Fei He

Ryoji Shimada, Yoshida Takehara, Jun Tanida, Yoshiko Yoshida, and our guide for the bar hopping were all exceptionally knowledgeable, cheerful, and accomodating. I always felt secure and comfortable and could not ask for more. The itinerary exceeded my expectations and I truly thank you for the cultural variety show in Gion. Happy to have experienced the subway, bus, trains, and of course the Shinkansen. The choice of hotels allowed us to do our own explorations of Shibuya and Kyoto. Enjoyed the shopping and foods. I highly recommend booking travel through you. Thank you for making my first visit to Japan memorable. Arigato gozaimasu. Mahalo and Aloha.

Hotel Reviews

Ryokan Aura Tachibana

Hakone

The location in the mountain village with views is serene.

Authenticity & Character

Rather small and has an old world ambiance.

Location

Beautiful views and enjoyed the private in-room onsen.

Staff

The dining room staff was excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overall clean.

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

kyoto

Great buffet breakfast. Beautiful, serene, and clean. The shuttle to/from the train station makes travel and shopping convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful lobby, garden, and staff.

Location

Shuttle to the train station makes walking to shopping convenient.

Staff

Cordial and helpful at all times.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room is all around clean and comfortable.

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

Excellent friendly and helpful service. Perfect location for shopping and travel to sites.

Authenticity & Character

Great buffet breakfast with views. Clean, green, helpful staff.

Location

Easy walking to shopping and travel connections.

Staff

Front desk gentleman was english speaking and was a tremenous help with our lost taxi driver.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Excellent bed. Very clean room. Appreciate the green theme.

Activity Reviews

Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Nara Tour From Kyoto with Naramachi District

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

9

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour with Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi Tour

Hakone

We had a beautiful clear day.

Quality of Experience

Clear skies, beautiful fall colors, and clear view of Mt Fuji.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Most excellent.

Transport

Full Day Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Kegon Falls & Lake Chuzenji Tour

Tokyo

All sights were breathtaking. Enjoyed it all.

Quality of Experience

The history at the shrine and natural beauty of the falls and lake.

Food

Eating the little lake fish from head to tail. Yummy.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ryoji is very well versed on the travel sites and guided us to a great fish lunch, shopping, and has a very pleasant demeanor and happy smile.

Transport

The variety.

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Senso-ji Temple

Tokyo

Amazing historical tour. Lots of walking and never felt rushed or anxious.

Quality of Experience

Tsukiji market!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Ryoji was "first class".

Transport

Being able to travel the different venues with residents.

After 3 other travel services turned down my request to arrange travel on the Kumano Koto trail in Japan --saying everything was full-- I tried KimKim. Fei, the specialist assigned to help us was kind, attentive, and thorough. When we ran in to a lodging glitch while on the trail, she responded very well. I would definitely recommend using Kim Kim.

Let's start with the good stuff. The accommodations arranged by KimKim for our five nights were traditional Ryokans with hot springs and were excellent quality with friendly staff, clean facilities and the usual tatami mats, sandals, low tables and great kaiseki meals. Unfortunately most of them were a considerable distance from the train stations in their communities necessitating expensive taxi fares to and from the accommodation. The two guides and the driver arranged by KimKim were pleasant people with reasonable knowledge.

The reason for the poor rating is the quality and local knowledge of the travel specialist assigned to us. Some examples (besides the fact that she booked accommodation so far from the train station).
* The original range of cost we were given by the initial contact person was immediately exceeded at the top end of the range by her first estimate and we had to assert a more reasonable cost by insisting on three star accommodation.
* We made a specific request to stay in Narai and original trip plans included this but suddenly this was no longer included and we were told that accommodation was not available despite us making the request many months ahead.
* When we requested luggage transfer for the day we were hiking we were a) told it wasn't available, b) it was not included even though this was another item we had asked for early on. Eventually, and only after insisting, KimKim told us it could be obtained at our accommodation and they would reimburse the cost for us.
* When we arrived in Takayama from Kanazawa we discovered she had arranged for us to spend the entire day in the Gassho-syle villages (although it really only needed a half day) so we missed seeing the once-a-year spectacular, UNESCO-rated autumn festival in Takayama by less than hour.
* When we asked to receive all our itinerary, maps and tickets in hard copy ahead of time we were told that it might get lost so we should go to a convenience store and print it out ourselves with the help of our first guide. Again, only after we insisted did we get a hard copy but we did not receive it until after we had checked into our first hotel which meant that the information for that location was of no use as we had already consumed the time for visiting places in that city. Furthermore the map for our hiking was small, poor quality print so almost unreadable and, in any case, only in Japanese.
* For one portion of our itinerary it stated that we would go by train from one city to another after being with a driver and guide for most of the day. On this basis we purchased our 7-day JR Pass to coincide with this portion of our trip only to be told later that this was a mistake and that the driver and guide would be taking us to our final destination city.

These are some examples of the poor service, there were others. Unfortunately for KimKim we had a different travel service organizing a separate part of our month in Japan so we had a comparator organization to judge against. On every level KimKim came out looking inferior as well as being more expensive. I would not recommend them to other travellers.

ADDENDUM:
After providing this feedback we were impressed at how seriously KimKim took it and also how seriously they acted to address our concerns. Our dissatisfaction was significantly reduced by their response.

Great service from Fei and the team, booked all the hotels and transfers that we needed in a custom arrangement, was seamless for us. Thanks Fei!

Fei was very responsive in communication and provided a great snap shot of the western side of Japan. Going to the Japanese Alps was a great experience! Many itineraries leave this area of the country out in favor of the top cities and I think you miss a lot if you don't go to these areas. We enjoyed our bike ride through the rural areas as well as seeing areas from the Samurai and Edo time.
During our travels Fei checked in to make sure we were doing ok and having a good time. Was nice to know she was still available even after everything was booked.

Hotel Reviews

Kamikochi Lemeiesta Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

TOKYU STAY Hida-Takayama Musubi no Yu

Takayama

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hyatt House Kanazawa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half Day Cycling in Takayama

Takayama

We were actually in Hida, which is much smaller and different than Takayama. We got to see a more rural area that is not very touristy and it was a great peek into areas that still do rice and family vegetable farms. In addition we went to a beautiful shrine overlooking the farm land and the mountains in the distance.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Shirakawa-go Tour From Kanazawa to Takayama

Kanazawa

I am very glad we got to see the smaller village before going to the larger more touristy Shirakawa-go. The museum part of this village was really good. There was hardly anyone over on that side and it was much more interesting than the main village. Eating at the soba noodle cafe was also good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Japan was fantastic. Fei setup a wonderful trip and we went to a number of different locations which allowed us to take in various aspects of Japan. All of our guides were great, offering us insight to the history of their mystical country.

We had a couple of changes to our itinerary while on our trip and Fei was there to quickly handle them seamlessly. Thanks to Fei and wonderful guides we had a trip of a lifetime.

I wasn't really sure how to approach a trip for Japan so I was grateful to the suggested itinerary by Fei that helped me eliminate things I didn't want to do and focus more on the ones that I did. Having hotels, transportation and guides all sorted out made the planning a lot easier and allowed me to only have to focus on a few things. Our guide in Tokyo, Yumi was excellent. She had great energy, sense of humor, and really thought about our wellbeing during the day. I can't recommend this guide enough, she went beyond what I've seen other do. Satimo who guided us through Kyoto and Osaka spoke excellent English and really shared with us her story of life in Kyoto as we trekked all over the city to very interesting sites. She demonstrated patience and understanding on one of the hottest days of our trip. Both guides provided great history to the sites we visited and were able to answer all questions about Japan and life there. The activities booked without guides were excellent too. The tea ceremony in Kyoto and visit to the Samurai museum are must-dos for any visit there.

Hotel Reviews

OSAKA EXCEL HOTEL TOKYU

Osaka

Premium Twin Room, beds were pushed together which we immediately had to seperate but had limited space to do so. The majority of one side of the room was taken over by an oversized daybed. This could be half the size in the room and still be very useful and make more space for the table and chair by the window to not make the space feel overcrowded. The closet is not enclosed here. This was my favorite bathroom set up of all places I stayed. The sink area had plenty of counter space for storage of personal items. The shower was huge and easy to operate to the right temperature. The breakfast buffet had the most fruit selection of all places I stayed at because they had bananas. The tricky part of this hotel is that you go up to level 16, then take another set of elevators down to the rooms. There wasn't a constant presence of taxis in front of the building but the front desk was happy to call for one and let us know when the car was downstairs.

Authenticity & Character

This place felt very lux.

Location

It was close to a station but didn't stay long enough (only 1 night) to explore the area.

Staff

The staff was happy to assist with getting a taxi for our departure. This thoughtfulness is the reason I gave them 4 stars.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was very soft and sheets very comfortable. The temperature in the room was perfect.

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

kyoto

Premium Twin Room was very large and spacious. A lot of seating options. AC was controlled by the hotel but was a comfortable level. There was an in room air purifier/humidifier. I don't know if it helped as I developed a scratchy throat during my stay here. I also woke up with a puffy face, having an allergic reaction to something in the sheets/pillow. There are not enough bedside outlets. There was only the one in the middle for 2 people to split. So instead one of us had to leave our phone on the other side of the room charging and could not have it bedside. The breakfast buffet was very good and had a great variety of foods to choose from. The shuttle to and from Kyoto station saves this hotel. It is too far to walk with luggage to and from on any day, let alone a hot day in September. I with the shuttle was larger and more frequent. The location of the hotel is out of the way of most things. Thankfully there seemed to always be a taxi available. Food options in the area are difficult to come by but it did lend itself to the most authentic food place we ate at on our trip (we were the only foreigners in the restaurant).

Authenticity & Character

This hotel felt very lux catering to international visitors

Location

More shuttle options to more places. Perhaps a shuttle that took guests to Gion Area to eat, shop and visit.

Staff

I didnt have much interaction with staff but when I did they were polite and prompt.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The space feels clean.

Shibuya Tokyu REI Hotel

Tokyo

The standard twin room was very small. Couldn't really find a place to have my luggage opened all the way, had to pull everything out (thank god for cubes) and then leave the suitcase under the bench the rest of the time. There is NO STORAGE in this room. The bathroom has NO COUNTER SPACE. Everything had to be brought into the bathroom if you were going to use it. The biggest plus about this hotel is the location. Right by Shibuya station, Miyashita Park and the famous scramble. So much to shop and eat in the area!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right by Shibuya station, Miyashita Park and the famous scramble. So much to shop and eat in the area!

Staff

I didnt find the front desk at all helpful or even wanting to help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Senso-ji Temple

Tokyo

Yumi was our favorite guide of the trip. She was so knowledgeable, thoughtful and fun to spend the day with. She gave a great history lesson of the country and related stories about what we were seeing. She brought us handheld fans to deal with the weather of the day, bottled water and even hydration tablets which then became our obsession of the trip. She had great energy and humor that matched ours.

Quality of Experience

We visited the right amount of places in the long day that were a variety, from shrine, to castle to temple.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I can't say enough how much I loved spending the day with Yumi.

Transport

I felt comfortable being led by Yumi on the public transit.

To Fei - and all who helped make this such an enjoyable trip with so many memories to keep. (Sorry if I am slow in sending in this review, and if there may be too much here to read.)

Day 1: This was a long day, taking the train early in the morning from Tokyo to Nagoya and then on to Nakatsugawa, followed by bus to Magome. But the walk from Magome to Tsumago was as marvelous as I had heard it would be. Shade on the trail was welcome, and part of the way through I met and joined up with a couple from Japan. I took a leisurely near four hours for the walk, the trail was very well marked, and I arrived at my destination in good time for dinner at 6:00pm. Dinner and the ryokan accommodation were excellent, as indeed they were at the end of each day’s hike. As a result of this exposure I gained a much better appreciation for Japanese cuisine, and how much variation it has - ‘very welcome indeed.

Day 2: The links to maps and timetables in Fei’s detailed itinerary were very good, and gave me the confidence I needed traveling on my own, but I had not been good at downloading them onto my phone in a format that I could use offline, which I anticipated needing when out of cell phone contact on the trail. So, I walked in to Tsumago and enjoyed looking around, then took a slow walk into Nagiso away from the roads along part of the Nakasendo way - I had cell phone contact to do this.
I had picked up a map at the tourist information office in Tsumago beforehand (“Let’s walk the south-Kiso road”) which had detailed maps of the trail sections from Magome to Tsumago and from Nagiso to Nojiri. I could have used this map, but a little tired from the first day and not sure that I could cover the distance to Nojiri in time, I spent a little longer in Nagiso then enjoyed the train ride into Kiso-Fukushima instead. I hope I might take the trail route to Nojiri another time. At Kiso-Fukushima I looked around, then visited the old Fukushima Nakasendo higway station and the Yamamura Daikan Yashiki Museum among other places
At the Kiso Mikawaya accommodation I really appreciated the onsen baths but, even better, I was lucky to have a room where I could hear the Kiso river as I went to sleep and woke up in the morning.

Day 3: I took the train early from Kiso-Fukushima to Yabuhara. At Kiso-Fukushima station I met two sisters, Janis and Joann, from Singapore, whom I had first met earlier while walking in Tsumago. Also at the station I met a couple, Kim and Wah Fong, from Australia who were originally from Singapore and who had stayed at the same ryokan in Tsumago. The sisters took the train on to Narai, and I joined the couple from Australia for the three of us to walk the trail from Yabuhara to Narai. This was probably the best hike of the trip - definitely one to remember, with many things to stop and see along the way. Kim had the trail directions on his phone, which was reassuring, but the trail was very well marked.
The accommodation at Narai was really quite up-market, and the evening’s dinner was perhaps the best of the trip, although that is a difficult choice to make because it was all so good.

Day 4: After looking at the train times, I decided to take the train from Narai through to Matsumato, instead of walking to Kiso-Hirasawa first. I met the two sisters again at Narai station and we travelled, found coffee in Matsumoto, and then went on a guided tour of Matsumoto Castle together. The castle and grounds are well worth the visit, especially with a guided tour which was provide free by the local tourist’s office. The sisters had to leave the castle early to get back to Tokyo for that evening, but I stayed there enjoying the gardens for a while before going back to Matsumoto station - where I happened to meet Kim and Wah Fong again. We caught the same train on to Karuizawa, before going our separate ways to our accommodation. I was looking forward to the next day’s hike, and was lucky to be at a ryokan for the night that was away from the town and close to the beginning of the path. For each night’s stay the hotel staff were outstanding, helpful and welcoming, but perhaps especially so here. The onsen baths and dinner rounded out another great day.

Day 5: I felt that the planned hike from Karuizawa to Yokokawa was on the long side for me to be certain of being back in Tokyo in time for the evening, where I had to cross the city to retrieve my carry-on luggage. Also, it was the first part of the hike, up to the Usui Pass and Kumano Kotai Jinja that looked the most interesting, and it was indeed beautiful. The trail was paved road all the way but was quiet and winded past waterfalls before giving way to magnificent views from the top of the pass. This choice also meant that I could leave both my small backpack and carryall at the ryokan, instead of taking them on the trail. I took the hike at a leisurely pace before returning to Karuizawa station to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo. I had not been in the Shibuya neighborhood before, and it was a very lively place to spend the night.

Day 6: After walking around Shibuya for a while and enjoying some air conditioning at Miyashita Park, I went to Haneda airport on the subway. Although there had been opportunities to see Mount Fuji earlier at times on the three week trip, it had eluded me each time, being obscured by clouds. However my wish to see it came true from the comfort of the window seat I had, just after the flight took off, with the top of Mount Fuji clearly visible some seventy miles away above the clouds as the sun was beginning to set.

Two things I would do differently on the trail next time around, that are definitely on me and not you. I would go in the spring or autumn, instead of August, when I knew the weather was likely to be hot and humid. But I did not have much choice in the timing because this was a side trip arranged around a trip to Japan for my job. Also, I would either take less with me on the trail or take a slightly larger backpack. I took the 10 liter backpack that I usually carry on trips, but I took more clothing than I needed, and that had to go in a separate carryall bag, which was about another 10 liters. If I had known or planned better, the 10 liter backpack would just about be big enough, although a 15 liter pack would be better. I had left my main carry-on bag in the Tsukiji district of Tokyo before going on the trail, and used the local luggage-forwarding services on the trail when I could, but it was not practicable to do this every day, especially on the first and last days of the trail.

Thank you, sincerely.

The overall itinerary was great and we enjoyed most of the lodgings, etc, but one of the main reasons we booked was so we could get the local knowledge and instructions that we couldn't google and piece together ourselves. That part of it ended up being pretty unhelpful. E.g. On days when we were supposed to hike from town to town along a trail, we were given links to google maps that showed the shortest walking path between the two towns along a highway instead of directions to the trail and information about how to navigate it. All this info was available locally.

(We also found the interface (that included an itinerary in one place, a separate pdf with instructions, plus a separate page for info that was conveyed via "conversation" quite cumbersome; there were plenty of errors along the way that caused us delay, from what was included in the trip to whose name each reservation was under).

Our specialist made efforts to address our concerns, which we appreciated.

Our trip was fantastic! It was well organized and we were delighted by our experience. The guides were so nice and gave us a great experience. The private car drivers were great as well. Local train reservations were very well organized. This was one of the most relaxing trips we had. Thank you for all the local travel planning as well.

Both our local guides were excellent. They were knowledgeable and assisted us with transportation issues. The local tour company did not communicate clearly to them or myself about a driver from Tokyo hotel to the airport. I’m not sure where the break down in communication was. Our local guide Yumi, went beyond what I expected by giving us details about train and bus transportation to the airport in Tokyo. She even noted that a driver was not included on her itinerary.

Hotel Reviews

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard by Marriott Shin-Osaka Station

Osaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

kyoto

Within walking distance to restaurants and shops

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo city tour

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yumi was excellent

Transport

Half Day Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Tenryuji Tour (Private Guide+Public Transport)

Kyoto

Too much walking, a break to rest would have been nice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sonny was very knowledgeable

Transport

Too much walking

Full Day Tour with Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

The tea ceremony was great. Way too much walking

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide,Sonny was excellent

Transport

Tsukiji Market & Sushi-Making Workshop tour

Tokyo

The experience was fun and educational but the raw fish did not agree with my western stomach

Quality of Experience

Food

Vegetarian option

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was excellent

Transport

Full Day Osaka Discovery For Families

Osaka

So much walking, we were too tired to eat out. Called room service.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Less walking in subways