Japan Tours and Trips for Seniors

My wife and I had an incredible time on our Backroads of Japan tour. This was our first ever international trip, and even with booking a tour, we weren't sure what to expect. Fortunately, our tour guide was simply phenomenal. He was perfectly fluent in Japanese and English, knowledgeable in every facet of the country (down to the geology!), attentive to the needs of our very diverse group, and knew every nook and rest stop along every trail we hiked. Overall, I made friends and many more memories through this unforgettable itinerary, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to experience Japan for the first time.

Many of the temples, shrines and castles were extraordinary, but the one that stands out was Matsumato Castle. I liked the opportunity to do craft activities and the performance by an actual Geisha during the farewell dinner was another highlight.

All of the temples, shrines, and castles were amazing, especially the Golden Temple.. I learned many things about Hiroshima that were new to me. The performance by the Geisha at the farewell dinner was very special.

The entire Trip was much more than I had expected. The hotels were great and pj's?? in every room? Some with Onsens! The activities planned were really special. The sites we visited was like a tour book/calendar that came to life. I am so sorry I came home as I wanted to see more. Our tour manager was fantastic. He was a wealth of knowledge and very engaging. I would highly recommend this tour! and so far Collette has no disappointed me, this was my 6th trip with them.

The Shogun’s palace, Nijo Castle, was a memorable experience. The tea ceremony and the traditional Japanese dinner were great examples of Japanese culture. Loved the visit to the Orange Tori and the bamboo forest (an extra experience added by our tour manager).

The tour was nice but one thing that needs to be tweaked is the visit to the thousand tori gates. We were given just a little over an hour at this site and would have loved to walked the whole loop. This is a famous site and even just 1.5 hrs would have given those who wanted to do the whole loop enough time. Also, when talking about Hiroshima, you have to mention the horrible things that happen at Pearl Harbor also. If we are going to recount historical events, we need to be balanced and paint a complete picture. When discussing the bombing, it was as if the Japanese Emperor had done nothing. It was an odd conversation and awkward.