Amazing family trip to Japan with teen boys
Japan | Aug 6 - Aug 19, 2025

Tara
Tara S.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Aug 20, 2025

We had an amazing family trip to Japan. Leny and her team were wonderful to work with from beginning to end. We asked for her to cut the original cost in half, which she managed to do and still secure us a very nice itinerary and accommodations.

All of our planned activities as well as our self guided day suggestions were a great fit for our family. It was the best vacation we have ever had with our two teenagers, who are not always an easy age to travel with or keep engaged.

The night at the ryokan in Hokone was an unforgettable traditional Japanese experience. We also loved Hotel Brighton in Kyoto as we were able to rent bicycles from the hotel and enjoy Kyoto on bike.
We especially loved all of the animals we got to encounter while in Japan. The deer in Nara, the Monkeys at Arashiyama (Kyoto) and the Otters/owls/kapibara/meerkat at the “Cute otter cafe” in Tokyo. We also really enjoyed our ramen making class in Osaka as a family and our visit to TeamLabs in Tokyo.
A couple of items that weren’t on the itinerary that we loved was going to a Giants game in Tokyo, the Kyoto Railroad Museum, and visiting the Aquarium in Osaka.
Truly a trip of a lifetime. We will certainly be using KimKim and Leny’s services for traveling again in the future. It was our first time using a service like this and I can’t even begin to thank Leny and her team enough. They made our 2 weeks in Japan together go so smoothly. They were regularly checking in and reminding us of any updates and itinerary items. All of our documents were arranged and ready for us ahead of time and all worked as expected. This experience has changed how I will travel from now on.

Local specialist: Leny Vergara
Leny
Leny Vergara
Local specialist in Japan | Replied on Aug 21, 2025
Thank you so much, Tara, for sharing such a thoughtful review. I’m delighted to hear your family’s trip to Japan went so smoothly and that the mix of guided tours and self-guided days was the right balance. It makes me especially happy that the ryokan stay in Hakone was such a highlight, and that your teenagers enjoyed the experiences as well—it’s not always easy to keep them engaged on a long trip, so that’s wonderful to hear. I also enjoyed reading about the extra places you discovered on... Read more

Thank you so much, Tara, for sharing such a thoughtful review. I’m delighted to hear your family’s trip to Japan went so smoothly and that the mix of guided tours and self-guided days was the right balance. It makes me especially happy that the ryokan stay in Hakone was such a highlight, and that your teenagers enjoyed the experiences as well—it’s not always easy to keep them engaged on a long trip, so that’s wonderful to hear.

I also enjoyed reading about the extra places you discovered on your own, like the Giants game, Kyoto Railroad Museum, and Osaka Aquarium. Those kinds of spontaneous finds are what make a trip feel truly personal, and it’s great that you embraced them.

It was a pleasure putting this journey together for you and staying connected throughout to ensure everything went as planned. I’m glad the arrangements helped keep things stress-free so you could simply enjoy your time together. Thank you again for trusting me with such a meaningful family adventure—I’d love to help plan another unforgettable trip for you in the future.

Warm regards,
Leny