Odynovo Tours Co., Ltd

Absolutely phenomenal trip from start to
Finish. Everything was thought of and well planned out. The choices were on point. I appreciate the local considerations in planning the trip and Cannon was fantastic throughout the planning and trip itself.

Hotel Reviews

Tokyo Dome Hotel

Tokyo

Great location and amenities. Really good area of Tokyo and hotel was spacious. Great morning breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Accommodating to all visitors

Location

Lots around it so made a lot within walking distance

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Well maintained hotel

SAKURA TERRACE THE GALLERY

Kyoto

Loved this hotel - great location to many things and the amenities are great. The breakfast was awesome and loved the vibe of the lobby area around the fire pits.

Authenticity & Character

Felt a part of the area; loved the onsen

Location

Close to train station and two malls

Staff

Super friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amenities like onsen, bar area, and gym are great

Hotel Hankyu RESPIRE OSAKA

Osaka

Hotel was well situated and very modern. Close to the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Didn’t feel like a big hotel but had relaxing vibe

Location

By trains

Staff

Very helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Excellent common areas and room

Activity Reviews

Osaka: Guided Walking Tour with a Native Expert – Top Sights

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Liked it was a group tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was super knowledgeable

Transport

Meiji Jingu Cultural Walk with Tsukiji Market

Tokyo

Excellent day seeing sights and hearing all the history. It was very comprehensive in nature. The guide really infused history and culture in the whole walk and we carried that thru our whole trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was excellent and gave us many other recommendations for the city

Transport

Helpful to learn the transportation with guide there

Mount Fuji Day Trip: Adventure around Lake Kawaguchiko

Tokyo

Really nice to spend the day out and about the area. Guide was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent

Transport

Kyoto’s Cultural Treasures: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera & Gion District

Japan

An entire day learning the history and seeing many sights. Really enjoyed the time with the guide as we went thru the city. It was good to learn to navigate the buses. Guide is flexible to time and interests too. We packed in a lot in a day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

This was super fun to dress up and learn the history of the team ceremony. We really enjoyed this cultural immersion.

Quality of Experience

Fantastic

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Nara City Tour, Overnight in Osaka

Japan

We really enjoyed the day in Nara both for the sites, the deer and the restaurant we stopped at. It was a great place to spend time.

Quality of Experience

lol

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great driver and comfortable ride

Transport

Excellent

All of the guides were excellent and everything was well planned and coordinated. Great hotels.

Hotel Reviews

Shiba Park Hotel

Tokyo

Good location. Great buffet. But rooms are rather small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

A great experience! Nice amenities and balcony view with hot spring water was amazing. Loved the free ice cream and beverages!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Kanra Kyoto

Kyoto

Very cool rooms with ab excellent buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

Very moving museum experience. Wish we could spend more time on island.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Highlights: A Day of Tradional & Modern Culture with Local Life

Tokyo

Nice tour of Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi Tour with Hakone Tozan Railway

Japan

Very scenic. Couldn't see Mt Fuji but I hear that is fairly typical. Interesting ride up the mountain and nice boat tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Osaka Castle, Shitennoji Temple, Umeda Sky Building and Shinsaibashi Tour

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour of Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

Great tour. Wish we could have spent more time in certain places but we packed a lot in.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Very nice but didn't find it all that compelling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Official Street Go-Kart Tour - Osaka Shop

Osaka

A lot of fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Nara Kofuku-ji, Todai-ji, and Isuien Garden Tour

Kyoto

Interesting tour but a bit repetitive from what we've done elsewhere.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, our 24 day trip with our two adult children (4 people all together) to Japan was outstanding. Ada with Kimkim was exceptionally responsive in our trip preparation and spared us numerous booking details, transportation logistics, ticket purchasing and itinerary planning, while still allowing lots of flexibility for us to modify most of our days. The private tours we signed up for were all worthwhile— only 6 in 24 days, and most guides managed with fair English but were very thoughtful, attentive and responsive. JJ, Jo, Kei, Kay, Ayumi and especially David in Kanazawa were excellent. There were only a couple minor glitches; once with using the odd double ticket needed for the Shinkansen, and once when a museum on our itinerary was closed the day we were supposed to go. But we shuffled the itinerary to make it work. Kimkim took note and even reimbursed one transfer for our unused tickets.
Kimkim is a great service. Professional, exacting, customizable, responsible. Paying a bit more if any in booking fees is totally worth having an organized trip, especially in a country like Japan, spread out over a large area, with mobs of people, many travel connections, almost no English speakers, and trekking off the beaten path. We highly recommend Kimkim for any travel, long or short, comfort driven or off the beaten path.

