Odynovo Tours Co., Ltd

This is my third trip to Japan but my second time utilizing Kimkim. Wanted to try them again to see if there are improvements if I were to go Kyushu. So I booked a trip with them to head to Kyushu, Chugoku and then Osaka.

So my journey was Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Hiroshima and then Osaka.
Lets start with the positives.

The journey itinerary was mostly planned well, activities had somewhat sufficient time for most locations. Shona had made a sturdy plan in theory. And had hired a good team of guides to show me around.

My favorite would be the boat ride in Takachiho Gorge followed by the Food tour in Hiroshima. That was amazing.

Now on small things to work on. This is alot better than when I used them for the first time.
Firstly, for locations that require longer travel distance by public transport, do either make sure the guide is hired for sufficient time, sometimes, 8 hours in insufficient to cover 4 locations.

For me specifically, Miyazaki, it is a location far and also public transport has an interval of 1 hour and 30 mins. There was a rush between Aoshima Shrine and Udo Shrine. And also the guide could only cover 2 out of 4 locations. I personally could not cover Haniwa Garden within the time limit before it closed.
Do try to check in during the planning stage on potential transport requirements due to this

Lastly for Kumamoto, I was not able to go to Mt Aso, but its understandable due to the weather and the recent tragic accident on the crater. But even if we had tried to go, the time is quite tight and within the day period, we could cover only 3/4 theoretically speaking.

Overall to help with feedback, my advice is to understand the distance between locations and reserve the guide and drivers for the right amount of time. This is of course best done in the planning stage given the months to do so

But overall, it was an amazing trip, Shona did try to be as helpful as possible to alleviate the trip needs which I do feel is commendable. Thank you for the improvement from my previous engagement with you.

Looking forward to utilizing them again should the need arise.

Our trip to China was truly spectacular, the Great Wall totally met our expectations and to visit it during snowfall made for a uniquely beautiful experience. Xi'an is a lovely, warm-hearted city that we really enjoyed strolling through. Our excellent Xi'an local guide Coco was very well paced and knowledgeable. She had a cheerful, welcoming personality, and was happy to answer all our questions about the old city. She shared so much of the city's interesting history with us, adding even more to our feeling of awe. In the scenic area of Guilin, our local guide, Fei, was very eager to share the beauty of her home with us, ensuring we went to all the best spots. Chongqing, our last destination on the trip, totally blew us away with its futuristic cityscapes. Our local guide, Yudy, was so energetic and excited to introduce us to all the mesmerizing sights of Chongqing. Yudy spared no effort in ensuring we did all we wanted to do and made our Chongqing experience so captivating that we would love to return. Of course, our local specialist, Heidi, was such a great help every step of the way, checking in to make sure all was well and that we were making all our transfers successfully. We are so happy with how the trip turned out!

In Beijing, Edward was professional, attentive, punctual and knowledgeable on our tour of The Forbidden City and The Great Wall. We have no complaints about him and would unhesitatingly recommend him for future tours.

In Xi’an, Coco was an absolute delight. She was charming, a sweet personality and extremely knowledgeable on our tour of The Terracotta Warriors. We were sorry to have spent such a short time with her.

In Luoyong, the energetic Lili joined us in our 1hour exercise at the kung fu school and was knowledgeable of the tour of the Shaolin Temple and the Pagoda Forest.

In Guilin, Fei was down to earth and we quickly bonded with her. She was friendly, helpful, talkative and looked after us well.

Finally in Chongqing, the unforgettable Udy was funny, entertaining, engaging. We took great delight in touring Chongqing city with her and were sad to say goodbye.

Coordinating this trip with Heidi was seamless and she helped us to curate a wonderful and unforgettable customized experience.

Another great trip planned by Olivia and the team at KimKim; it was a true winter adventure. The prefecture of Hokkaido is not to be missed in winter. The Sapporo snow festival and visit to Otaru were my cultural highlights of this trip and would have been missed without Olivia’s guidance! Thank you ensuring we experienced those.
And of course was the snowboarding! The japow! Unforgettable experience again with true ski in/ski out facilities.
Thanks again and can’t wait for the next one!

