Reviews

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.

EXCELLENT
Guide (Carrie)
Itinerary
Hotels
Restaurants
The group of 17 (from UK and Australia)
NOT SO GOOD
Initial welcome to Japan at Osaka Airport

We had a brilliant time filled with so many experiences- it fulfilled my lifetime dream to visit Japan and see the ancient sites whilst experiencing modern Japan too. Our guide, Kaori was great fun and very informative. Whilst it was a whistle stop tour with a lot of travelling included, we had a good balance of time spent at attractions, having experiences and eating out at restaurants, sampling local cuisine. Being vegetarian we were very well looked after wherever we ate. We enjoyed shopping in quality outlets to buy lovely souvenirs. Our colleagues were great company and the group gelled really well. We had some free time at the end of the tour to enjoy Osaka and our transfer was easily managed too. The only shame was that on arrival we had to wait a further 2 hours at the airport before the next transfer bus which meant that we missed our dinner and nothing was provided for us on that first night. Luckily we could pick up some snacks from the convenience store. We were issued a refund but that wasn’t much of a welcome after such a long journey. Given that Wendy Wu arranged the flights they must have known this would happen so this was disappointing but didn’t spoil our overall experience. We had a great time in Japan!

re Japan Uncovered #16 27 March - 11 April 24

Having toured Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia with Wendy Wu a few years ago we were confident in booking this tour with Wendy Wu and we were not disappointed.
The tour is a busy one and a lot of walking is involved. In some of the castles we visited stairways were steep and slippery due to having to take our shoes off. We would say that the physical rating of 1 is misleading. During the 14 days that we toured we walked 141 kms (87.5 miles) about 10 kms (6 miles) per day which is tough on someone who is not very mobile and indeed some of our party missed out seeing some places as they could not manage the distance.
Hotels were all very good. some with lovely views over the coast and Mount Fuji. Only the 2 European chain hotels had bars (Sheraton & Mercure) but there were vending machines everywhere to purchase drinks when required.
The food was Japanese apart from a few buffets which included more European dishes. I will say that we found the meals very samey. On occasions we had the same for lunch and evening meal but there was always plenty of it and a selection of different items so you could pick out what you liked.
We enjoyed the Castles, Temples, Gardens, Bullet Train, Snow Monkeys and of course the cherry blossoms.
Our guides English was a little slow and he had the habit of repeating instructions over and over making it longer to get anywhere ie into our hotel rooms but was flexible when he needed to be.
Not a lot of free time on the tour. We were lucky to arrive at lunchtime in Osaka and so had free time until the evening meal so we took the train to Osaka Castle where we wandered the gardens. We were glad that we did as we saw more than when we returned the following day. At the end of the tour we had 2 free afternoons which again enabled us to take the train back into Tokyo Centre to wander around.
All in all a great time seeing everything that you should when visiting Japan.

I was disappointed as a solo traveller that my flight into Osaka was the last to arrive and I missed the evening meal on the first day
I was surprised that everyone had travelled by different routes
I was also one of the first to leave Tokyo at 6:30am, so missed breakfast and final goodbye’s
Our guide Emiku Honda was brilliant and knowledgeable
The group was friendly and a good mix of ages
The tour was ‘full on’ some days, evening meal 60mins after being dropped off from the day’s activities
I loved the places we visited and feel that I saw the highlights of Japan
I really miss the warm toilet seats!

A very enjoyable holiday which exceeded expectations. The Japan Uncovered itinerary very successfully showcases the highlights of Honshu. We were extremely lucky with the weather and the group gelled well so that there was lots of fun and laughter even when the rain fell. We were led by the charming and knowledgeable Hajimje Yoshida who was always prepared to ‘go the extra mile’ for us. Only a few disappointments! Firstly there was the absence of a transfer ****** to meet us at Osaka Airport when we first arrived because he/she went to the wrong airport. We all bemoaned the lack of variety in the lunch and dinner meals. Many of us were also alarmed at the need to cross a railway line in Takayama with all our luggage, dangerously, on an escalator, because the hotel destination would not allow bus parking outside. Lastly we were appalled by our booking at the sub standard Rembrandt Hotel.

