Shona Zhang

Shona planned an amazing trip for my family which included me, my husband and 2 daughters ages 12 and 16. It was the perfect blend of learning about Japanese culture and activities that my daughters would enjoy. We had several activities that we liked a lot. On our 1st day, we had Yuto as a guide for 2 different activities. We did a bike tour all around Osaka during the day and a food tour at night. He made sure we were safe and allowed us to take breaks when we needed to (it was extremely hot that day). In Kyoto, we loved the tea ceremony where we dressed in kimonos and learned about the traditions of hosting a tea service. We also had a wonderful guide named Yasuko who took us to a temple, a shrine, and a boat ride down the Hozugawa River. This was a highight of the trip. Yasuko was very knowledgable and she took great care of us (getting our tickets, guiding us with the public transportation) during these excursions. In Tokyo, we had a lovely time with our tour guide, Yumi, who ventured with us in the rain. She was very patient with us as my daughter who loves anime and Harajuku fashion wanted to shop along a busy area in Tokyo. Again, we had another tour guide who kept us safe while teaching us about Japanese history and culture. Lastly, to celebrate my husband's upcoming 50th birthday, Shona planned a beautiful fine-dining experience on a boat going around Tokyo Bay. The staff made the experience a memorable one!
In terms of accommodations, the hotels were very clean and comfortable. Check-in was easy. We liked that we were able to do some laundry at the hotel during our trip and breakfast was included everyday. The location of the hotels were convenient and close to different restaurants and shops. Lastly, riding the bullet train was a blast. Although going through the train station was hectic with people everywhere (luckily, my husband is knowledgeable with using public transportation in different countries), Shona planned 1st class accommodations along with room for our big luggage which was key when traveling.
Overall, this was a trip of a lifetime. Shona planned the perfect blend of fun stuff for my kids (Universal Studios, sumo wrestling, anime) and historic stuff for me and my husband. It was busy and we were tired, but it was worth it! The communication before and during our trip was great. Everyday, we would get a text with all the information we needed for the day (tickets, which public transportation to use, locations on Google maps). As someone who usually plans our family vacations, using KimKim and having Shona plan everything made me feel at ease with no stress. Thank you to Shona, tour guides, drivers, and KimKim staff who made this trip one of the best we have experienced as a family. We look forward to having another trip with KimKim in the near future!

Working with KimKim, and our local specialist, Shona, was simple and efficient.
Shona worked hard for us. She went above and beyond with helping us before and also during our trip.
We are very grateful for Shona's service, expertise, timeliness, and dedication to ensuring we had a great trip.
Shona had so many great ideas for our family to do each day in different areas around Japan.

All of our daily guides and drivers were also excellent, helpful, and patient. Our group was not always easy for them, but they did a wonderful job despite some challenges that occurred during our daily activities and tours.

A big thank you to everyone who helped make our trip a great success!

Hotel Reviews

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

The location was perfect! The staff was extremely kind and helpful. Everything was very clean. The breakfast buffet was amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ryokan Aura Tachibana

Hakone

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cross Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

This was probably my favorite hotel I've ever stayed at. The design and decor was phenomenal. Everything was very clean. The breakfast buffet was amazing! The location was perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Candeo Hotels Osaka Shinsaibashi

Osaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bathroom sink area was rather small it was very dimly lit.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Yokohama Tour with Cup Noodles Museum

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Osaka Castle and Shinsaibashi Tour

Osaka

We loved learning about the history of the Osaka castle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Meiji Shrine,the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace Akihabara,and Harajuku Tour

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Tokyo

The boat ride to see mount Fuji was disappointing because the mountain was behind clouds. This is not the fault of our guide. We also got caught in a thunderstorm downpour that day, which added some spice to our day. We were not able to complete the full experience our guide had planned for us because of the rain.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Sagano Bamboo Grove and Tenryuji Temple Tour

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Nara City Tour, Overnight in Osaka

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Hakone to Kyoto

Japan

We had good experiences riding the bullet trains.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

We loved learning about the traditional tea ceremony and dressing up in the traditional clothing and taking photos together.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fushimi Inari Taisha and Kinkakuji Temple

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

Miyajima island and the shrines on the water were so beautiful! Our guide had some extra challenges with our group that day, and she did an amazing job with dealing with the circumstances to ensure we could finish seeing all the things and the museum in Hiroshima.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great planning and preparation by Shona. We did hit a snag, but kimkim jumped on it and resolved. I highly recommend using them over others. The trip cost was a fraction of what others charge after getting proposals from several others for same activities.

Hotel Reviews

Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza gochome

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by GRANVIA

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Candeo Hotels Osaka Shinsaibashi

Osaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The breakfast offered was awful compared to other hotels on our trip

Activity Reviews

Kyoto Night Foodie Tour

Kyoto

Food was awful! I cant believe I paid for a tour that involved food and it was awful in Japan. Only place we ate that was bad during 11 days.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo: Sumo Show Experience with Chicken Hot Pot and a Photo

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Ho Pot was not good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ramen Cooking Class Experience

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Learn the Secrets Behind Sushi in a Cooking Class

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Historical Highlights Bike Tour with UNESCO Zen Temples

Kyoto

Great Guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shona, our KimKim travel specialist, provided excellent assistance in planning our vacation to Japan. She was very responsive and worked tirelessly on our behalf. We were especially impressed with the quality of private guides that she connected us with during our trip. We appreciate that using KimKim allows us to balance planned tours and activities that we would have never found on our own with time for self touring. In this manner we were able to plan a personalized trip, selecting an itinerary that met our interests and at our price point. KimKim may be more expensive that full self planning, but the quality of planning, care and intrinsic knowledge provided by the local KimKim agent is more that worth the money. We had a small issue arise and the KimKim team was on it immediately.
In particular, we enjoyed a sushi class and private guides who wear willing to be flexible and tailor our tour days to better meet our needs. On one particular day we only hired a "driver" - that driver, Kendo, ended up being so much more - he spoke English very well and acted more of a guide than a driver. We visited Mt. Fuji, toured Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. Our itinerary included a whiskey distillery, day tours to natural and historic sites, a food tour, a tea ceremony and a sushi class. We also really shopped the vintage stores in Osaka and the fish market in Tokyo. Our guides took us to lunches at local restaurants we, again, would never have found on our own. This allowed us to try local food specialties at very low prices compared to restaurants in touristy areas. We did enjoy the whiskey tour and tasting however, the tour was in Japanese with only minor English translations available - we still enjoyed the tour but I would consider skipping it if you don't have a full English language tour.
Shona selected hotels that were in perfect locactions and that included breakfast in the rate. Our Osaka hotel had a wonderful sky spa. In all I would highly recommend Shona and the KimKim team if you are traveling to Japan.

We had a wonderful 2 weeks in Japan. Shona was excellent! We could call her at any time and she was always very helpful. Local guides and drivers were all very helpful and considerate as well.

This experience was phenomenal! From the bus from the airport and back on the day of our departure. Yumi & Yoshiko were fantastic tour guides. All of our excursions provided us with amazing memories. Our two sons enjoying exploring Tokyo and Kyoto. My wife and I are already planning to return. Thank you (ありがとうございます) for this experience KimKim team.

Hotel Reviews

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

This hotel was perfectly located in Tokyo. Access to literally everything that you would want to experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The Shibuya Scramble was right outside the door. Exceptional location!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

Kyoto

Great location! Very close to Amida-do temple. Not a far walk to shops.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ryokan Aura Tachibana

Hakone

Authentic Japanese experience. My wife enjoyed the onsen.

Authenticity & Character

Very authentic. The food was very traditional. No ramen, etc dishes so make your konbini run while you’re there if the food isn’t to your liking.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Samurai Sword Experience for Families

Kyoto

Our guide Yoshiko was great! Very helpful. We enjoyed the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Hakone to Kyoto

Japan

The Shinkansen was awesome! Tried bento for the first time and enjoyed a self-heating one.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The arrival and departure time was precise! Very impressive.

Full Day Tour of Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

The bamboo forest was a bit crowded., but Yoshiko helped us take good pictures. She also provided good background history of the areas we visited.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Highlights Day Tour - East & West

Tokyo

Our tour Yumi made this excursion amazing! Our whole family enjoyed this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yumi and our driver were great. The driver came out of the vehicle to greet us as we approached the vehicle after every stop.

Transport

Very timely!

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Tokyo

Even though the weather was cloudy, we were able to see Mt. Fuji peeking through the clouds. Great fun on this day! We were actually sad to leave Yumi.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shona was wonderful! She was always responsive and we really liked the itinerary she planned. Shona planned a great trip that my husband and I and our kids age 5 and 8 enjoyed.

We had two exceptional tour guides this trip. Fumi in Kanazawa and Nao in Osaka. Highly recommend these guides.