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  3. Rajesh's Family Trip: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nagano and Osaka

Family trip to Japan, July 2025
Japan | Jun 28 - Jul 8, 2025

R
Rajesh G.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Jul 18, 2025

We had a great trip and Hiroshi and the team were great. One potential item for improvement would be improved communication during the planning stage. Sometimes we were confused about why our itinerary was set up the way it was, but when we asked for clarification the explanation always made sense.

Highlights of our trip were the Ryoken in Narai, Sushi in Osaka, day trip to Hiroshima, Kimono photoshoot and Kinstugi in Kyoto, walking the Nakasendo. Great trip.

Hotel Reviews
Byaku Narai
Nagano

Beautiful property in a quiet Japanese village.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Cross Hotel Kyoto
Kyoto

Amazing location in Kyoto, close to everything. Rooms were compact and breakfast was all tourists. I think this is typical for Kyoto at this time of year.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hakone Gora KARAKU

Beautiful facility with opportunities to improve service.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
The service is not up to par. For example dinner is included and we were asked for the time when we checked in. The food was fine, but the service was not. We were served a kaiseki meal in less than an hour. Servers hurried the experience and it was rushed and uncomfortable. The service is below average for a property of this caliber.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The onsen facilities were lovely.
Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku
Tokyo

Great location in Asakusa. Just be aware the neighborhood gets quiet after 8 PM, so if you want a later meal there are slim pickings.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel
Osaka

The view!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Private Kintsugi Experience with Kiyomizu-yaki: Restoring Beauty with Gold and Silver
Private Kintsugi Experience with Kiyomizu-yaki: Restoring Beauty with Gold and Silver
Kyoto

What a neat experience at a 7th generation family business.

Quality of Experience
Dressing Up in Traditional Kimono and Enjoy a Photoshoot!
Dressing Up in Traditional Kimono and Enjoy a Photoshoot!
Kyoto

I thought this would be silly, but it was a lot of fun. We all enjoyed it.

Quality of Experience
Experience Making Your Own Sushi Followed with a Top-Notch Sushi Dinner
Experience Making Your Own Sushi Followed with a Top-Notch Sushi Dinner
Osaka

My favorite meal of the trip. Outstanding Omakase experience.

Quality of Experience
Local specialist: Hiroshi Tsuji
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