Mostly we enjoyed the holiday, but did feel pressured by the time constraints in several of the places we visited. e.g. Osaka Castle, where we would have liked more time.
Although we appreciate that efforts were made to accomodate our dietary needs, we would have liked more Western options at every meal because we found a lot of the Japanese dishes unpalatable.
The welcome dinner should have been in the hotel, not in a pokey little Japanese restaurant with barely enough space to sit, and they should have waited for all the group members to arrive, and be introduced to one another and to the guide.
Some of the group were unable to attend the Farewell dinner on board a boat because it was very awkward for them to get into the seats set into the floor, so they went to eat elsewhere. I feel this meal should also have been in the hotel.
The Sheraton in Osaka was excellent, but some of the other hotels were not on a par. Many of the group thought that the Tokyu Rei in Nagano was very poor: thin towels, no room safe, a step up to the bathroom, and very small room. On arriving at the hotel in Tokyo we had a very nice room, only to be told that for the one extra night that we had booked with you we had to change rooms. The new room allocated was vastly inferior and for the price we paid ( 148 pounds pp per night) was totally unacceptable. We should have been allowed to stay in the same room.
To end on a positive note, our guide, Kazuyo Takatori (Kiki) was excellent and went out of her way to help in all ways, and solve our problems. She was amazing.

The Experience Japan tour was a great introduction to Japan for a first time visitor.
The pace of the itinerary was fairly full-on and the group I travelled with were interesting people who seemed very open to enjoying the tour. There were occasions when I wondered if anyone from Wendy Wu had actually attempted to visit everything in the time allocated as we didn't have enough time to properly explore some of the sites (for example, the queues at Matsumoto castle meant we didn't all get chance to see inside). Our wonderful guide, Yu, was exceptional and as flexible as the itinerary allowed. He managed to get us all where we needed to be within the time allocated - not an easy task, but he accomplished it with tenacity and good humour.
Quite a lot of the travel was by coach, which was comfortable and spacious. There was a moderate amount of walking involved as we toured the various sites, but none of it was strenuous. The train journeys were very good and well organised. Yu's English was excellent and I really appreciated his knowledge of the areas we visited and his enthusiasm for sharing information about the Japanese language and culture, including providing tastes of local delicacies.
The hotels were quite varied and all were comfortable. Food options were mainly buffets. I did expect more Japanese menus, but on a group tour all tastes need to be accommodated and a buffet is probably the easiest way to do this.
Highlights for me were the train rides, beautiful clear views of Mt Fuji (we were so lucky with the weather these two days!), vending machines, the lovely mountain scenery, the onsen, and getting a small insight into a different culture to my own.
I could have happily dispensed with the river cruise in Osaka (underwhelming), the origami and fan painting. I realise these activities are optional and if I visited again I would prefer more free time to explore and immerse myself in the places we visited. The shrines were really interesting, but towards the end of the tour I did feel as though I'd probably seen enough for the time being.
The trip felt a bit like a whistle-stop tour of Japan at times, but it has provided me with a very good idea of what I'd like to do next time I visit - and I do think there will be a next time.

\good range of visits and activities. For me not enough time in historic areas. Booked extra day in Osaka which was a waste of money found this to be a too modern industrial city. The guide and courier who helped get to the airport at Osaka were very good

Brilliant content of tour but some of the food was awful. Mainly pleasant Japanese restaurants at lunchtime but sometimes in the evenings cheap cafe standards. The occasional non Japanese food was not a success as it was often cold and on the table before we were seated. It was good in the evenings if we ate in the hotels we stayed in, Hiroshima and Takayama come to mind. I must admit I am not overfond of Japanese food especially tofu and sushi and not mad about saki. Hotels fine and I love Japanese loos found everywhere! In spite of getting all the required documents getting through the airport at Osaka was a nightmare. I regret to say that first time customers may be put off Wendy Wu because of the food. You do a grand job in China but not in Japan.
Highlights nearly everything but in particular the snow monkeys and Mount Fuji on a lovely day.

Service rating :

Excellent- So called personalise HO booking service not perfect. Too many inappropriate standard letters ( ie letter re visas for Japan when not needed)

Product :

Excellent- But final itinerary was different in quite a few areas to that finally sent to us (and we were not alone in this). No train trip , no Osaka at night and others.