Savor & Soak Travel Co.

Adeline was a fantastic trip planner! She had so much patience as we moved our schedule around. The guides and drivers she found for us were great and the hotels were super convenient. She explained everything to us so we were able to take the subway, hail cabs, and use Uber in Japan. Favorite activities were driving street carts in Shabuya, tea with a Maiko in Kyoto, and Teamlabs. We scheduled three activities a day and got them all in!

Adeline listened to a bunch of my wild ideas for a once in a lifetime adventure in Japan and delivered an exceptional itinerary matching my desires and traveling style. Her choice suggestions on where to stay and how to explore Mt Fuji, Matsumoto, Kamikochi and Nagano again matched my local culture immersive vision for this trip. Every detail felt personally attended to by Adeline leaving me with this “co-pilot support” for a traveler who was concerned about a “lost in translation” situation traveling alone - in Japan - for the first time. Thank you 🙏 for sharing your insights and knowledge of Japan creating a memorable journey that truly fulfilled my vision.

Activity Review

Hiking in Matsumoto

Matsumoto

Overall I was very happy with this trip. Adeline did a good job of communicating when planning the trip. All of the local guides were great except one and she was still passable. We did a lot of the trip on our own. As an experienced traveller we were able to figure out the local transportation but for people who are not seasoned or dont have a good understanding of Google maps the trip would have been difficult. I would encourage every one to stay in a Ryoken.

Adeline was the absolute best travel agent for our family! She was so easy to work with and always very responsive. Our trip was the perfect mix of having things planned while leaving time and space to explore and discover things on our own. Everything that Adeline planned for us went smoothly. All of our hotels, transfers, museum tickets were perfectly executed. We love all our hotels (we stayed in four separate locations over 2 weeks) and especially enjoyed the Japanese onsen culture. Having the KimKim app on our phones with our itinerary loaded for each day was so helpful. We could click through links to google maps or to our museum tickets for that day. We had a smooth experience from start to finish and loved Adeline and loved our trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Koo OotsuHyakucho

Otsu

This hotel was above and beyond! We had our own two story condo that was a converted tea house on a market street in Otsu. We were just a 15 min train ride away from Kyoto making it a great home base for exploring in and around Kyoto. The amenities at this hotel were incredible: we had locally made toiletries, pajamas, sweets every night, and a fridge stocked with drinks. There was a delicious breakfast included as well as a lounge for snacks, coffees and happy hour just down the street. We loved this town and this unit!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Forêt de Repos

This was a peaceful and quirky place in the forest. We had a room with our own private soaking bath and I recommend you get that as well. There is also a public bath that is immersed in the forest. The dinner and breakfast included were delicious! Lovely place to recharge and a good home base to explore the countryside and some seaside villages.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hoshino Resorts KAI Kaga

Kaga

What a treat! The room was peaceful and spacious. The onsen was gorgeous and relaxing. The food was out of this world! Our family of 4 felt pampered and relaxed. The little village is delightful to walk through as well.

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Staff

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&Here TOKYO UENO

Tokyo

Best hotel for families! We had a super fun bunk style room with kitchenette. We were near various train stations. We could go for runs and walks in the nearby park. There were plenty of food options nearby. And, a gorgeous onsen on the top floor!

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

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Activity Reviews

Ninja Experience in Kyoto (Family & Kid Friendly)

Japan

Our kids loved this! We learned alot about ninja and samarai culture and had fun! Definitely touristy, but so is most of this part of Kyoto.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rental Car

Kaga

Easy! Small car made it easy to navigate the narrow roads. Pick and and drop off were simple.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adeline created a comprehensive itinerary for our recent Japan trip that included everything we wanted to see and do, including the famous Guitar Street in Tokyo, temples/shrines in Kyoto and beautiful cherry blossoms in Kanazawa. Adeline's insight and guidance has been invaluable to us. She prepped us on how to navigate the complexities of the metro system in Tokyo, organized our bullet train tickets for Kanazawa and Kyoto and even booked us a seat on the side of the train for one of our train trips that allowed us to luckily see Mount Fuji! Our guides Carol (in Tokyo) and Nao (in Kyoto) were wonderful - so incredibly knowledgeable and kind! Our private tour with Nao was particularly memorable as he took us the outskirts of Kyoto to the lesser known temples and shrines where there were no crowds and we were able to enjoy the peace and tranquility of being in those religious spaces. He also expounded on the philosophical and religious traditions (namely Shintoism, Taoism and Zen Buddhism) that impact Japanese culture and practices. It was a very eye-opening and informative tour! We are already excited to book another trip to Japan in the future!

We cannot say enough amazing things about our travel agent, Adeline, for coordinating what was truly the vacation of a lifetime. We have traveled to many places around the world, but this was by far the best vacation we have ever taken. From start to finish, we took full advantage of every single moment of this trip.

The itinerary was perfectly designed, starting in Fukuoka and ending in Tokyo, with every destination, hotel, and experience thoughtfully planned. Everything was meticulously mapped out—from what to see, to how to get there, and even where and what to eat. The balance between culture, food, sightseeing, and free time was absolutely spot-on. We experienced Japan in a way we never could have planned on our own.

While we could have selected the places we wanted to visit, thanks to Adeline, the logistics were flawless. We never wasted time figuring things out, moving inefficiently, or missing opportunities. Her planning ensured we were always in the right place at the right time, giving us more time to see, do, and truly enjoy Japan.

We provided a list of key things we wanted to see and took advice from Adeline (who has lived in Japan) to ensure the entire trip was perfectly customized to our interests and travel style.

We also had full support throughout the trip. For example, when unforeseen circumstances required us to change the following day’s plans, Adeline adjusted the entire itinerary within hours and sent us a complete, updated plan without any disruption to our experience.

Every detail was handled with care—transportation, accommodations, timing, and recommendations were completely seamless. We felt supported the entire time while still having the freedom to enjoy the adventure stress-free.

This was hands-down the best vacation of our lives, and it’s 100% thanks to the expertise, planning, and passion Adeline put into making this dream trip a reality. If you’re considering traveling to Japan, or anywhere… do yourself a favor and book with her. You will not be disappointed.

Highly recommended!

Hotel Reviews

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

A little disappointed couldn't use the onsen due to tattoos so couldn't give full review as we couldn't experience the main point of this hotel. Besides that the room and location is very authentic and gives nice experience

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

Great experience at this hotel from the location to the staff. They made the experience special

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Self-Guided Sightseeing in Arashiyama

Kyoto

Very nice nature spot but be prepared for allot of people. Recommend getting the guys that run you around on a carriage tour for more vip experience. The monkey park was cool but you need to climb to the top of the mountain to get there. The area in general is beautiful and su much to do

Quality of Experience

Transport

Onsen, Ryokan, and Mt. Fuji Experience in Hakone

Hakone

Couldn't use the onsen because of tattoos and is main selling point of the hotel. Was able to use private onsen in the room which was ok. The room is meant to be traditional which was nice experience. Cable cars were shut down most the day due to wind. Pirate ship was nice. Pay the vip to get more private experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Difficult to move around this area. Used taxi allot not to waste time

Sumo Morning Practice

Tokyo

The Google address to the location is wrong so when you get there they have a sign to go to the right address which made us arrive late to the event which was disappointing since being 30 min late to an event that was only 1 hour we lost allot of time. Besides that was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Google address provided was incorrect causing delay

Half Day Samurai Ninja Museum and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

The tea ceremony was very nice to dress up and be explained how the tea ceremony works. The samurai Ninja experience was a bit anticlimactic and more tailored to children. We could have skipped the samurai part and only don't the tea ceremony

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tea ceremony staff was great. Samurai guide not so much

Transport

Easy to find

We worked with Adeline at Kim Kim to plan our first trip to Japan, and the experience exceeded every expectation. She handled all hotels, transportation and created a recommended daily itinerary with lots of travel tips. While not totally stress free as Japan is intimidating with its size, language barriers and cultural nuances, everything went smoothly and logically.

Our hotels in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto were close to train stations, clean and quiet. Only change I would have made is location of hotel in Kyoto. Since our time there was short it, we would have preferred to stay in the heart of the tourist area. However it did have a public bathing pool which was awesome at the end of a ten-mile walking day.

This was one of the best trips we’ve ever taken. Kim Kim delivered exactly what they promised and will absolutely use them again.

Hotel Reviews

The Blossom Kyoto

Kyoto

Room was smaller and no view. Loved shower, bathing pool and snack area. Location was not ideal for what we ended up doing but that was our fault as we changed our itinerary.

Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel

Hiroshima

Beautiful hotel and location to train station. Wonderful food buffet and staff. Hotel was so quiet and fast elevators considering how large it is.

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyobashi / Tokyo Station

Excellent location and breakfast. Would have upgraded to a larger room if one was available.

Activity Review

Half Day Private Guide in Tsukishima

Tokyo

Carol was a fantastic guide. It was our first morning in Japan and we ended up not going to Tsukishima but to Asakusa and Shibuya and Meiji Jingu followed by a wonderful lunch off the beaten path. She showed us so much and gave us tips and places to explore on our own. Wish we had more time with her.

We had an amazing adventure in Japan, a lot of it due to Adeline's time and attention to detail. She always responded quickly and went above and beyond with all the excursions that were booked. We probably would not have done the tea at teamLab or gone up the extra floors at Tokyo Tower had it not been for Adeline. Also, our guide in Toyko, Sakai Mari was amazing! She helped guide us through our first day of riding the subway, gave us a Tokyo guidebook with the subway and train lines that was very helpful, and most of all spoke perfect English with little trace of an accent which made it very easy for us to understand her. I would highly recommend KimKim and especially Adeline when booking any trip!

Hotel Reviews

JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Shinjuku

Tokyo

Great staff and they allowed us to check in early and stay an extra hour which was most helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi

Osaka

Great location, great staff, very modern looking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma

Kyoto

Located on a busy street but the staff was very friendly and helpful especially when speaking to taxi drivers and always waited until we left until retreating inside.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

The staff was amazing and very helpful. Not to mention this is a beautiful hotel and very well located with easy access to trains and other landmarks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hakone Day Trip

Tokyo

The Hakone Day Trip was nice, but we should have considered staying overnight. I heard from a friend about hotels with private hot springs in rooms, which would have been a great experience. Although we were cautious due to our travel group, staying in Hakone could have added more to our trip.

Ramen and Gyoza Cooking Class

Osaka

We made ramen noodles and gyoza from scratch. It was delicious and a great way to experience Japanese food in a different way.

Quality of Experience

Food

Reservation at Tokyo Pokemon Cafe

Tokyo

If you are a Pokeman fan it is worth it, if not skip. Food is not that great; there is no place to sit and the lines in the store are very long.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half Day Tokyo City Tour - Asakusa & Skytree

Tokyo

Our guide, Sakai Mari was amazing! She helped us navigate the subways so we could later do it on our own, taught us all about the difference of shrines and temples, took us to unique shops and had barely a trace of an accent which made her very easy to understand.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate everything Adeline did for us to plan our dream vacation to Japan. Not only was she able to keep us in budget but helped us schedule all our wish list items, kept us organized, on scheduled and gave great tips, suggestions and directions. She was also great about answering all of our questions in a timely manner before the trip and while we were there. I would definitely recommend her to all my friends and family, I know I could not have planned a more perfect trip without her.

Hotel Review

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

Of all our hotels we stayed at in Japan, this was by far the best. Amazing customer service, rooms with great views and the best breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right by the train station but not right in the middle of all the crowds and noise.

Staff

Everyone offered great amazing customer service from check in, concierge and wait staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ramen and Gyoza Cooking Class

Osaka

Such a great cooking class. They kept us on schedule and were really hands on in training and the food we made was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

So much fun getting dressed up, learning about the tea ceremony and performing it on our own. Definite must!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Tokyo City Tour - Asakusa & Skytree

Tokyo

Our favorite guided tour. The guide took us to all the best spots for shopping as well as the sites and helped us navigate the trains on our first day in Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adeline worked with me to plan me and my husband's first trip to Japan. The accommodations were fabulous and varied from traditional ryokan to modern hotel. We were able to experience more rural areas of Japan as well as the major city hubs and the tickets/instructions for transportation were ready for us at the first location. She was an amazing resource throughout and thought of everything.