Tokyo Holidays

A very busy and interesting trip taking in the full range of sightseeing possibilities..
The urban sprawl of Tokyo contrasted with the peaceful monastery in the mountains . We saw monkeys and Mount Fuji under blue skies so felt very privileged.
Our guide Shioji was brilliant.

Excellent and interesting holiday.
The itinerary starts at Kyushu island in the south, through the main island of Honshu, up to Hokkaido, the largest island in the north.
Many first class sites are visited: including temples, shrines, castles, gardens and a beauty spot- some of the best examples in Japan.
The hotels are all good, with a couple of them really first class, the one in Tokyo being 5 star rated.
All meals are included, being a mixture of Japanese and western style - I enjoyed them all. You need to like rice, fish, and seafood as these feature in Japanese cuisine :-) ... but various other meats are frequently met, as well as protein dishes including tofu and mushrooms / fungus.
The transport is by both trains and (very good) coaches, and all travel arrangements went smoothly.
Highly recommended, especially for those who have not visited Japan before.

The tour guide Mariko handled this mixed group of 26 from three different countries extremely well.

Setting up a WhatsApp group from Day 1 with names and photos of all participants worked really well. It enabled the group to ‘gel’ quickly and gave a clear outline of times, activities etc.

The days were action packed, which meant that we were able to see and experience life in Japan as it really is. The downside was that little time was available in the evenings to enjoy the excellent hotels and facilities.

Of outstanding value was Grand Nico in Tokyo where we were all upgraded.

We were pleased to learn when we booked the holiday that all meals would be provided. We wouldn’t want to change this. However, there was a downside. Most restaurants (mid day and evening) provided basically the same food. Hence by the second week our diet was much the same, with a lot of raw fish (not to everyone’s taste)! We only had one buffet meal and that was in the evening. So a greater choice of food would have suited us better.

Temples, shrines, bamboo forest, mount Fuji, cities, dress in authentic clothes, tea ceremony, japanese food specialities and the Japanese people. You can read that in the brochure.
But add in the best guide from Japan, sharing interesting facts, personal reflections, insider knowledge and a vitality and sense of humour.
Having learned japanese for three years Shioji our guide allowed me to ask silly questions, and that gave me confidence to jump right in to my adventure of a lifetime.
Our seven hotels were in convenient locations, so when I ventured out on my own in Tokyo the metro was nearby, as were Seven Elevens, Lawsons or Family Marts.
While journeying from one place to another the comfort stops, food outlets, and souvenir shops seemed well chosen and time available to explore was ideal.
I suppose as a first timer in Japan every thing would be exciting, but the size of group meant we could join up to visit venues, or just sit and drink it all in, at our own pace and ability, and this is where I mention the earpiece and 'intercom' device, that allowed our guide to easily communicate in the largest of crowds. Great idea!

We chose this tour as it visited virtually all the places we wanted to visit. We always go for Escorted Tours with all meals included and everything organised for us. This was our first tour with Wendy Wu and it really was worth paying a little more for the quality of service we received, particularly from our National Guide (Coco) who was professional, friendly and worked incredibly hard. As for Jaoan, we loved the country especially the culture (organised, quiet, polite, clean) and the highlights were: Hiroshima, Kyoto, Tokyo and the Snow Monkeys. Mention also should be made of the gardens, castles, temples, shrines, mountains, wooded hillsides, bullet train, rice fields and Sumo Wrestling. Lastly, we enjoyed the variety of food on offer including around 35% Western - we were able to try the whole range of Japanese cuisine including having to cook our own food on occasions - fortunately we were always provided alternative cutlery as well as chopsticks. Hotels were all of a high standard as were the toilets!

Overall, this was an amazing experience. From the start, the booking process and arrangements were efficient and well executed.

Rather than try to detail all 16 days in Japan, I'll just summarise the key elements:
- the destinations were great. On a tour like this it will be difficult to cater for all needs, but we found that most locations were well worth visiting and that free time was catered for, allowing us to pursue our own interests to a degree. In terms of the top things to see in Japan, I couldn't pick a better list overall, and we came away with a genuine sense that we knew the country a lot better
- the weather. We travelled end-July - early August. We were lucky overall, with only a couple of spots of rain and mostly clear and sunny days. Bear in mind that stunning vistas of Mt Fuji are very unlikely this time of year, but the visit is still worth doing. It was very hot and humid, especially at the start, but as we traveled into the mountains it cooled and was more bearable. Air condition is ubiquitous, so it's only really the outdoor parts where this was a little uncomfortable.
- the food was generally excellent, with a wide variety of Japanese food and no shortage. A couple of choices of European style food (especially in the final Tokyo hotel) weren't as good, but still completely satisfactory
- our tour guide (Hiroko) was utterly incredible. She made the tour very special, with lots of insights into Japanese culture and history, and a calm efficiency that made sure that we kept on schedule but didn't feel too pressured.

We all had a wonderful time, and felt that the tour was extremely good value for money. With all excursions and entrance fees dealt with, and all the logistics completely sorted, we could just get on and enjoy the moment!

Very highly recommended, especially for a first trip to Japan.

Great credit to Wendy Wu for a superb guided tour of Japan. Beginning in Osaka (good), Kyoto (better), Hiroshima (excellent), Kanazawa (excellent), Nagano (excellent) and Tokyo (super), the tour offered a fine variety of interesting vista and experiences.
They managed to pack a huge amount into each days sightseeing without putting undue pressure on any member of the group. Kudos here to a truly outstanding guide Taichi, whose English was faultless, attention to the group unwavering, had a great sense of humour and was a fountain of knowledge.
When travelling to Japan, you need to maintain an open mind about food. The dining experience is vastly different to our Western tastes, but the quality was very good at all times, even if our taste buds didn’t necessarily appreciate all that was put before us. My wife is coeliac, a condition unknown in Japan, yet her dietary needs were catered to better than any other trip we have done.
Is it worth the cost and jet lag?
A resounding YES.