Reviews

In just one week we visited several cities, rode on a bullet train, ate a wide range of food and saw many sites of interest in the country. An excellent trip.

A truly wonderful experience delivered by a tour company, Wendy Wu, that really knows what makes for an excellent holiday. Our local tour guide was top class and added to the enjoyment of the tour.

Brilliant itinerary, good guide and well organised. Good hotels and attractions visited.

Tour was very well organised and the guide was very experienced and knowledgeable. A good mix of the main tourist sites in the big cities and some smaller cities and towns that were less crowded. Sometimes long days starting early but I didn't mind that because it ensured we got to see more places. Some things could be improved - the quality of the hotels varied, although all were OK and no specific issues with any. The food was generally good but the Japanese food could have been more varied and showcased more of the amazing food available in Japan - many days had very similar bento box style meals.

Excellent tour by train but non-stop. The hotels were of a high standard as it would appear they catered for the business people sector. The guide was very knowledgeable and very caring. My main criticism is that we were too far from the centre of town on many occasions and the hotels didn’t have a bar or social area where the group could meet and relax after a full on day. I am aware that Japan doesn’t have a drinking culture but there wasn’t even a coffee shop in the hotels where we could meet up. Our group was from three different countries and got on very well. I believe the tour could have stopped in Tokyo with some trips out so that we could have immersed ourselves in the art galleries and museums and the funky eating places at night, plus some serious shopping. The last few days travel didn’t enhance the tour but made it exhausting for limited sightseeing. We had to live with belongings for three days and nights whilst our main luggage was taken separately ahead, with no toiletries allowed in this main baggage. We were extremely disappointed with the last meal in the Brewery in Soppora. It was smokey, loud and the average age of the group hadn’t been considered for its appropriateness as a venue and didn’t offer us the opportunity to relax together as a group to say our farewells.
The trip ran like clockwork, stepping off one train and walking seven steps across the platform to catch the connecting one.
The trip could have been cheaper if we had finished our tour in Tokyo as we wouldn’t have had to fly from Soppora to Tokyo to get back to the UK.
All in all I enjoyed this tour very much but the points I have made could have turned a good trip into an outstanding one.

A memorable holiday that delivered what it promised. Having an excellent guide made all the difference. Great organisation throughout the tour.

This is a truly fantastic rail service, I can't fault it,

A very busy and interesting trip taking in the full range of sightseeing possibilities..
The urban sprawl of Tokyo contrasted with the peaceful monastery in the mountains . We saw monkeys and Mount Fuji under blue skies so felt very privileged.
Our guide Shioji was brilliant.

The hotels were all excellent . The guide was outstanding . The details I received prior to the trip were all relevant.
The food was excellent . The coach and the different drivers were all very good .

Visited many amazing places. The local guide was excellent. Food and Hotels very good. Would. have ped a smaller group size but I suppose that would increase the price.

A great trip, all the activities were wonderful, the guide was great snd all the logistics were perfect.

The Jewels of Japan tour was made enjoyable by our guide Arch who did an excellent job. I am a vegetarian so I expected difficulty getting food in Japan. Arch ensured everywhere we went vegetarian food was available for me which I really appreciated. Arch was attentive, well informed and patient with all the tour members. The tour itinerary provided a great overview of Japan. The tour visited all the sites I wanted and some extras beside. The only negative comment I have is the final hotel we stayed in Osaka. The Hotel Monteray was very dirty, shabby and the breakfast was poor. I would not recommend it. Also, perhaps some time could be scheduled for personal exploration, relaxing and shopping during the tour.
Overall. I had a great time and would recommend our tour guide Arch (who was fantastic) and the Jewels of Japan tour.

A lot of places covered in a short period of time. It was a busy and hectic tour- could have done with spending more time at some places and less time at others. The guide was excellent. The meals were included which was a plus point , however for those with dietary restrictions or allergies the food could have been catered for better. The ingredients were not labelled and often we were not informed of what was being served .

Very disappointed with food
You did warn it could be room temperature but mostly it was really cold. The places we went to were also disappointing.
We were shown thro’ what seemed attractive restaurants .often to be led upstairs to a large room devoid of appropriate decor lacking a hint of Japanese style. Bare walls. Having seen downstairs waitresses in very attractive kimono style uniforms ours were very basic black. The tables fully loaded with food not surprising that it was cold.
The dishes were repeated over and over. Cooked by ourselves on mini bbq style pts often burning the food.
Cold noodles in cold miso soup
I actually lost 6lbs in weight during this holiday.
Then the hotels we were taken to for lunch :dining staged in obviously conference rooms again devoid of atmosphere or character.
With too much cold food.Too
Much raw fish which our rep eagerly ate .
Terrible waste. Maybe our party was too big for managing decent attractive venues with tasty food
I might add I have often eaten
Japanese food in London and in the USA. Really delicious.
The trip to geisha house was also a huge disappointment.
Just a large empty house
With a very elderly man banging a drum He invited a couple of the group to play. Not a sign of geishas. Their room settings.
Not even any photographs..
Our rep was amiable but his pronunciation of English was really poor and often difficult to understand. After doing this work for 8 years, he said, it should have been much clearer.
On trip he accompanied us for a very short time leaving us to wander round without the benefit of “ his experience”
He arranged very hurriedly a meeting place. With such a large group people had to get info from each other.
Not one evening event arranged
was also disappointing.
We weren’t given a contact Tel no by our rep Rio until I think
The 7th day to the Japanese village which was really enjoyable. This was where a woman in the group “ Helen”
got lost and we sat on the coach waiting for 30 mins
until a member of the group got off the coach to find her. Only then did Rio get off the coach also to look for her. After that we asked for his Tel no
So it was good to see lots of different parts of Japan it could have been so much better
The group were mostly very friendly and good company
However I couldn’t say this was
an outstanding holiday and not good value for money
Linda Campos

Great holiday, packed a lot in, so inevitably early starts in the morning.
Our guide, Rumiko, was excellent.
The food was very good, and beautifully presented. I found the meals very rushed, particularly dinner. Everything was laid out when you sat down, and as there are no””courses” often all finished in about 45 minutes. I suppose this is the Japanese way but I usually consider dinner a highlight of the evening when on holiday and would prefer a more leisurely meal.