We only wished we had spent one less day in Kyoto and one more day exploring Miyajima Island. Other than that we have zero complaints. Angel took the time to hear our wish list, find the perfect accommodations, and make traveling between cities and tours seamless!! Thank you Angel and team. It was the trip of a lifetime for us!

Part 2 from Emily G: A few highlights and recommendations from this trip: Hakone - spend at least two nights and days in Hakone - hot springs area. A great place to wind down at the end of the trip. Lovely. Go to the Open Air Museum! Leisurely enjoy the baths. Ride the gondola (ropeway) and take walks. Loved MIyajima Island (after a sobering and important day in Hiroshima). Had only one night and wished we had 2. Much to explore and at a slower pace. Loved Takayama - much more than Kanazawa. 3 nights there is good. Bike ride outside of town with Tomo! Dinner at Alba! (tiny place, make a rez, tell Juske you learned about it from the women from San Francisco, etc). Two days walking on the Nakasendo Trail. So beautiful to be out walking in nature most of the day and not too hard at all - but i would add a 3rd day if you have time. All of our hotels were comfortable EXCEPT don't stay at ACAI in Kyoto. Too "hip", tiny rooms, you can do better. Of course you will visit the many shrines, temples and castles and I enjoyed them much more than I expected - and you will go to Tokyo (explore the neighborhoods), Osaka, Kyoto (go to the Philosophers Walk) if this is your first visit; and we heard of SO many other places to explore. One more thing - among the many benefits of working with KimKim are the many guided excursions and day trips/city tours that they plan. Every guide was Excellent! and went above and beyond in many ways, Ask for Yumi in Tokyo; Sumi in Kyoto; Fumi in Kanazawa. Ernesto in Nara; Mayumi in Nara and Hiroshima. Arigato! BTW, this trip went so well that we are already planning a second KimKim trip in February in New Zealand and impressed with the help of our specialist, Michelle!

Angel was the best! She patiently worked with us over many months of planning our trip to Japan, giving us expert advice while also responding to our requests. During the trip, she checked in with us every day, making sure that we had the information that we needed. And when we had to make big changes, due to the illness of one of our group of four, she worked tirelessly to adjust the itinerary. It was like being taken care of by a trusted friend or family member! In several cities, we had tours with excellent local guides, including in Tokyo, Kanazawa/Shirakawago, Kyoto, Nara and Hiroshima/Miyajima. We did a very fun guided bike ride outside of the charming town of Takayama, as well as a wonderful self-guided two days of walking on the Nakasendo Trail. Only the two food tours were disappointing. The hotels were all nice too, with the exception of the one in Kyoto. Our stays in Hakone, Takayama and Miyajima were especially memorable. My friends and I would highly recommend working with Angel!

Hotel Reviews

Mercure Hida Takayama

Takayama

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

ASAI Kyoto Shijo

Authenticity & Character

It was too busy, with a crowded and noise restaurant and lobby area.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms very small. Breakfast choices very limited and the food not very good.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo City Tour

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shirakawago Day Trip by public transportation

Kanazawa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Cycling in Takayama

Takayama

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

Full Day Nara City Tour, Overnight in Osaka

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Angel did an awesome job curat the iternerary for us and suiting it to our interests. All of the guides and activities were excellent. The accomodations were also great. We had a perfect mix of planned experiences and free-time. Angel also did a really good job with the pacing of our trip between cities. Will probably use kimkim again!:)

Hotel Reviews

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

Amazing location; great hreakfast; clean and spacious room. Loved this for our Tokyo time!

Authenticity & Character

Location is perfect.

Location

Asakusa is a really fun part of Tokyo with a lot of cool shops and restaurants and history -- glad we stayed here and got to see a lot of it.

Staff

Attentive; kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean and neat.

Hakone Hotel Kajikaso

Hakone

This hotel was such a memorable experience -- it is in a beautiful area and there is so much to do in the hotel. They also give you yukatas to wear and free tea / juice. One of our favorite things was around 9PM we were exploring the hotel and there was a small spa area where we were able to just walk up and schedule a massage before sleep. Loved that we did not need a reservation or anything and that it was open at night-- super cool! The hotel also had a game room and kareoke room and late-night ramen bar. One thing is that the dinner was very traditional, so that part would not suit everybody's taste; during the dinner there were Geisha performances which was cool. Also, there was a cute store in the hotel with a lot of Hakone-specific items; I took back several different things as souvenirs.

Authenticity & Character

Very traditional.

Location

Pretty in a mountain area.

Staff

Kind and accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable and clean.

