Japan Vacation Ideas

We just returned from a 3 week trip to Japan and must really compliment Laura and her team at this Japan travel agency for putting together exactly what we asked for.  It was our first time going to Japan - one of my biggest concerns was about the level of guided tours versus what we could do on our own.  Beyond having car service for the airport at the very beginning and end of the trip, Laura had us sparingly use full day guides for our first 2 days in Tokyo, our first day in Kyoto and when we needed a translator to visit an orchid nursery that was a bit off the beaten path near Morimoto - but the rest of the time we were on our own using public transit (Japan Rail bullet trains and local trains, buses, subways, and only limited use of taxis) - and we really had no problems.  Things were well marked in English most of the time and people in Japan are so polite and friendly that we often had people coming up offering to help us even when we did not need it or asked - but when we were a little lost at times, we quickly got pointed in the right direction.  We moved around quite a lot and everywhere we went we felt welcomed, safe and comfortable.

We started in Tokyo in the Ginza district for a few days, then went up to Yudanaka near Nagano to see the snow monkeys in the natural hot springs in the mountains - and it was snowing in March there - but beautiful - this was our first ryokan stay and one of my favorite places - we also went to Morimoto, Takayama, Hiroshima - with a day trip to Miyajima, Kyoto for several days, Hakone near Mt Fuji (this was my only disappointment - as we were not able to see Mt Fuji itself there - but had a great time in the region anyway - and did get a glimpse of Mt Fuji earlier in the trip when not expected - while traveling outside Takayama on the train on a day trip to a nursery) - and then ended the trip back in Tokyo for a few days - we saw so many Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and lovely gardens - I really got a feel for the subtle differences among the different regions and the historical contexts.

The hotels were also top notch all around - every place we stayed seemed perfectly placed for the itineraries to make it easy for us to get around on public transit - and the accommodations were comfortable and we always had breakfast included, and those were some of the best meals we had - again, I do not think we had a bad meal for the entire trip - despite be adventurous at times and trying many things that we were not initially sure of what they were. Besides all the fresh seafood and pickled veggies, I came to love soba and buckwheat tea, various forms of tofu including the soft "yuba," soups, and the warm egg custards.  Japanese meals in the ryokans are quite a production - and as entertaining as tasty - but often the simple meals - noodles and soups, are perfect and just what you want at times.  My partner loved the octopus "balls" - takoyaki, and the Japanese pancakes.

We just returned from a wonderful 16-day trip to Japan.  Circled the main island - Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Takayama (for the autumn festival), Kanazawa, Kyoto, Totorri, Hiroshima/Miyajima.  Fabulous experiences everywhere.  The trip was very well-organized and the guides provided (two days in Tokyo, two days in Kanazawa, two days in Kyoto) were all terrific.  The trip had an excellent combination of outdoor activity, cultural experiences, travel time, free time to explore.  The Japanese people were marvelous - very respectful (didn't hear one person yelling or a car horn blowing the entire time we were there) and courteous, also very helpful even when we didn't have a common language.

When planning a trip like this, it's important to do your own research and not depend totally on the travel company.  Totorri, as an example, is rarely included on itineraries but we had seen a TV news feature about the Sand Museum and dunes there and wanted to include it.  It was outstanding and well worth the few hours it took to get there.

The travel company was very easy to work with and was responsive but it's important to check all travel arrangements and details.  There were some glitches (e.g. our original hotel in Takayama was an hour away from the town which we caught due to planned taxi rides back and forth; that was unacceptable and we asked that it be changed.  They were able to get us a room in town at a late date which was difficult since most hotels were sold out for the festival.)  We were originally scheduled to take a train from Hiroshima to Osaka just to stay overnight and then fly to Narita the next day for our flight home (with no real time in Osaka).  Didn't make sense to us so at our suggestion we just took a train from Hiroshima up to Narita airport and stayed overnight in an airport hotel which worked out well. Finally, while most travel was very easy, there were a few times when a bit more explanation on the itinerary would have been helpful, such as explaining the trains to Narita and the fact that we were to get off in Narita town and not go all the way to the airport.  We figured it out but we are more experienced travelers than others and coincidentally after our return we heard from others who have gotten on the wrong train to Narita and almost missed their flights.  It's important for the client to take an active role in the planning process and understand all details.

The travel company did stay in touch with us during our trip - there was a last minute change to one day's itinerary and we were fully informed before that day so we knew what to expect.

When we got to our first hotel we received a printed copy of our itinerary with all required train tickets.  Travel between cities was very easy and efficient. 

My wife and I booked a 15 day trip to Japan with this travel company and worked with their representative,  over several months to ensure our trip was perfect.  While not exactly perfect (it rained most days we were in Japan) it was not the fault of the travel company.  Matthew and his office in Tokyo did a fantastic job securing all of our restaurant reservations (some of which were difficult reservations to get), hotel rooms (including special request rooms with spectacular views), tours, guides, transportation, and specialty tickets.  It was a pleasure working with Matthew.  He made every attempt to understand what kinds of experiences we wanted, then made recommendations and arrangements to accommodate us.  As an example, we did not know about the beautiful cities of Kanazawa and Takayama until Matthew recommended them to us during our planning stages. The results were perfect, as we were able to visit both places, including staying in an authentic Japanese Tea House (Machiya) in an historic neighborhood in Kanazawa.  As it turned out, our experiences in the beautiful mountain village of Takayama and the bustling and exciting city of Kanazawa were two of the most memorable stops on our tour of Japan.  The tour guides provided by our travel company were excellent and both were fully fluent in our language, English.  The best part was the guides were flexible and responsive to our interests and willing to provide tailored approaches to our requests.  Our entire trip to Japan was amazing, thanks in many ways to this travel company. We want to return to Japan someday, and when we do we will be using this company as our travel experts.