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Niseko Village

True ski in/ski out!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo West

Sapporo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shiba Park Hotel

Tokyo

Activity Reviews

2026 Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo

Otaru Winter Stroll: Canals, Lights, and Love

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Our guide was great - knowledgeable and great energy!

Great trip to Japan! (Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo). Olivia was a fantastic planner and her recommendations did not disappoint. She helped make our trip (with children) as painless as possible and even helped us postpone and rebook when an unexpected family emergency popped up. If you want to get the most out of your time, I can highly recommend KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Gion Ryokan Karaku

kyoto

This was a fun way to spend an authentic Japanese night in Kyoto. As expected we slept on mats on the floor, the room had a traditional Japanese table & chairs (very low on the floor.) . The complimentary breakfast was traditional Japanese style also with rice and miso soup and fish. If you have mobility issues or you want a typical North American breakfast this is probably not the experience for you but if you're looking for adventure, our Canadian family with young kids loved it! The location was very conveniently located at the end of the shopping district. Subway was about a 10 minute walk, or you can take a cab for 15 mins to get to Kyoto station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

RIHGA Royal Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

The complimentary breakfast was amazing, showcasing many traditional Japanese breakfast elements, with plenty of European / North American options for the less adventurous. Their auto-coffee / hot chocolate / matcha machine was incredible. A wide selection of alcoholic beverages (complimentary) at both breakfast and the evening appetizer event each night. There were traditional activities each afternoon. The subway station was a 8 minute walk and takes you straight to Kyoto station and the rest of the network for Kyoto / Osaka / Nara. Room was comfortable and the hotel was quiet and private with a 10 minute walk to massive shopping district from narrow street bizarre type feel to high end luxury goods. This is a great location to stay in Kyoto.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ninja Training in Kyoto: Ninja Experience - 2 HOURS / SWORD INCLUDED

Kyoto

This was a fun activity. We dressed up as ninjas and got to shoot blow darts and throw ninja stars at targets. We also got to fight each other with foam-covered swords. This was most fun for our kids (8 & 10) but we got some nice photos out of it. The first portion was an hour, then the second portion: we walked about 1km to the ninja museum and got a 30 minute tour through the 3 storey facility on the history of Samurai & Ninja culture. Great displays and a very well done tour / history lesson. This was more fun for the adults. I'm not sure what the "SWORD INCLUDED" refers to. We did get a plastic throwing-star as a "prize" for the person closest to the target, but no swords.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Geisha and Maiko Makeover Experience in Kyoto

Kyoto

Wow, what an amazing transformation! My daughters (8 & 10) loved it, and my wife who isn't much for dressing up or putting on make up, enjoyed the experience too. The professional photos that were included are really fantastic. Definitely the highlight of the trip for one of my daughters.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kyoto: Authentic Sushi-Making Cooking Class

Kyoto

We did the bento-making class with kids and had a great time! We learned a lot (feel comfortable to try on our own at home) and the food was delicious. A great way to learn about this history of the food, and the ingredients and have a great (large) meal too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Asakusa Sumo Club: Sumo Show Admission with Chankonabe in Tokyo

Tokyo

Wow. What an amazing experience! I didn't know what to expect but this was really well done, catering to visitors who want to learn more about sumo culture. Explanations of the history, rules and lifestyle of sumo wrestlers plus an authentic match between 2 former professional wrestlers and the opportunity to wrestle one yourself. The sumo-meal that is included was fantastic too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tokyo Highlights Day Tour with Tsukiji Outer Fish Market

Tokyo

What a great way to experience a nice cross-section of Tokyo in a single day. We walked about 20,000 steps but mainly used the subway to jet all over town. It was a brilliant introduction to what otherwise could be a very intimidating city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kumiko was fantastic!

Transport

It was a great introduction to the Tokyo subway system at various levels of congestion during the day.

Our tour was very well executed, the guides well versed and committed to making sure each moment of our trip was special. All pre-planned travel vouchers, event tickets, etc. were accepted without any problem. All in all, it was our first trup with KimKim and we will be certain to use it again.