Next Japan Travel

This was our first trip to Japan and it was an amazing experience! Katsu and his team of guides: Eriko (Hakone & Tokyo); Sachi (Kyoto); Midori (Hiroshima) were all extremely professional, on-time, knowledgeable, accommodating, and friendly. We felt like we were discovering Japan with family members as guides! Katsu helped us plan the itinerary; following up with video meetings to nail down trip details was very helpful and appreciated. When a typhoon closed the Yokohama port, delaying our initial arrival by two days, Katsu was able to make adjustments to our itinerary quite quickly... allowing very little impact to our experience. All members of the team were able give us insights into the Japanese culture that greatly enhanced our visit!
We highly recommend this team to help travelers discover Japan! A great experience, indeed!

I had the most fabulous experience having Katsu arrange my trip to Japan. He was so thoughtful in how he listened to what I hoped to do> He then prepared the most perfects plans for my trip! All recommendations Katsu suggested were perfect. His communications were fantastic. Very regular and very caring.. One very special element that Katsu included was the arrangement of members from his company to accompany me or meet me at each train station. This made each transition so easy and smooth. Each person that assisted me was a true delight to meet and were SO helpful!!! Katsu was always available if I needed him during my trip. Without a doubt. my trip was marvelous because of the support and services from Katsu and his team. I give them the highest recommendations- more than amazing!!

Katsu provided helpful and interesting recommendations that helped make our Japan journey amazing! In addition, the detailed service on ground transportation and tour reservations allowed us to spend our time learning and enjoying, not trying to figure out a new country's systems and processes. We would definitely work with Katsu for another vacation - he was friendly, reassuring, funny, and a true expert. Arigato gozaimashita!

Activity Review

From Scenic Walks to Soba Making: A Cultural Day in Togakushi with Temple Inn Stay

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our drivers and guides were lovely and helpful and always on time. They helped us to see and do nearly everything we wanted to see on a short time frame. Although our full day in Tokyo was raining, we still saw a lot and loved the sumo stable experience, the fish market, and the TeamLab Planets which was a perfect end to the day! We also enjoyed the Tokyo Skyview which was a perfect way to get a birds eye view of the city (we did this on the first day before the rain thankfully!) The Shinkansen train to Kyoto was a nice interlude. Although we didn't see Mt Fuji on the way out due to clouds, we did get some nice pictures on the way back to Tokyo. We LOVED Kyoto. I especially loved the guided tour of Kyoto and the bamboo forest area and temples, as well as the tea ceremony and the beautiful Hotel Yuraku Kyo Yasaka . The food was amazing everywhere! We were really happy with everything and made some wonderful family memories.
Our local specialist, Katsu, was so great about making wonderful recommendations, figuring out the logistics for getting from one place to another on time, and providing details that helped make our trip smooth and enjoyable. Thank you so much!

Activity Reviews

Tokyo: Sumo Morning Practice Viewing Tour

Tokyo

See sumo wrestlers conducting training with their coach was an incredible experience, especially for my husband and son who are both wrestlers. They want to come back again to see a sumo competition!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Vehicle with English-Speaking Guide for 8 Hours in the Tokyo Area

Tokyo

There is sooo much to see and do in Tokyo! Highlights for our family included the sumo stable, Tokyo Skyview, TeamLab Planets, the fish market, capybara cafe, Meiji shrine, Hamarikyu Gardens, and Takeshita Street.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arashiyama: A Journey Through Kyoto’s Timeless Treasures by private vehicle

Kyoto

Wow, Kyoto is so beautiful and peaceful especially compared to bustling and vibrant Tokyo! We loved the Arashiyama with the bamboo forest trail and gardens. We also enjoyed visiting the many beautiful temples. We loved participating in the Traditional Tea Ceremony wearing kimonos. And we visited Nijo Castle in the center of town. And our traditional hotel, or ryoku, was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Japanese Tea Ceremony at Camellia Flower (Group Experience)

Kyoto

This was definitely a highlight of our trip. The kimonos, the ceremony, the guide's explanations, and the tea preparation itself were all incredibly special and something unique to Japan that we highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Katsu planned us a beautiful trip to Japan during the first two weeks of May. We had an in depth discussion when we first started talking about our priorities for the trip. We centered in on food and nature experiences as the most important focus of our 12 days in Japan and Katsu put together the perfect itinerary. From basking in onsens to wandering through moss gardens and eating delicious Japanese food in between we had truly special experiences surrounded by the unique natural beauty of the mountains and sea side towns of Japan. Katsu was kind attentive and kept an eye out for our best interests in the entire time ensuring that each activity we did allowed us to spend our time in the best way possible.

My guide was truly amazing, but so was the driver. One day it was raining and we had a few hours left and he suggested going to the library. I'm an academic, so I was up for it to get out of the rain. It wasn't a normal library. There was a scale model of the region with every building and tree. We spent two hours there and could have stayed longer. It was more like a museum.

I had a fantastic trip with my two nieces to Japan. It was only nine days, the time I had with my nieces for spring break. I will say you definitely need more time in Japan to explore it. Unfortunately, I missed the peak of cherry blossom season, but I still saw some, and they were lovely. My travel agent, Katsu, arranged all the Transfers and set up the train tickets for me. Everything was pretty much Seamless. Saori, Hana, Harumi, Sachiyo, and Mr Ko were great. Attentive answered all our questions. I enjoyed visiting the temples and shrines. The Rickshaw Rides in the bamboo forest and Tokyo were a nice experience. The Rickshaw ride in Tokyo stood out since my driver was entertaining and charismatic. I did a bike tour in Kyoto my butt hurt at the end, but did also enjoy that unique way to see the city. I would like to thank everybody who was part of my trip, and one day, I hope to go again, but for longer.

Katsu Okada-San of KimKim helped to create lasting memories on our first trip to Japan.

This was our first visit to Japan; my ancestors are from Kumamoto-Ken. I daydreamed about Japan for years, cherry blossoms, Mt. Fuji-san, sashimi and being enveloped by the culture.

The experience changed my life and my family’s lives, and I owe this to Katsu Okada-san. He tailored our needs with definite care and excellent communication needed for a family traveling across the ocean to unfamiliarity.

Upon arrival at Kansai airport in Osaka, he arranged for a driver to take us to our hotel. He helped to arrange guides in Osaka, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Hakone and lastly, Tokyo. Detailed instructions were sent by email and tickets sent to our hotels in advance with handwritten, step-by-step itinerary to travel to and from places. He set us up with lovely Japanese-native, mostly English-speaking guides in each city. Here are their names and memories of them:

Sachi Oguchi-san in Osaka - she was kind, patient and flexible, and took us off course to the Osaka Natural History Museum. She encouraged us to try the foods Osaka is known for.
Noboru Narukawa-san in Kumamoto – He was the kindest and sunniest person; he reminded me of my Japanese family in Hawaii. We communicated with Google Translate.
Akiko Tonomura-san in Kyoto - She was just as wonderful as the other guides, fun, enjoyable to learn from and kind, kind, kind.
Eriko Ishiguro-san in Tokyo - So filled with tender care for our family and really got to know us personally. She helped us to get familiar with Tokyo’s transportation system; I’m envious of its efficiency.

Through continued correspondence with Okada-san before, during and after Japan, I got to know him almost as a friend, sharing stories and emotions evoked by them. That’s the part of this writing I wanted to emphasize, how someone so far could have so much impact across the miles.

Thank you, Okada-san, from my and my family’s heart, for doing what you do so well and for helping to change our lives and viewpoints of the world.