M

Hotel Reviews

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Kiyomizu Gojo

kyoto

Great breakfast, service, location and accommodations

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient to train and walking to sites

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were excellent and attention to detail was superb all around

Taoya Kisoji

Tsumago

Luxurious! Very generous free snacks room and especially good complementary massage chairs. Memorable stay

Authenticity & Character

Location

Off the beaten path in small town but outstanding service and everything you could want coming off the Nakasendo trail.

Staff

Activity Reviews

Full Day Gokayama and Shirakawago Tour from Kanazawa

Japan

Great slice of a very different side of Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

“K” Katsuhiko was so friendly, kind and helpful

Tokyo Highlights: A Day of Tradional & Modern Culture with Local Life

Tokyo

Ayumi was wonderful. The pace, sites, explanations of culture, shrines and temples were very good and thorough. She also had inside knowledge of a food place to buy Japanese knives away from some overpriced options.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Got to where we wanted to go efficiently

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Japan

Gorgeous setting but quite a long drive to see Mt Fugi from a distance. Fugiyoshida is a lovely setting with a beautiful park. But it was the most touristy of our excursions. Especially the boat ride.

Quality of Experience

JJ was great. Would probably select a different king of excursion

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour (Kinkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle and Fushimi-Inari Taisha)

Kyoto

The heart and soul of Japanese castles and shrines to immerse you in the Shinto / Buddhist cultural icons

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Helped explain so many symbols and rituals

Full Day Miyajima Island and Memorial Park Tour

Hiroshima

Must see if you have any interest in Hiroshima history and environs, past and present.

1-Day Tour: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake in Nagano (Join-in)

Japan

On the surface it can feel touristy, but this is not a zoo. More like a National Geographic excursion to the truly phenomenal evolution of a troop of unique Macaque monkeys.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour of Kanawaza With Dinner

Kanazawa

One of the most detailed and entertaining tours we did. David was outstanding. Focused on stories more than just interesting history. Interacted with the group exceptionally and added his own fun trivia game at the end to help reinforce what we learned.

Quality of Experience

Food

Out of the way restaurant that felt like the home of a local

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above.

Transport

We had the best trip with KimKim to Japan! I loved working with Eleanor, she communicated quickly and throughout the entire process of planning, updating things along the way that we asked for, as well as updated us throughout the trip! Having the help planning and scheduling our Japan trip was so nice and easy! And it was easy to tailor the trip to what we wanted to do etc. I highly recommend this company and Eleanor! Thank you so much! Worth every penny!

Activity Reviews

Enjoy a Guided Tour of Tokyo with teamLab Planets

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Miyajima Half-day Trip Historical Walking Tour

Japan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Historical Highlights Bike Tour with UNESCO Zen Temples

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Onsen, Ryokan, and Mt. Fuji Experience in Hakone

Hakone

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cannon and our drivers did an amazing job helping us navigate through Japan! We couldn't have done it with without them! It put us at ease knowing we had accommodations, transportation and itinerary planned out.

Hotel Reviews

the b asakusa

Tokyo

Clean, comfy, great location and good breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Next to subway stations and tourists attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Clean, comfy, safe and great location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near train station!

Staff

Kind, friendly and accommodating!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fresh bedding and towels daily

Activity Review

Osaka & Nara Day Trip with Osaka Castle and Minoh Park

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A huge thank you to Shona for keeping up with the last minute changes and odd requests. Our last day of travel wasn't clear and a bit confusing, which almost made us miss our train. Thankfully, I Googled how to get to our final destination and saw that we had to travel to a different train station with barely enough time to get on the Shinkansen.

I think we had the best guides ever! Moto, Yasuko, and Fuji. We had so much packed in on the first day, Moto didn't miss a beat and we were able to do everything on our list and then some. We were especially thankful to Fuji for allowing extra time wherever there was water to allow my son to hang out with the fish for a bit.

All-in-all, it was a great trip and so much less stressful than if I had tried to plan it myself. We had no issues, great communication with everyone, fantastic hotels, lovely breakfasts, and a trip we will never forget.

