Eleanor Chen

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!

I booked a trip for our family (two daughters, ages 9 and 11) and husband. My husband and I are both well-traveled (60+ countries, with and without travel agents, staying anywhere from camping/ hostels to 5-star relais chateaux properties). I used KimKim because I wanted to maximize our limited time and make the trip smoother with our girls. Over-all we had a fantastic trip and experienced the culture. We loved many of the recs the agent made: the onsen (3 nights! Worth it), which felt authentic, the Sumo experience, visiting the shrines and temples. We could have passed on visiting Akihabara area (overstimulating) and we added the Mpig cafe and TeamLabs (both shouldn’t be missed and so fun w kids) on our own. The agent was responsive, polite- we had no trouble contacting her. Despite a very successful trip, my over-all rating of KimKim is poor: The massive mark-up (over 30%!) was not justified.

Stupidly, I didn’t double-check prices before booking (in the past, when I’ve used agents, there has only been a 10% +/- markup and I assumed this was standard) and realized much later that there was an over 30% mark-up. I kept hoping the exorbitant price would be made up for by care and attention to detail, but sadly, this was not the case. Here are some examples:

* Booking through the agent made things worse
* We arrived in Tokyo at 9pm, tired and jet-lagged, and informed that our hotel was booked for 3 instead of 4 nights. The hotel was full, and the extra night couldn’t easily be added on, and we were told we would have to change rooms (and downgrade!). Additionally, they had no locked storage area- presenting some logistical challenges and burden. I knew what happened: The original itinerary I booked had us in Tokyo for 3 nights; however, the agent overlooked a small detail- that Sumo was not offered on Sundays (something clearly stated on the website-a red flag then), resulting in a whole itinerary change, adding a night in Tokyo. Apparently, my name was misspelled, and the 3+1 nights were not linked. They said they upgraded us for the 3-night stay, but the room they gave us was identical to the one in our itinerary photo, so that didn’t make sense. Regardless, it ended up working out- someone “cancelled”, we kept the room, but it was stressful and a very disappointing way to start the trip: not worth 30% markup!
* The agent sent us to the wrong location for the sushi-making experience. The new site was several blocks away, and the Sushi place said that they emailed us about the change, but, having not made the booking myself, I was never informed. We ran to the new site and made it a few minutes late.
* The agent sent us to the wrong location for the Samurai sword experience, and it wasn't booked long enough and was heavily overbooked (I think they made a mistake, as the staff looked stressed). This resulted in missing part of the experience. KimKim did refund us that portion of the experience without hesitation- they knew it was a screw up.
* For the Sumo experience, they emailed us photos, but because I didn’t make the reservation, the photos didn’t get sent directly to me, and I had to request them from the agent to get them- not a huge deal, but not VIP. Not worth paying an extra 30%!

* Luggage storage in Kyoto train station was like Hunger Games! We had to store our luggage for a day at the train station so we could make our tours and have time for lunch. I specifically asked the agent if it was easy to find lockers, knowing we had 5 pieces of luggage, and she reassured me they were readily available. Well, 30 minutes of frantically searching in the train station, we secured 5 lockers all apart from one another. Not a big deal, but certainly not worth 30% markup.

* Our two guides were kind, patient, and prompt but they were average in knowledge. They knew the brochure information but did not offer any in-depth knowledge of the areas. No one knew the best places to get food (my husband is vegetarian) or had that back-alley, in-the-know experience that exceptional guides have. Not worth the 30% markup.

* Food recs were non-existent. The agent offered no specific food recommendations based on personal experience, nor did the guides. No one had firsthand knowledge of the restaurants in the heavily touristed areas we were in. The onsen has a very challenging menu as well - we braved it one morning with the Japanese breakfast, but it was so fishy and pickled, it was inedible to us (I normally am an adventurous eater, but this was too much!). The western breakfast was price-fixed with soupy scrambled eggs, weird cuts of meat… For some, this might be a luxury, but for most Western folks, especially those with kids, this is not worth the money. It would’ve been nice to have that firsthand information and have someone give us some recs of nearby restaurants that were open early (very few were open before 9 or 10 am in Arashiyama). Again, all issues we expect while travelling, but by using an agent with a huge markup, these details needed to be managed.

* Hotel recs were hit and miss. We loved the onsen (except the breakfast) because it felt local and authentic. We slept so well! The Karaksa chain hotels were good hotels- clean, good breakfast, but I struggled with the locations. They were convenient next to the train station, but they were not close to cool areas of town, and there weren’t a lot of dining options near the hotel in Osaka.

Over-all, we had a wonderful trip but I would not book through KimKim again- If they are going to charge these prices, every small detail should be managed and they simply were not…. (and even then, 30+ % markup! I blame myself for being so gullible and not fact checking…) All of our tours/ experiences could have easily been booked through GetYourGuide or basic website searches- there was nothing special that KimKim offered that couldn’t be done on your own. Don’t make my mistake! Do your homework on pricing first.

All planned stops were great and the people were wonderful this was my first trip to Japan.

Hotel Review

Hakone Hotel Kajikaso

Hakone

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Full Day Trip to Mt. Fuji with Fugaku Fuketsu Wind Cave & Shiraito Falls

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eleanor was very helpful in planning our trip. She provided activity and planning suggestions and was receptive to our feedback in order to build a two-week itinerary to Japan.
The trip itself went off without a hitch, which is a testament to the planning and organizing that Eleanor and the Kim Kim team did. Japan was amazing and we enjoyed all of the activities that were either planned or recommended on our free days. We also appreciated the contact that we had from Eleanor throughout the trip in her efforts to ensure the trip went smoothly.
Thank you for a wonderful and relaxing trip. We both truly felt spoiled by this experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hakone Kowakien TEN-YU

Hakone

Very relaxing vibe at this hotel. The rooms were very spacious. It was nice to have a sitting area in the room and we also enjoyed the balcony space and private onsen. The shared onsen space was lovely - I definitely preferred the garden view with the waterfall. The only feedback that I would have is that the restaurant buffet menu tries too hard to cater to different tastes and the food might be better if they focused on just several dishes rather than a vast array.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

VIA INN Prime Kyotoeki Hachijoguchi JR-West Group

Kyoto

Very well located near the Kyoto train station. Despite this, the neighbourhood is very quiet with several good restaurants nearby. Room was comfortable and well sized as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kanazawa & Shirakawa-go Tour with Local Experiences

Kanazawa

This was a great tour. We weren't fully sure about the full day tour, but the time flew by so quickly. We learned alot and appreciated having time both with our guide and for free exploration. We also enjoyed the craft activities. Our guide Yasushi was very talented in his ability to share his knowledge and passion for his home city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Osaka

The food was delicious and our guide was very informative not only about the food, but the Kansai region. It was lovely to be able to meet other people who also enjoy food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Grand Sumo Tournament Viewing Tour (Group Tour)

Tokyo

We feel so lucky to have been able to experience sumo. The tour was helpful in understanding the history and the sport. Our tour guide obviously really loved sumo and she shared her enthusiasm with us. I will definitely recommend this to anyone going to Japan in the future during tournament time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff