Tailor-Made Walking Tours of Japan

Our trip to Japan was a positively life altering experience and the team at kimkim really executed a beautiful itinerary and took care of all of the arrangements for us.
Our specialist Jessica was very responsive and was available to answer any questions or concerns. Her itinerary for us flowed and that was the overall feeling for our time in Japan.
Our guides Chinami ( Hakone) , Fumiko ( Tokyo), Yoko (Kyoto) and Takehiko ( Kobe) did an outstanding job explaining the highlights of our sightseeing and handling the transportation details in a timely and expert manner. They were warm and informative and we had a lot of fun learning about Japan from them.
The kimkim app was invaluable in keeping us on track and not overwhelmed as we covered a lot of places in 10 days. It was nice to have a record of everything we did on a daily basis because the app did all the work! In short we loved our experience with kimkim and would use them again to plan a memorable trip.

The trip was amazing and Cannon was very helpful with the planning and extremely responsive. He tailored the trip to our requirements and was available for any questions we had. Everything was planned perfectly and he followed up with us along the way to ensure that things were running smoothly. He even arranged to have a birthday cake delivered to our hotel! Would definitely go back to Japan and would definitely use Cannon and kimkim again!
Our tour guides were also excellent - Ken, Ayumi, Yuki, and Naoko.

Our visit to Japan was amazing from beginning to end. Our guides Nao and Yuki were wonderful. Nao was so happy for us to view Mt. Fuji and the beautiful cherry trees which were in peak form that day. She was happy to bring us shopping for some specific things and picked a great lunch spot on our Mt. Fuji day.
Yuki was especially concerned with us understanding him and even brought visual aids with him. He was constantly concerned with our comfort and happiness. He made time for us to stop for ice cream and shopping, brought us to my favorite lunch spot with the conveyor belts delivering our food and was very patient with our group of 8 women. He was a great translator during our tie dye experience and seemed to really enjoy showing us around.
We loved the first and last hotels, as they were a bit smaller and gave more personal service. The Kyoto Tokyu Hotel was very nice but maybe a little big and touristy for my liking, although they had a lovely gift shop.
I enjoyed Tokyo and Osaka as cities and also the surrounding areas. In Kyoto, maybe because of where we stayed I did not get a good feel for the city itself. However, we loved the tea ceremony, day in Miyama and the Philosopher’s Path, which we did from Kyoto.
All of our activities were so well planned and we enjoyed them all. Thanks to Sandy for the arrangements and for including everything we asked for.
Japan was so clean and beautiful. The people we met were gentle and polite. The food was delicious. The public transportation was easy to navigate. The bullet train was clean and comfortable. We even got lucky with the weather. Our only rain was during a travel day and our day at Mt. Fuji was sunny and clear.
Thank you, Sandy, for putting together a trip that I will remember fondly forever.
I will go to Kim.Kim again when planning my next adventure.
Marianne O’Shaughnessy

Hotel Reviews

The Royal Park Canvas Osaka Kitahama

I loved the size and location of this hotel. It was next to the subway stop and a short walk to the river.

Authenticity & Character

Breakfast was beautiful and delicious.

Location

Loved jumping on the subway and walking along the river.

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean but a bit cramped for two of us.

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

Kyoto

This hotel was a bit big for my liking. Too many big tour busses, a line up for breakfast in the morning and locates on a busy street. However, it was clean and beautiful inside and the gift shop is lovely.

Authenticity & Character

A bit too big and commercial

Location

I would have like to be in a quieter area where I could stroll to shopping and food.

Staff

Staff was friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were a bit cramped for 2 people but very clean. I didn’t love the step up to the bathroom.

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

The Asakusa View Hotel Annex was wonderful. I think being in the Annex and not in the larger hotel across the street was good. I like the feel of a boutique hotel and I got it here. The food was good, the staff friendly and helpful and the rooms were roomy and made the most out of the space. 2 of us were very comfortable here.

Authenticity & Character

The breakfast included traditional Japanese foods and the geisha show in the evening was enjoyable.

Location

On a pedestrian mall and easy to walk and shop any time of day.

Staff

The staff was friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were spotless and they made the best use of space so 2 people were very comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Learn the Secrets Behind Sushi in a Cooking Class

Osaka

The ladies teaching us today were wonderful. We really got to experience the art of making sushi.

Quality of Experience

Teachers were great! The kitchen was clean and organized.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were great teachers, organized and patient.

Transport

We took taxis here today and did well.

Osaka-Nara day trip with Osaka Castle

Osaka

I loved visiting the Nara deer park, the temple with the large Buddha as well as Osaka castle. However, the museum at Osaka castle was a bit overwhelming and there wasn’t time to read all the information. I enjoyed our stop for Ramen for lunch and our stop later for ice cream and shopping. We stopped at an observation tower late in the day and I could have skipped that. I know Yuki was doing his best to show us everything.

Quality of Experience

Yuki was forever trying to make us happy

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yuki and Mr. Li were wonderful

Transport

Vehicle was comfortable and our driver great.

Full Day Miyama Village Tour From Kyoto

Japan

Our day began with a tie dying activity on our way into Mijama. It was fun learning about the indigo ink that is popular in the region. Then touring the village with the thatched roofs and visiting their small museums was very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Our tie dying activity!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yuki was fun and informative, as always.

Transport

Driver was always there when we needed him.

Fushimi Inari Taisha and Kinkakuji Temple

Kyoto

This temple area in the city was beautiful. Mao taught us how to purify ourselves to approach the temple and hue to bow in front of the temple. It was interesting learning about the religions of Japan.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park Tour

Kyoto

Loved our walk around the monkey park. It was beautiful and the monkeys were sweet. I enjoyed feeding them and seeing the babies.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great and so was our driver. The staff at the park were all very friendly.

Transport

Our driver was always there when we needed him

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Don’t miss this experience! It was so much fun picking out a kimono to wear and getting dressed up. The tea ceremony was wonderful, we learned a lot and had a great time.

Quality of Experience

The staff was great and the girl leading our ceremony was wonderful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were on our own today-took a taxi to the spot, had a little difficulty getting there. The staff at the tea ceremony was wonderful.

Transport

Had a hard time communicating with the taxi driver but it all worked out.

Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi Tour with Onsen experience

Tokyo

Knowing that Mt.Fuji isn’t always visible made our day so much more spectacular. We had a clear view of the mountain all day. To add to it, the cherry blossoms were at their best the day we visited. It was a magnificent day!

Quality of Experience

Our guide Nao did a great job. We made the decision not to climb higher on the path because it would be another 2 hours. I think it was a great decision as we had a wonderful view from where we were.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was wonderful today

Transport

Our driver was always there when we needed him.

Asakusa Sumo Club: Sumo Show Admission with Chankonabe in Tokyo

Tokyo

This was a fun activity. A great way to spend lunchtime. Probably the most touristy thing we did but I’m glad we included it.

Quality of Experience

The MC was knowledgeable and spoke both English and Japanese perfectly. The wrestlers were entertaining and fun to watch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chase Cherry Blossom with Meiji Jingu in Tokyo

Tokyo

The wooded area we walked through was beautiful and I enjoyed the temple and museum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport