Osaka Tours in May 2027

Enjoyed exploring some of Japan's more popular destinations and experience things that are truly unique to the country. The big cities and small, Loved them both. Though I really got a sense of Japan in the quiet pockets of Tokyo, Takayama, and Kyosan. This is where I could sense the history and people of Japan, and what I had grown up seeing through tv, movies, and books. I would have loved seeing more of this on top of the cities explored, which I also loved.

Thé Simply Japan vacation we had with Explore was the trip of a lifetime! Our guide Raya was very knowledgeable, ever patient, and full of good humour. The itinerary provided a very comprehensive array of activities; we felt we saw lots but were never rushed. I would encourage future tours to include a visit to the Sanjusangendo Temple (with the impressive 1001 statues - wow!); it was not to be missed! Also, I would encourage some sort of way to mark the leader’s progression through streets when there are shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, as some people got separated from the main group several times - yikes! I would definitely encourage others to take the Simply Japan tour. We loved it - and our guide!

This was a very busy and interesting tour which gives a good overview of Japanese life and culture. Unfortunately there was little time to see Japan outside the major tourist hubs so there was a lot of concrete. The place is spotlessly clean, the natives are very friendly and the food was excellent. Our guide Andrew spoke perfect English and looked after us very well.

The Simply Japan trip is a great way to get a taste of Japan in 12 days...it hits a number of key locations including Tokyo, Zenkoji Temple, Hiroshima and Miyajima Island and Kyoto, and includes many neat experiences such as walking through the woods to see the snow monkeys of Jigokudani, spending a night in the Zenkoji Temple, and joining the monks for morning prayers.

The trip was overall really good, the hotels were beautiful. I think a little too much was packed in to each day. I would have liked more free time. Most of the included meals were excellent with a couple of exceptions. The food at the welcome dinner at the hotel was just ok. The buffet lunch at Fujiyama Terrace at Highland Resort Hotel was unpleasantly crowded and just not a great experience. Prior to the trip, the instructions indicated that we could only take the tiniest of bags ( something like 11” by 12”) on the bulletin trains but this was far from true - small carryon bags and even small roller bags and backpacks fit. These are all minor complaints, though. Our guide was great and went out of her way to help an elderly tour participant on our trip who was alone. One more thing, not about the itinerary. I live 55 miles from the airport, 5 miles outside your limit for transportation to and from home airport. According to my travel agent, I couldn’t meet the driver somewhere else within the 50 mile limit! It had to be my own house. If true this is ridiculous.

An outstanding tour covering as much as is possible in two weeks from modern cities to traditional shrines. Quite hard work using public transport and and lots of walking but that just makes the tour better. We had a great guide and some extraordinary experiences from Snow Monkeys to Bullet trains and bathing in an Onsen in a traditional Inn to tasting some amazing food.