Hotel Reviews

KOKO HOTEL Tsukiji Ginza

Tokyo

We were so busy that we didn't have time to use the amenities that the hotel offers except breakfast and the laundry. The breakfast wasn't as luxurious as some of our other hotels we stayed at, but again, this hotel isn't as big and for the size, the breakfast was perfect. There was enough "western" type foods that we could eat and the Japanese type foods were really good. The laundry was cheap and unlike bigger hotels, not as crowded, so we had no issues using 1 of the 2 machines. I would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A quick walk to the subway and the river.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by GRANVIA

Kyoto

This was a great place to stay. The rooms were modern and nice. The breakfast was amazing. So many yummy options. They get extra points for having massage chairs (paid) especially after a long day of walking around. Located so close to the train station, you don't have to go far to find anything you need.

Authenticity & Character

I thought this hotel was extremely modern and besides the toilet, you wouldn't know you were in Japan. I didn't have any issues with that though because it was extremely comfortable and nice, which is what you want on a long trip.

Location

Right across from the train station!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Monterey Le Frere Osaka

Osaka

I enjoyed the location of this hotel. It is a bit of a walk to the train station, but if you get on the street side, you can look over the city a bit which was a lot of fun for us. It was a tad loud when sirens or loud cars went down the road, but honestly, I thought that was all part of the experience. Ear plugs helped too. The breakfast buffet was absolutely amazing. We weren't here long enough to use any of the amenities, but what we did use, we enjoyed.

Authenticity & Character

It was your typical modern hotel. I didn't have any issues with it because it was comfortable.

Location

A bit of a walk from the train station and noisy, depending on what side you're on.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Nara City Tour: Nara Park, Todai-Ji Temple and More

Kyoto

Feeding the deer is one thing, but just being able to be next to them and pet them like it's no big deal is another. Such an amazing experience to get so close to those magical creatures.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yasuko knew exactly what to do when we get to Nara to make sure our experience was a good one.

Transport

Japan has their public transportation figured out!

Half Day Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park Tour

Kyoto

The bamboo is gorgeous, the hike up the mountain was pretty, and the monkeys were amazing. Getting to feed the younger monkeys was my favorite.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fuji was great!

Transport

Public transportation for the win!

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Akihabara district 1.

Tokyo

This was a looong day. We basically had to speed walk everywhere to fit everything in. I would recommend if this is on your itinerary, to do it the first day you are there because you won't have the steam to this much stuff later on in your trip. We even had our guide take us on a side quest to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, which he graciously did.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Moto was fantastic!

Transport

Public transportation for the win!

Samurai and Ninja Museum with Experience

Kyoto

I like this museum because it was just enough. I didn't realize we got a tour guide once we were in there, so that was a bonus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide in the museum was funny and spoke decent English.

Transport

We walked there, which was such a great walk. We found some great stuff on the way that we would've missed had we drove.

Half day: Gion Kagai Art Museum and Nijo Castle

Japan

The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because I think the Art Museum wasn't all that great. The museum itself is really small, but being able to see the geiko perform was worth going! What an amazing experience. Nijo Castle was really cool. Some stuff on TV was shot there, so it was neat to see it in person, but also, just being in there thinking how they used to live and operate, was cool.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fuji was amazing!

Transport

Public transportation for the win!

Winnie listened to us and helped build a very special itinerary.

Hotel Reviews

The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's conveniently close to the Shiodome train station and a short hike to Ginza shopping

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Kyoto Station

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Most staff didn't seem customer oroented. Except Joe at the front desk. He went above and beyond with customer service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard by Marriott Shin-Osaka Station

Osaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located at the Shin Osaka station. Helpful for day trip to Hiroshima. Not near shopping or restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Japan

This was really a trip to get three different photographs of Mt Fuji: from the water, the garden and the hill.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Samurai Sword Experience for Adults in Kyoto

Kyoto

We enjoyed this experience a great deal. The museum tour added a strong historical component.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

Tour guide was new to the job and didn't know the area well. No discussion of why Osaka is food capital of Japan. First stop was heavy food. The order of the tastes impacts the enjoyment of the tasting experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo City Tour: Imperial Palace East Gardens, Senso-ji Tour & Meiji Shrine

Tokyo

The order of the trip was disjointed. We spent too much time walking to and from train stations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide had a very quiet speaking voice. It was difficult to hear her.

Transport

Clearer explanation of transportation system and the amount of walking involved. Opting for taxis in some circumstances would have been better use of time and energy.

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent guide

Transport

Good mix of transportation

Kyoto Arashiyama Bamboo forest & Hidden Garden Half-Day Walking Tour with Michelin Lunch

Kyoto

Well paced, well narrated walking tour. Guide had a strong voice and good presence

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sushi Making Tokyo Roll and Authentic Japanese Sushi Class

Tokyo

Very well run class. Enjoyable and interactive

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very well trained staff. Friendly and engaging

Transport

Self transport

Asakusa Sumo Club: Sumo Show Admission with Chankonabe in Tokyo

Tokyo

The show was oversold and we were squeezed into a back table with no room to eat our dinner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Nijo Castle, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had 3 guides:
1) Sophia Kim: An absolutely incredible guide. Helpful, knowledgeable, supportive, funny. Her only weak spot was a lack of knowledge of wildlife, which was the entire focus for this portion of the trip. She did the absolute best she could, calling experts, checking the internet for good spots, so she made the best of it. But do try and pick a wildlife expert next time a client requests a wildlife tour.

2) Danny Kim: He put up with the chaos of our group very well. He was patient, and thoughtful and helpful and accommodating. When people didn't want to do a particular event, he made sure we were safe and entertained while the rest of the group went off with him. Other than 4 of us catching the flu, we had a very fun time with Danny.

3) Mickey Park: We only had 1 day with him, and with the typhoon weather we had to drastically change the itinerary, but he handled it like a pro, and made sure we did cool indoor stuff the whole day, even as several of us were succumbing to the flu exhaustion.

Favorite parts:
* Walking amongst the farm fields with Sophia Kim spotting spoon bills and geese and storks and praying mantises.
* Solo walking through Seoul Forest Park and spotting all the birds and bugs
* Being introduced to Tteokbokki by Sophia Kim and wanting to eat it every day now
* Experiencing the underground market on Jeju and eating black pork.
* Having the best burger of my life at Welcome Burger on Jeju Island.

Least Favorite Parts:
* Not focusing on wildlife at the DMZ the first day.
* Discovering that the giant park west of the hotel was entirely walled off by the US government.
* Being told that the hike for Ancient Seunggasa Temple was "Easy". NOTHING about that was easy. That is an advanced, all uphill hike. OMG exhausting!
* Getting rained out of all the outdoor activities on Jeju

All in all it was a fantastic experience and I am very thankful to Christine for organizing it all and making run as smoothly as she could.

Next time, I need to return to Jeju when it's sunny, and experience Busan as well!

What a memorable trip all around Japan! We honestly couldn’t have done it without Cannon. He went above and beyond from start to finish, helping us plan our trip, answering any questions we had while we were there, and making sure we had great recommendations for places to visit, eat, and explore.

Tokyo was an absolute highlight, especially getting to experience Akihabara and all the amazing things to see and do in Asakusa. Having Cannon’s guidance made the entire trip so much easier and allowed us to enjoy our time without worrying about all the little details.

We had an incredible experience exploring Japan and made memories we’ll never forget. We’re already talking about going back, and we would absolutely recommend Cannon to anyone planning a trip to Japan. His help and dedication truly made a difference in our experience!

Hotel Reviews

the b asakusa

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

So close to a train station and being a easy place to get into festivities

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

A great little coffee shop beside it and also close to a train station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Osaka & Nara Day Trip with Osaka Castle and Minoh Park

Japan

The highlight of this trip was definitely getting to check out Osaka Castle. You really need a full day to see everything there but it was still a great time. Nara was great too just have to be careful with the deer because they will check every pocket to see if you have snacks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our first trip to China was an unforgettable delight, exceeding every expectation. It felt as though we had discovered a travel secret too good not to share.
Heidi was responsive, flexible, and attentive to our wishes throughout the planning process. Scheduling conflicts and unexpected visa requirements ultimately reduced our travel party to just my sister and me, but what began as a scouting trip became a wonderful adventure.
Each city captivated us with its distinct history, culture, and character. We encountered extraordinary kindness, and our Muslim dietary requirements were thoughtfully accommodated. Everywhere we went left us eager to return and explore more.
Our guides—George, Sue, Iris, and Ren—made the experience especially memorable. George’s relaxed manner and thoughtful perspectives brought Chinese history and contemporary life into focus. In Xi’an, Sue went above and beyond to make us feel at home, becoming more like family than a guide. Iris’s cheerful energy and thoughtful gifts made our visit to Chengdu and its delightful pandas even more special. Ren helped us experience Shanghai’s vibrant character despite our brief stay.
Transfers were seamless, the hotels offered excellent amenities, and we felt safe and well cared for throughout. Heidi quickly resolved the few unexpected hiccups along the way.
We returned deeply impressed and eager to visit again with our extended families to share the wonders of China.