Eleanor Chen

We had a wonderful 14 day trip to Japan organized by Eleanor. It was our first trip to Japan, and we saw and did everything we wanted to and more. We have never used a service or tour group for our travels before this trip.

The itinerary created by Eleanor was completely manageable and ran smoothly- no problems at all. It was mostly self guided (our choice) but with selected guided sections that were very enjoyable and worthwhile. She kept in touch periodically along the way just to make sure things were going as planned.

There were many cities and adventures we wouldn’t have chosen without Eleanor’s recommendations (such as 2 short day hikes along the Nakasendo Trail and Kiso valley, tea ceremony in Kyoto, onsens and sentos at all hotels). The guides and drivers recommended by Eleanor were all excellent. Japan was absolutely memorable and fantastic on all levels. We look forward to going back. I highly recommend Eleanor and kimkim if you are planning a trip to Japan.

Our guides were wonderful...Very friendly, knowledgeable, punctual, and informative - Everything one would look for in a guide ! The tip to use TaxiGo for some travel was also a Great Tip - they were amazingly quick and affordable !!

Hotel Review

Hotel Forza Osaka Namba Dotonbori

3 beds to a room made this a bit crowded, but only for the very short time we were actually in ;-) ! Extremely well situated, clean, very friendly and fast service, good breakfast options!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

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

Japan

The Nijo Castle was really cool. The grounds were amazing and very interesting. The tour of all (33) rooms inside was neat but could have been shorter. The temple and the shrine were also really interesting and good to visit; just not really my area of interest to spend much time there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What a great trip! Eleanor was great to work with and help us figure out where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. The transfers to and from the airports went well. Our Tokyo city highlight walking tour with Ken was very informative and enjoyable. The Kyoto cultural treasures tour with Satomi was also very good. She was flexible as to what we wanted to see and answered so many of our questions. We also enjoyed the Foodie Tour in Osaka. Our hotels in Tokyo, Osaka & Kyoto were all great. Good breakfasts and great locations. The Go taxi app worked well. Getting around by subway was sometimes challenging but good. Japanese people were very helpful when we got totally lost!

We recently returned from a truly wonderful tour of Japan. Eleanor at KimKim was the primary reason it felt so effortless. From the very beginning, she was incredibly thorough, managing every small detail and keeping us perfectly posted with updates and reminders exactly when we needed them. She managed to hit that elusive sweet spot between guided and self-guided time, selecting fantastic guides while still leaving us enough room to breathe and explore on our own. Eleanor was easy to work with and made changes when we thought of them.

One of the best decisions we made was following her advice to spend three days staying on Miyajima instead of staying over on the Hiroshima side. It was a highlight of the trip, though we do have one funny "pro-tip" for anyone else heading there: once the day-tourists catch the ferry back, almost every restaurant on the island shuts down by 6:00 PM. It left only a few spots open outside of the hotels, which we turned into a bit of an adventure, though others might find it a bit of a shock if they aren't prepared!

If we were to tweak anything in the itinerary, there were really only two minor exceptions in Kyoto—the boat ride and the tourist train. Only one person in our group enjoyed them. But in the grand scheme of such a well-planned trip, those were very small notes. Eleanor’s planning was top-tier, and while KimKim provided a great backend for the whole process, it was her personal touch that made the experience what it was. We would highly recommend her to anyone planning to travel to Japan.

The highlight of the trip was the 1,000 photos I captured along the way. I resonate with the Japanese style and their conscious use of space, line, and form in almost everything they create.
The gardens were especially relevant to me. Each one had a similarity but also its own unique elements, which made looking through my lens truly exciting. In fact, they have inspired me to revisit my own gardens, not trying to mimic a Japanese garden, but to take the time to think about, look a little longer and deeper, and try to incorporate these elements into mine.
My favorite was Miyajima - I loved the Island, the cable cars, and the Tori Bridge. It is a beautiful island. I especially love the Miyajima Hotel Villa. They had free snacks (and ice cream!) and the room was very comfortable with a lovely water view. The deer roam freely and are so friendly to the tourists.
I will contact Eleanor when we decide to return to Japan. I will use KimKim to plan travel to other countries.

My trip to Japan was an incredible experience from start to finish. Planning everything through Kimkim was smooth and stress-free, and Eleanor made sure every detail was taken care of. I had three guides throughout my journey — each one was warm, knowledgeable, and made me feel welcome everywhere I went.

We explored Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, and each city offered something unique — from Tokyo’s energy and food to Kyoto’s temples and history, to Osaka’s lively street culture. The most memorable part of the trip was visiting Hakone — the views, the peaceful atmosphere, and the onsen experience were truly unforgettable.

Overall, this trip exceeded my expectations. Everything ran seamlessly, and I can’t thank Eleanor and the Kimkim team enough for helping make it such a meaningful adventure. Highly recommend!