InsideJapan ToursReviews 

Awesome service, great attention to detail, the guides, accommodation, itinerary were all excellent.

We'd never traveled with an operator before, so going with Inside Japan was a leap of faith. We were delighted with Kelly's responsiveness to our inquiry, careful consideration of our interests, the detail of her bid, and, ultimately, outstanding quality of our three week tour.
Just amazing cultural experiences combined with locations we never would've discovered on our own!
From initial contact to the last day's "hand-off," we had a superb experience and have already recommended IJT to friends considering travel to Japan.

Our consultant Mark was so helpful and designed a tour that worked for our family. The attention to detail regarding the logistics (check in and out times, transport, options provided, guides etc) as well as the accomodation options chose were excellent. Mark took my random collection of ideas and with his knowledge of Japan created an intinerary that resulted in an amazing trip for our whole family. I have been recommending Inside Japan to everyone I know thinking about travelling to Japan!

All the arrangements went very smoothly, and we got exactly what we asked for. Great supplementary information also

Inside Japan was so helpful before and during my trip. Before they helped make my perfect trip as a solo traveler and prepare me for my first travel abroad. I asked a ton of questions and all got answered completely and with timeliness. While I was there any concern I had was answered quickly. They were even able to get me TEAM LAB tickets last minute. It was an amazing trip where I got to meet people who were professionals in their field and do one on one classes on many things. I would do this again in a heartbeat.

The staff made many good recommendations about itinerary but also accommodated our itinerary preferences. Hotels arranged by IJ were all excellent and generally well-located. Transportation arrangements made by IJ were very helpful. The individualized trip book that IJ provides was a handy reference throughout the trip

Brilliantly organised and very helpful throughout

I thought the guide was outstanding and the itinerary was quite good, although I would have preferred to skip Kanazawa and substitute that city for more time in Kyoto.

Hotels overall were very good, with the exception of the hotel in Kyoto.

My biggest criticism of the tour was that although I enjoyed traveling on the high speed rail, overall there was just too much reliance on public transit to travel between cities, and I found that to be too stressful for a group travel experience.

Another criticism is that the US office gave contrary advice on tipping the guide compared to what the majority of tour participants, who were from the UK, were told. Furthermore, I was told it would be best to bring only a carryon suitcase, instead of a larger bag due to the fact that hotel rooms in Japan are small. I did not find this to be true and I wished I had a larger bag than the one I brought.

We had a great trip with Inside Japan. Our guide, Chuck, was excellent. We appreciated the variety of experiences. The small group, 15 plus our guide, was very manageable. We were fortunate that the group meshed together well. We had a 3 day pre-trip (arrival day in the late afternoon, full day in Tokyo and the next day catching the bullet train to Osaka) in Tokyo which helped with orientation and jet lag. The pre-trip communication from Inside Japan was excellent as well as their guides. I would be excited to return to Japan in the future.

Inside Japan made it possible for us to have some exceptional experiences that we would not have discovered for ourselves. These included a private audience with a maiko (apprentice geisha) in Kyoto with wonderful guide and translator Takeshi, tea ceremony at Camellia teahouse (Flower) in Kyoto, kintsugi gold repair workshop in Tokyo, an excellent day with guide Chika in Kanazawa, and hidden-away places in the mountains in search of autumn colours. The Wagyu Kaiseki Cooking Class in Tokyo was also very good, although the building was difficult to find. The street food tour in Osaka with Richard was amazing, but he is retiring. No other guide could offer his humour and insights into Osaka, a city we didn't otherwise particularly enjoy. Most guides were good, although the one in Hiroshima wasn't really interested. Having our train tickets for the whole trip delivered to our first hotel made travel much easier. Being able to contact Inside Japan at any time was also reassuring. Senior travel consultant Josey helped us organise an outstanding and memorable holiday.

The planning of the itinerary took into account places we wanted to go -- off the beaten track but also to attend the Setouchi Triennale --they were thoughtful and thorough. Also made modifications was requested. They obtained the tickets for transportation and for selected guides. When there was a situation that needed revision, they did so quickly. Overall would recommend Inside Japan to others.

