Stress Free Japan for First Timers
Japan | Jun 26 - Jul 5, 2025

L
Loretta S.
Newark, NJ | Reviewed on Jul 08, 2025

For the first time in years, I decided to use a travel agent to help me plan our trip to Japan and a friend told me about Kimkim. It was the best decision! Angel, our travel agent local to Japan, prepared a perfect itinerary for our family, was quick to respond to any questions I had and planned a stress free trip for us. Kimkim and Angel were amazing!

Hotel Reviews
the b asakusa
Tokyo

Comfortable stay in a quieter yet tourist friendly part of Tokyo. No complaints

Authenticity & Character
Location
Quieter part of the city with lots of places to see, shop and eat
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hakone Hotel Kajikaso
Hakone

The hotel is in a beautiful and peaceful location with a close walk into town. So interesting and unique to experience a traditional Japanese hotel, the onsen, and authentic meals in our room overlooking the river.

Authenticity & Character
Very authentic and unique experience
Location
Beautiful and serene yet close to the small town and walks by the river
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The hotel was incredibly clean, however, I was not expecting how uncomfortable I would be sleeping Japanese style.
Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto ekimae PREMIER
Kyoto

Very comfortable hotel in a convenient location near train station. Great amenities available with laundry, breakfast and a toiletries bar in the lobby for anything you may have forgotten. Check in/check out was so efficient. Loved the soaking tub in the bathroom!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very clean but bed and pillows were quite firm for me
Cross Hotel Osaka
Osaka

Perfect location a few steps away from Dotonburi in one direction and high end stores in the other. The staff was especially friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was the best we had on the trip. So many options!

Authenticity & Character
Breakfast buffet was memorable, location perfect
Location
Staff
Very helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Loved the bathroom set up and beds were comfy
Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu
Tokyo

We spent only 1 night here but loved the view of the crossing and convenience to the train station. Had a great meal in the cafe and breakfast buffet was amazing! Bed was very comfortable and room was the largest we had in the trip.

Authenticity & Character
Unique location
Location
Great views of the crossing
Staff
Very helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Beds were comfortable and breakfast was great! Knocking off 1 star as the AC was not working great in our room. Had it at the coldest setting and still a bit warm at night.
Activity Reviews
Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Culture & Life
Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Culture & Life
Tokyo

Nao was our tour guide for our first full day in Japan. She was the best and asked us if we liked the planned itinerary and made subtle changes along the way to our plans that perfectly suited my family!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Nao went above and beyond to change things up and give us the Tokyo intro we won’t forget
Transport
Walked or used the subway. Having someone explain the subway system to us the first day was sooo helpful
Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku
Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku
Tokyo

While we had some great food in places we would not have found ourselves, the food itself did not stand out to me as being that memorable. I had hoped for something a bit more special. The guide was very hard to hear in loud places and I felt like we missed out on interesting info about the area.

Quality of Experience
Food
Food was average
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Difficult to hear
Transport
Walking tour in cool areas
Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park
Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park
Japan

Such a different experience from Tokyo - serene landscapes with Mt Fuji as the backdrop with a private guide and driver. Ayumi our tour guide was great at giving us information on the area and history. She also tailored the experience based off of my family’s interests which made the day very special. Ayumi and Mr Kong, our driver, made the day fun and relaxed.

Quality of Experience
Beautiful landscape and area
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Ayumi and Mr Kong were our favorite guides on our whole trip
Transport
Best driver we had!
Half Day Samurai Ninja Museum and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya
Half Day Samurai Ninja Museum and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya
Kyoto

Really fun touristy experience that gave us a lot of laughs and pictures! Only drawback was the time of year being summer did make the kimonos uncomfortable but we had a lot of fun with it

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our tea guide was a bit reserved but our guide at the Samurai experience was really funny
Transport
Not applicable
Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha
Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha
Kyoto

We got to see so many sites on this tour and learned a great deal about ancient history. Kyoto is an amazing place and very unique. Unfortunately one of the main castles was closed the day of our visit and the tour guide had purchased tickets in advance so it felt like a letdown

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide on this trip was very difficult to hear as she only spoke to one of us at a time. We regrouped after the tour and shared what we each learned to get a better feel for what we saw that day
Transport
We spent a good amount of time commuting to the castle only to find out it was closed. Felt like a waste of precious time in a great city
Full Day City Tour with  Osaka Castle
Full Day City Tour with Osaka Castle
Japan

We added Osaka to our itinerary last minute and I’m so glad we did! Although Osaka is another large city close to Kyoto, the vibes were so different. Very friendly and fun place. Had a great guide Senei who we really enjoyed spending the day with! Having a private driver made transport a breeze.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide had the best English in our trip and tailored the itinerary to our family
Transport
Mr Kole was a great driver! Very easy to get around and see a lot in one day!
Local specialist: Angel Tang