Angel Tang

From planning to ensure the perfect itinerary in Japan for our family to Japan to continued amazing assistance during our trip, we are grateful to Angel and Kimkim for a trip of a lifetime!

Activity Reviews

Ninja Training in Kyoto: Ninja Experience

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi Tour with Hakone Tozan Railway

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Asakusa Sumo Club: Sumo Show Admission with Chankonabe in Tokyo

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sushi Making Tokyo！Cooking class in Japan！

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Spot Early-Blooming Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I created a specialized itinerary and Kim Kim agent Angel was able to coordinate beautifully. Japan is a lovely country with so many great sites not to be missed. We hit the highlights of Tokyo, Hakone, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka. What I like most was working in partnership with KimKim to have the type of experience we wanted: a little hustle, a little laid back, key historical sites without being overwhelmed with too much, and lots of fun activities.
Pros:
1. Angel is an absolute gem to work with. She was responsive to my needs, listened carefully, alway with kindness, humor and professionalism.
2. The itinerary was affordable, considering we did not want to be on a tour bus with 20 others each day, allowing us independence while able to join in group activities on some days.
3. Each day, Angel would check in with the daily itin and schedule, including all tickets, maps, timing. Loved that.
Cons:
1. With the exception of Tokyo and Hakone, the hotels in Kyoto and Osaka were located far away from anything...more like office park areas, not walkable to anything. As this was my first time to Japan, hotel locations are essential to enjoyment, and this was dissapointing.
2. Due to those 2 hotel locations, we had to use uber or public transport to get anywhere, costing a lot of money and time that I didn't expect. I would suggest KimKim to review hotel locations that are tourist friendly and walkable to restaurants, stores, etc.
3. I was quoted a price for my initial itinerary, complete with hotels. Two weeks before departure, I was reviewing the itin and realized I needed more transportation built in, like train to hotel transfers, pick up/drop off from tours. I requested this and was quoted a huge amount, which was then negotiated down as we discussed the actuality. However, in the last quote, included was the price for my first hotel stay of 3 nights. This was odd and unexpected, I thought this was included in the initial quote, which it appeared to be. Confusing and not good.
Overall experience:
Loved this trip and Angel was a delight to work with.

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!

Japan was a trip of a lifetime! The Japanese sure know how to cook, loved all the food we tried! We especially appreciated how smooth our guides made the trip- Hal was a great historian in Kyoto to explain the history of Japan during the rule of the Sho-Gun. Safi was especially helpful explaining how the trains work in Tokyo and navigated us around Tokyo seamlessly and gave us a great recommendation for ramen in Harajuku. Tomi was very knowledgeable about the Toyota company foundings and provided a great recommendation for hitsumabushi in Nagoya. If we had a do-over, we probably would want to spend more time in Nagoya after having visited, it’s a lovely city and we appreciated the smaller size compared to Tokyo.

Hotel Reviews

The Thousand Kyoto

Kyoto

The lobby smelled nice when you enter, of lavender! We spent two nights here, loved the proximity to the train station. There is a very nice ramen restaurant that we found near the hotel to enjoy our thanksgiving dinner at. The hotel breakfasts, both Japanese and western style were yummy.

Authenticity & Character

Once we figured out how the iPad in the hotel controlled the room, that was a nice feature. It had lots of info on the restaurants in the hotel, services, room lights etc.

Location

Proximity to trains, made it very easy for our return trip home

Staff

All of the staff were great, very accommodating for letting us drop off our smaller luggage and hold at the desk while we explored Kyoto in the day time.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was extremely clean

Hilton Nagoya Hotel

Naka-ku Nagoya

Very nice hotel, they had a cool train display for the holidays in the lobby! Staff were friendly and the breakfast was very good! We were only here one night and enjoyed our brief stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We were able to enjoy a nice walk to the train station from the hotel!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Again, extremely clean room.

Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel, A Pan Pacific Partner Hotel

Loved the closeness to the Shibuya station for exploring around Tokyo. The staff were all extremely helpful when we had questions about setting up a cab or shipping our luggage to Kyoto. The bar on the 40th floor made really good cocktails and the Japanese breakfast was so yummy.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern hotel with lots of nice amenities

Location

Closeness to train station, food and shopping

Staff

Extremely polite and patient

Cleanliness & Comfort

Enjoyed the turn down service with tea and chocolates provided

Activity Reviews

Museums Exploration in Nagoya

Nagoya

My husband loved this! He was like a kid in a candy shop at the automobiles museum. It was very cool learning about how Toyota originally started as a textile company and then became an automobile maker- especially enjoyed how the Industries museum noted different events occurring in the world as they became a car maker company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park

Japan

Even though the weather was not the most cooperative, we had a good time. It was impressive to see how a 12,000 foot mountain can be completely hidden with what I’m assuming is snow clouds. Enjoyed the 400 stair walk to the pagoda that overlooks the Mt Fuji valley and learning about its construction during WW2 for missing and injured Japanese soldiers (was nice to get a Japanese perspective on events in the pacific theater). We bought some cool souvenirs and tried pizza with sweet potatoes as a topping!

Quality of Experience

The fall foliage was stunning- even though we could not see the mountain, we could still enjoy the fall foliage

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Having a private driver was nice, especially to be able to nap on the return trip to Tokyo while still adjusting to the jet lag. Again, very nice to do this with Safi again, we liked the continuity of the guides as she was with us in Tokyo.

Transport

Nice and smooth, the Alphards are nice vehicles to travel in.

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

Tokyo

Loved trying the food- only thing I wish we would have done is to have had a smaller breakfast. We were both pretty full by the time we started exploring the fish market but were able to enjoy some really nice matcha and crab. I especially enjoyed the deep fried sweet potatoes in the market from Asakusa.

Quality of Experience

Liked seeing all the activity in the market and trying Japanese snacks

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Safi was fantastic! We enjoyed running around the city with her, she’s a very fun person and easy to communicate with.

Transport

Loved riding all the trains

I recently organized a group trip to Japan for 15 travelers through KimKim and worked directly with Angel as our specialist. This was my sixth time working with KimKim and once again the level of customer service, communication, and genuine care stood out in a major way.

Even though I did not travel with this group myself, Angel and her team were responsive, patient, and committed to supporting a very full itinerary across Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Managing a group of this size with many moving parts is not easy, and overall the coordination, accommodations, and activities were excellent.

Our hotels in all three cities were beautiful, centrally located, and convenient for exploring on foot or by train. The activities chosen for the group were engaging and memorable. TeamLab Planets was a highlight for many and became one of the most talked about experiences of the entire itinerary. Travelers also enjoyed the castles, shrines, markets, and cultural touches throughout the journey.

We did encounter a few hiccups during the trip, which I believe are helpful to name for growth on both sides. Some of the full day excursions were too long and packed too tightly, which made the days feel rushed for travelers who wanted more time to absorb the history and culture. Time management and pacing are especially important for first time visitors to Japan, and future itineraries would benefit from shorter days, more breaks, and a bit more built-in flexibility.
We also had inconsistent experiences with local guides. One of our female guides was phenomenal, thoughtful, and highly communicative. Another guide struggled with communication and cultural expectations, which created some strain during one of the full day tours. That said, Angel was receptive when this was brought to her attention and took action to support the group.

There was also an issue with the tea ceremony and samurai museum tickets not being booked in advance even though they had been paid for. This was understandably frustrating for travelers who were looking forward to these activities. I appreciate Angel and Sandy stepping in quickly to help resolve this, and I am currently processing reimbursements on my end with their support. Mistakes happen, and I appreciate the team’s transparency and willingness to correct it.

Despite the challenges, what impressed me most was the care, grace, and helpful attitude Angel consistently demonstrated. She was in daily communication with our trip leaders, monitored the group’s needs closely, and made every effort to keep things running smoothly. Her dedication did not go unnoticed by the travelers or by me.

Overall, this was a meaningful trip for my community. My travelers experienced Japan through culture, food, history, and shared connection. The minor issues do not overshadow the fact that KimKim curated a beautiful journey for us, and our group made incredible memories together.

I would absolutely work with KimKim again and with Angel again. With a few adjustments to pacing and guide selection, I know future Japan itineraries will be even stronger. Thank you, Angel and Sandy, for your time, flexibility, and support through the entire process.