Team leader Fergal Fox was great; knowledgeable and friendly. Itinerary was also very good

Loved our walking tour of both Tokyo and Kyoto. Hannan in Tokyo was so kind and helpful. Chuck in Kyoto went way above and beyond helping my family with very specific requests. I felt like both Hannan and Chuck were friends by the end of the day. Highly recommend!

Our trip to Japan exceeded our expectations due in great measure to the excellent support we received from our travel consultant Angela, our tour guide Hanan, and the very well-organized itinerary. Angela was a terrific resource throughout our planning process, responsive, patient with our questions and very attentive to detail, which made our first trip to Japan a pleasure. Our tour guide Hanan was very knowledgeable about Japanese history, culture and language. From the beginning of our tour and throughout, Hanan took the time to get to know each traveler in our tour group; she listened carefully to understand our individual interests and did everything she could to make our travel experience memorable. Hanan was enthusiastic about her role as guide, you could tell that she valued our time together and was as excited to experience the beauty of Japan as much as we were. The itinerary that Inside Japan developed for this small group tour was perfect for the first time visitor to the country. We would recommend this trip for active travelers who enjoy visiting unforgettable places.

Inside Japan really listened to what we wanted. It was a memorable and well-executed trip with great attention to details. Our adventure had a good balance of history, culture, nature, and wonderful food. We participated in many facets of Japanese culture, which helped us learn and appreciate the different aspects of life in Japan.
Excellent company to work with (note: and we have worked with many other travel planners).

Great trip, well organised, both the pre-planning and the actual trip logistics, would definitely reuse Inside Japan

All the hotels were first class. The food was excellent. Everyone was extremely friendly. I would choose Inside Japan again.

We booked a family tour of Japan. Tokyo- Hakone-Kyoto-Hiroshima-Osaka-Tokyo, all over 2 weeks and traveling by the famous Japanese Bullet Trains. They were on time, clean, forward facing and spacious as we had heard, and a great way to travel around Japan. All the hotels and trains were booked by InsideJapan and were all excellent and the last one in Tokyo was very quirky and in the center- Groove Shinjuku. It had amazing views of the city.
We had a guide in Tokyo and Kyoto for one day. Both were very helpful to show us around key places, although we would have liked to go more off the tourist trail. However for the time we had it was useful. We perhaps did too much in about 10 days but we did get a good flavor of the country and enjoyed some fabulous food!
I particularly liked the onsens in Hakone - a real cleansing experience. The organized hike in Hakone was a little disappointing as we are a fit family and could have done at least a 5k route, instead of the stroll in the park area. However, Hakone was beautiful with a great outdoor museum that was really impressive especially with the autumn leaves, and the weather was cool but dry and mostly sunny so we were very fortunate.
Overall a great trip with some lovely memories and well organized by InsideJapan. And next time I hope to do something outside the tourist area, now that we have a better understanding of the country.

Anna Welsh, our travel planner was amazing, helping us plan the perfect trip. She was patient, always available to answer the many questions that we had, and she made excellent recommendations.
This was our first trip to Japan, and having the hotels booked, train tickets in hand, and mobile connections throughout our 3 week trip was incredibly helpful.
She also booked us some half-day tours that were all very interesting and informative.
I normally do all the bookings myself, but my 2 friends and I would not have been able to have this great, fun and relaxing trip without Anna's help.

From the time of departure until we returned to the United States, Inside Japan assisted in creating an incredible journey, given all of the challenges that we faced as a family of six (grandparents, parents, and two children, seven and five).

Jenny Yoakum organized this phenomenal holiday with the support of the team in Japan. She made an effort to understand our desires and offered professional advice based on her knowledge of the country. The result was an itinerary that blended a modern city with traditional Japanese cities and towns. Our experience included a variety of accommodations, meals, and modes of transportation that helped us become immersed in the culture and history.

The team in Japan, especially Cheyenne, provided incredible support as we efficiently navigated from Tokyo to Kanazawa to Takayama and back to Tokyo.

Our trip was beautifully organized by an experienced advisor, supported in the country by an incredible group of people, and guided by individuals who offered great insight into the culture, history, and lifestyle of a beautiful country and its people.