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by GRANVIA

Kyoto

Overall nice place to stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to get to town from here.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Candeo Hotels Osaka The Tower

Osaka

Fancy hotel; enjoyed our stay here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Tokyo Haneda Airport

Tokyo

Nice place to stay for our final night in Japan.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Shinjuku Gyoen (cherry blossom)

Tokyo

Our tour guide was so nice and knowledgable! Loved her! Got to see a lot of different places in Tokyo and she took us adjusted the trip to suit what we wanted like if we saw something along the way that was not scheduled she let us check it out and get pictures. She gave us cute paper cranes as a goodbye gift.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved Ikuko!!

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Japan

So beautiful and such a fun day! We enjoyed the boat ride, and we really loved the gardens in giew of Mt. Fuji. Our driver was very nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo : Enter the Sanctuary ( join in, small group )

Tokyo

Super fun; the sumo wrestlers had really great / funny personalities.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Japan

Super fun day; we learned and saw a lot! Also loved our guide Hiro -- he was so nice and funny and knowledgable and REALLY good at taking photos. It was like we had a perfect two in one guide and photographer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Cooking Class

Japan

So much fun and turned out delicious!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

Loved trying the different foods Osaka is known for; would do again!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day City Tour with Osaka Castle

Japan

So happy to have Hiro again for this tour -- getting the same tour guide for Kyoto and Osaka was really cool and added to our experience because it was like we were traveling with a friend!:) He also gifted us polaroids of the day as a parting gift -- so nice and I am keeping them forever!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Again, Hiro is awesome.

Transport

Kimkim made our trip to Hokkaido and Osaka so easy and enjoyable! We were able to customize the experience to what our interests were and our guide in Hokkaido, Jenny, absolutely was one of the best parts. Jenny was observant to our needs and informative about the local culture. Being a little detail-oriented, it gave me a little anxiety of 'letting go' from planning the whole trip however, Angel was extremely responsive and able to assist with any questions, whenever we needed help.

Hotel Reviews

Cross Hotel Sapporo

Sapporo

This property is centrally located with lots to do in the area and easy to get to the train station. Make sure to take time to enjoy the beautiful onsen! There's a nice quiet space next to the onsen that overlooks the city. The breakfast buffet was well done as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was close to the train station.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nozo Hotel

furano

We had a Deluxe King room which had a little sitting space. The team at this property was so welcoming and helpful. We took advantage of the in-room massages with Naomi and she did an outstanding job with relaxing us after a long day of sightseeing. Their Sugi Spa is beautifully designed. There is a dry sauna and a cold plunge, which was extra enjoyable to unwind with.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff at this hotel went out of their way to accommodate your needs. We had arrived by private car so did not have transportation to get around town. The front desk agent called us a cab to go to the cheese factory one afternoon and they had us call them to order a cab for the return ride. It was convenient and made it easy for us! They were also responsive to our requests for the in-room spa appointments. The restaurant staff was super enjoyable to converse with.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Noboribetsu Onsen Dai-ichi Takimotokan

I wish we could have stayed here longer. Our room was spectacular, with a private onsen on our balcony, overlooking Hell Valley and the beautiful color-changing foliage! The Premium Twin room was spacious, the amenities were first-class and the Kaiseki dinner and set breakfast were out of this world.

Authenticity & Character

You could wear your provided yukata to your meals.

Location

Our room, in the West Building, overlooked Hell Valley and beautiful fall foliage.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

This hotel is convenient to the Hommachi train station and is centrally located for all of your Osaka activities. We had a Superior Double Room and the accommodations are cozy but comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms are a bit cozy and there's really no closet so you end up living out of your suitcase but they do an amazing job.

Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Premier

Tokyo

The location is near the center of Ginza so lots of convenient shopping/dining.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sapporo City Discovery with Genghis Khan BBQ and Sapporo Beer Tasting

Sapporo

We loved learning more about Sapporo with Jenny! We were able to see many different sights and Jenny was helpful and made it a fun experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leather goods experience in Otaru

Otaru

We had a personalized experience, making a key chain as well as a tray and the overall experience was fun and we came away with a couple of useful souvenirs. It would have been nice to know the relevance of the leather to Otaru.

Quality of Experience

Any information on what makes the leather so important to Otaru.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

More information

Immerse in A Sea of Flowers: Farm Tomita Tour

Furano

Although the weather was a bit rainy and cold, it was still beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Biei Discovery: Blue Pond and Shirahige Falls

Biei

We really enjoyed seeing the Pond and Falls. We happened to catch it on a good day when the sun was out but I understand that the color changes with the weather so you may want to be mindful of that.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

We had a great time experiencing the local foods with Hide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hide was genuine and a wonderful guide!

Transport

Full Day Noboribetsu Hell Valley and Date Jidaimura Tour

Noboribetsu

We went to see a couple of the shows at Date Jidaimura, the Samurai show along with a Geisha show. Both were interesting and the staff did a nice job. Jenny helped capture some nice photos of us and took us to the foot bath near Hell Valley.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport