Bella Wu

Using KimKim was one of the best decisions I made when planning a trip to Japan for my son and I. It was so nice to not have to agonize over which hotel to stay at, which train to take, which sites I should go see, and many other very important/stressful things I didn’t have to worry about since Bella ( my trip planner at KimKim) had already taken care of it. She was wonderful to work with the entire way through my trip. She was super flexible when I realized my 15 year old son and I needed more flexibility than having an actual guide with us everyday midway through our trip, she pivoted and was able to give us all the reservations for us to explore alone, rather than with a guide. They booked so many cool experiences for us that I wouldn’t even know existed ( kimono wearing tea ceremony, monkey park, romantic train, water front shrine in Hakone). We loved our guides we did have- big thank you’s to Yo and Frank for making our trip stress free, informative, and lots of fun. Bella, Yo, and Frank made my son’s and my trip to Japan so much fun and not at all stressful, and for that I cannot thank them enough! I would use kimkim again in a heartbeat!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro

Tokyo

Breakfast was so good! Hotel was a little out of the tourist area, which we found to be nice and relaxing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Hotel Kowakien Tenyu

Hakone

The VIEW! And the baths. Wish I stayed here a couple more nights. Absolutely beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by GRANVIA

Kyoto

Great location, next to train stations, but no amenities and a little far from the sights.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to Kyoto train station, but farther from sites.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No ameneties ( qtips, razors, etc)

Citadines Namba Osaka

Osaka

Great location and had bigger rooms. Only downside is you could hear trains when they were rubbubg ( like 5am on) nice bright room with all the amenities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Tokyo Tour by Public Transport：Tsukiji Outer Market, Sushi-making class and Free Afternoon

Tokyo

So fun. Sushi making was hands on and so tasty?

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fuji Five Lakes Tour, Transfer to Hakone

Japan

The sites are beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yo and driver were wonderful

Transport

Day tour by public transport in Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine, Nikishi Market, Converyor belt Sushi , Samurai and Ninja Museum and Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

The shrine is beautiful- go early for less crowds. The tea ceremony was amazing. You get to dress up in beautiful kimono and learn about why they have tea ceremony then make your own matcha tea. So fun, so worth it!

Quality of Experience

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

R

Transport

Hidden Paths of Arashiyama: River Journey, Moss Temples & Bamboo Whispers（Private Guide, Public Transportation）

Kyoto

The boat was shut down due to high/ rough water, so we did monkey park and romantic train instead. So much fin and absolutely beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Exploration: Castle, Cuisine & Sumo Culture(Private Guide&Public Transportation)

Osaka

The sumo show was great fun for my teenage son and I. The castle was magnificent. We ate conveyor belt sushi for lunch ( something we really wanted to try-so fun!)

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.

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

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

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

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

Activity Reviews

🚗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

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

Kyoto

A must do.

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

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

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

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

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

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Both guides we had were excellent: Mr. Peter and Ms. Young. Very energetic and knowledgeable. We did pretty much everything a tourist would want to do, seeing Mt Fuji was probably the coolest experience.

We have nothing but good things to say about our experience with Kimkim Travel and our trip to Japan. From the moment we started planning the trip with Bella, we were treated very well. Bella arranged everything and even helped with some super last minute changes.

We arrived in Tokyo and were greeted by Mr Tang who loaded us up and got us to our hotel. He was great and helped us feel at ease right away.

We then were met by Mr Hiroyuki Kinoshita (Roy) at our hotel to start our adventure. Mr Roy treated us like family. He made sure we understood the culture and history behind each place we visited. We loved our time at the fish market and the different shrines. Mr Roy was amazing! Mr Roy accompanied us, along with Mr Tang, to Hinote to see Mt Fuji and experience some of the ropeways (gondola). We had an incredible time experience Japanese culture and food. We dressed up in Kimonos and ate traditional meals.

Next was our bullet train right to Kyoto. Wow! 500 km in 2 hours! Made it to our hotel and had a great night's rest. Next, Mr Eiichi Shirakawa met us in the morning and showed us around Kyoto. Over the next three days, he guided us to see Shrines, Temples, Osaka, modern buildings, castles, and all around amazing sites of the area. Mr H was very knowledgeable and did his research of the various places we visited. He took us around like a pro.

Our time overall was great and we felt like we got to see and experience Japan with the 10 days we had. All of our accommodations were top notch. The hotel staff was great.

Hotel Reviews

karaksa hotel TOKYO STATION

Two connected rooms was great for our family of four. Staff was very nice. Breakfast was great! Clean!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Hotel Kajikaso

Hakone

Traditional experience was great! Dressing up in Kimonos for dinner and breakfast is a must. Onsen was great.

Authenticity & Character

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Kiyomizu Gojo

kyoto

Staff was incredible. Got several recommendations for local foods and even got help ordering in one night. Breakfast was great and amenities were great. Two connecting rooms made it great for our family of four.

Location

Staff

Very helpful. Helped with local food and delivery.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day tour by public transport in Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine, Nikishi Market , Samurai and Ninja Museum and Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

Mr H navigated us to each location with expertise. The experiences were a must for our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great! Mr H all the way!

Transport

Hidden Paths of Arashiyama: River Journey, Moss Temples & Bamboo Whispers（Private Guide, Public Transportation）

Kyoto

Fun river adventure. The possibility of getting wet is there. The bamboo forest is beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Tokyo Tour by Public Transport：Tsukiji Outer Market, Sumo Show , Akihabara & Concert!

Tokyo

Mr Roy was an incredible guide. The sumo show was fun. Akihabara was intense. The concert was an added bonus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer from Tokyo to Hakone via Mt. Fuji

Japan

Mr Tang was a great driver. Mr Roy was a great guide. We had a comfortable ride to Hakone with several stops on the way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Osaka Exploration from Kyoto : Castle, Cuisine, and Sky-high Views (full day tour by public transport) without meals

Kyoto

Mr H did an amazing job getting us around the castle and the sky skraper. He even took some extra time to experience some detours along the way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport