Simply Japan

Had a wonderful experience visiting Japan with Explore. Travelling with the group enabled me to visit many more places in this beautiful country, than I would have managed independently. Our group leader, Raya, was very knowledgeable and she conveyed all the practical information and relevant history of Japan in a very clear manner. We were also fortunate to have two trainee guides with the group. Marika was also very knowledgeable and as well as sharing lots of interesting details with us, she went out of her way to give us lots of local tips on good places to shop and what to buy. Parisa was very easy to get along with and when my friend and I mentioned that we’d be interested in visiting the theatre , she researched and found a Japanese cultural evening and helped us to book tickets. Raya, Marika and Parisa all got to know what individuals within the group were interested in seeing/ doing during the trip and did their very best to research and offer valuable advice to us all.

Great trip - good to stay in traditional accommodation on two nights - although getting up from bed required concentration! Very efficient use of public transport and good mix of guided and self guided.

An endlessly fascinating, but exhausting (av. 14000 steps a day), trip; very well worth it. We had the best tour guide Jeff (J), which made it even better. A good mix of city/countryside and the train journeys are excellent. Packing/unpacking for days without main luggage a bit of a bore but you get used to it. Miyajima Island and Mt Mizen not to be missed. Make sure you have an e-sim, google and apple maps, google translate, WhatsApp and Tokyo metro apps on your phone, then you can get around in the free time allocated (this comment for the oldies like me!). Take cash as outside Tokyo you'll need it. Wonderful castles/temples/gardens everywhere. We could not have seen more in the time.

Excellent holiday. Andy our guide was friendly, very knowledgeable & managed the itinerary perfectly. The holiday was "full on" with lots of moving but we were fully aware of this from the itinerary it was all handled very smoothly.

If you have never been to Japan before and you are looking for a tour that will give you a taste of the country, this is the tour for you. I had an amazing time, thanks to our wonderful guide Geoffrey. Be prepared for a lot of walking and a few early morning starts as this is a discovery tour!

A good introduction to Japan. Tour leader Dean was very organised and ensured that we all got around on public transport. He was clear when giving instructions or explanations and his knowledge of Japanese life and culture was impressive. The itinerary felt a little rushed at times, though we did know the tour was going to be ‘full on’. If it was possible to build in, I would suggest a little more time in Kyoto and definitely longer at the museum in Hiroshima. All the accommodation was of a good standard and luggage forwarding worked well - though in trip notes it would be good to point out that when you are away from your luggage for 2 nights, it is really 3 as the bags had to be deposited the night before. All in all a successful and enjoyable tour - thank you.

Had a fantastic trip - Dean our guide was knowledgeable and approachable and thoroughly good company. The group of sixteen got on well together. The itinerary was excellent with a good balance of guided activities and free time. We covered a lot of ground from city to city but hardly scraped the surface of such a wonderful country - so much more to see and do!

We have used Explore over twenty times and have always had wonderful holidays. This trip failed to deliver totally for us because of how many things weren't included. We had free time to sort them out ourselves but feel that a guided tour should provide more than Explore did on this occasion.

Absolutely amazing trip. Sam our guide was phenomenal, his knowledge and insight in to Japanese culture was second to none. His infectious enthusiasm for showing us not only the sights on the tour, but other little nuggets made the trip exceptional. We had a fabulous group of fellow travellers. This was our first ever group tour holiday, and we will be doing this again for sure with Explore. Organisation was spot on, accommodation perfect and the transport arrangements, forwarding of luggage, all went without a hitch. Sam made the trip for us, it wouldn’t have been the same without him!

Had a fantastic trip to Japan with Explore!. The itinerary was excellent. Covered a lot of ground in an efficient way managing to visit a wide range of different locations/ sights without being exhausting as there was a balance of travelling and stays of more than one night in some locations. Our guide (Henrick) was great. He was extremely professional and knowledgeable. Henrick went out of his way to communicate and ensured that everyone felt included. He provided optional tours in the free-time days and lots of suggestions for restaurants, etc. Really liked traveling by public transport and the balance of free time and group tours. All the accommodation was excellent. Very impressed by the organisation of the whole trip.