Tokyo Tours and Trips

A tremendous trip that combined urban and rural Japan so that one had an overall feel of the Japanese way! Toyko, Kyoto and Osaka were as buzzy as I expected. The time on the trails in the countryside was a very meditative experience. Overall a great experience.

This is a fantastic trip that packs a lot in and exposes you to more than the big cities including the Temple Fire Ceremony, bullet trains, Nagano, Hiroshima and Miyajima, traditional inns, onsens, temples and shrines. My personal highlight was seeing the snow monkeys in Jigodkudani (not guaranteed as these are wild animals). The ability to watch them play, interact and groom each other was amazing. I loved that we travelled via public transport: it exposes you to local culture and people and is much more efficient and Eco-friendly than sitting on a private bus. Our guide Henrik Roslef was exceptional, being very friendly, approachable and funny. He was well-organised and gave us detailed notes on the itinerary and plans each day, so we all knew what was happening. He was also very knowledgeable on the culture and history of Japan and explained a lot as we went. He also organised additional optional tours on the free days which was a nice touch. A few things to note: there are a few early (before 7:30am) mornings on this trip - all worth it for what we did, but bear in mind if you like a lie-in on holiday. The tour notes are clear, but worth iterating there is a lot of walking on this trip. All the hotels have a wide variety of toiletries and pyjamas so no need to pack them.

Need more time for souvenir shopping. Our tour guide was against giving us time to shop for souvenirs. Some meals that were included., did not include a drink. For the outrageous price we paid, a drink should have been included.

Our trip to Japan with Explore was an absolute once-in-a-life-time experience! The itinerary was excellent with a great variety of types of visits (city / countryside, modern / traditional etc), perfect balance between time with the group and free time, and we had a superb guide, Henrik Roslef, who was not only very knowledgeable, but also encouraged us to discover more, ask lots of questions and therefore learn and experience more. Henrik also had excellent organisational and communication skills, which meant we all knew exactly what was happening when and felt very well looked after; Henrik was also very attentive to our different needs and interests, making great recommendations accordingly. We couldn't recommend this trip any more strongly!

The itinerary covered the main parts of Honshu island. We had some unique experiences such as the talk from the Hiroshima Survivor and the lunch with the Maiko (apprentice Geisha). Our Guide was incredible. He looked after us so well and made everyone feel safe and cared for. The way the luggage was sent to the next Hotel was fantastic. We did not have to drag bags onto trains or buses, it was all done for us. The meals were amazing and the Hotel accommodation was top class. One other thing I loved was the flexibility. We stayed in places mostly for 2 nights and if you were too tired or unwell you could opt out of the days excursions and relax in the Hotel or do your own thing as long as you let the Guide know so he did not worry about you. I would highly recommend this tour.

This is a very good introduction to Japan. We visited many diverse locations from southern to northern areas. We were able to see rural Japan to see the lovely countryside as well as beautiful ancient temples, and skyscrapers in Tokyo. Hiroshima is saddening, but very educational and inspiring to see the recovery of the land and people. Listening to a survivor tell his story was a privilege.