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.

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.

A great trip maybe a bit rushed for a keen photographer in some places, otherwise a 5 star

We were expecting welcome meeting on the first evening, This didn't happen! we went straight to a restaurant for a meal after waiting for stragglers to arrive the only advice given was on the bus to our first visit.

Advice on Japan Pass should warn about including more than one passenger on the Japan Pass. QR code Generated by the App on PAPER is not Read by the Airport Scanners, even the QR on Phone is a trial to get in the right spot while holding passport with the other hand.

Breakfast was sometimes too close for lunch at noon some of our party skipped early lunches wasting food prep and products.
However occasionally we had a 7.00am start, lunch at 2.30pm then dinner 6.00pm. We had plenty of stopovers on the longer road trips but a Coffee Break mid morning built into local trips would be delightfully received.
Thanks to the efficiency of the Japanese VENDING MACHINES we got by on the Run!

Excellent mix of visits and activities well lead by guide free time came towards the end of the trip so souvenir purchases were possible.

The advice on quantity of cash to take was way over the top CC are taken in touristy places only food outlets where cash only but our trip was inclusive of all meals so cash only needed for vending machines and drinks with meals.

Excellent quality hotels some variation in room sizes sometimes difficult to find space to open suitcases. Busy times in the Hotels at Breakfast due to the number of Tourist Groups using the same hotels and leaving at the same time in the morning.

Our Shuttle Bus from our hotel to Tokyo Airport was arranged 2 hours before we needed to leave for our Flight. Therefore we had and 2 hour wait before our check-in DESK OPENED. The Transfer Ticket arrange by the TOKYO OFFICE was not transferable, we were told, so a shame to end an excellent trip with a disappointing wait before we could relax in the Business Lounge.

The group size of 25 was a good mix the programme relied on tight timings so as mentioned before the photographers were often last on the bus. The guide made rapid progress through crowded streets and locations with the group trailing behind, however time to regroup while collecting tickets before we could gain entry to the Location.

I would recommend this trip to any ambulant person there are many Changes of Altitude which taken at a steady pace is not an issue, even Snow underfoot was negotiated with care however Matsumoto Castle has Very Steep Wooden Stars and a challenge worth taking a rain check if it's crowded with other tourist but you would miss an excellent display of Black powder Musket's and Shot Manufacturing tools.

We are either side of 80 years old and enjoyed every aspect of the tour and made travelling friends on the way.

Well done Wendy Wu

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!

The trip was amazing and the only reason I gave 4 stars is because it was rushed, not enough time to enjoy the touristic sites. The first day in Tokyo was extremely rushed and packed with only 30-40 minutes for some visits. Not enough free time to explore the local areas. Hotels were very good, food as well but too much food in the evening. Overall I enjoyed the trip.

The travel and tour were well organised and coordinated with a non-stop itinerary to a fascinating collection of places to see and experience. The hotels we stayed at were very adequate, with several having splendid views. The food was plentiful, if challenging at times, but that is the fun of exploring a different culture! The coaches were clean and comfortable. The guide, Tu, was pleasant and knowledgeable as well as being helpful and caring towards the group. Apart from dining out, there were no visits, experiences or entertainment arranged for the evenings. That, and the occasional cut short activity such as only going to the 350m deck rather than the 450m deck (perhaps even at night) of the Tokyo Skytree, resulted in a four rather than a 5 star rating. Overall I would highly recommend this tour as a great introduction to Japan and its incredible culture.

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.

Unfortunately was spoilt by 4hr security wait at Tokyo airport. Thought I had filled in all the required information from Wendy Wo but wasn’t good enough.

My husband and I thought this was one of the best holidays we have ever had. It was very well organized with us seeing the cherrry blossoms, riding the bullet train, seeing the macaque monkeys, Mount Fuji and making paper. We saw all three capital cities - Nara, Kyoto and Tokyo and learned all about the history. We even learned a little Japanese - all thanks to the excellent guide we had. We enjoyed the Japanese food and it suited my stomach, even though at times I was not sure what I was eating! I loved the heated toilet seats. Can't say I was very keen on matcha tea.

It was the perfect trip/tour of a country I have long wanted to visit. A little hiccough re our airline tickets but everything else was perfect. We were met and had the most amazing tour guide Yoko Odawara. Yoko kept us well informed - lots of toilet breaks should we need it. Any questions were always answered. There was a complication one evening due to a road accident in Tokyo bringing all traffic to a halt but Yoko found us another venue to eat. Rain or shine she made our holiday

Japan is an amazing country and so worth a visit. The people are friendly, the place is spotlessly clean, the scenery spectacular, the gardens breathtaking and the castles, the shrines with their history just fascinating.
The tour group was too large at 26 guests. This tour is given a physical rating of 1. The group included several guests with varying levels of mobility who found some of the excursions difficult. Anyone who has an issue with walking medium distances should not consider this particular tour. This means that with one guide it makes it difficult for them to control the party. Although our guides were very good there was some waiting around and some excursions had to be cut short. Nobody complained and we all helped each other and over the tour formed a close knit group of friends.
For our trip we had several guides all of whom were absolutely first class, all very knowledgeable, interesting, excellent English and all with a good sense of humour.
This tour covered a lot of miles visiting quite a few cities. The travel was very well organised. The coaches were spacious and comfortable. A bullet train experience was included.
All hotels were very good albeit with typical Japanese small rooms, no drawers or wardrobes so you live out of your suitcase. Japanese toilets have to be experienced to be believed. I would not recommend the Sunshine City Prince Hotel in Tokyo where it was overcrowded and the breakfast service was a shambles. Wendy Wu use other hotels in Tokyo.
The food was typical Japanese and we used both hotel and outside restaurants. The meals were varied and excellent.
We picked this tour for the variety of places to visit but mostly to see the snow monkeys. This was one of the highlights of our tour. The trip to the park was timed perfectly to be at the pools as the monkeys arrived.
I would definitely recommend Wendy Wu Japan Uncovered as a great way to see the amazing Japan. A busy time but late March, early April to experience the cherry blossom and colourful azaleas.

I'm in my 70s and a lady travelling alone. At no time was I concerned about anything. From the moment I was met at Tokyo airport to the final departure from Osaka, it was a wonderful holiday,with a lovely mix of people, and everything was well organised.

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Too much food overall; long breaks every day for heavy lunches were not needed, especially when the time could have been better spent seeing more sites.

Although the tour was called 'Cherry Blossom' there wasn't any dedicated item on any day's itinerary to actually see any trees, which resulted in many complaints during the tour. The tour guide seemed somewhat surprised that people went there just to see the blossom!

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Flight arrangements compared badly between the group as well as prices paid.

We had barely one day in Tokyo and were expecting to see more of the centre of town; local culture; people etc.stuff for which Tokyo is famous for. Three hours were wasted with a lunch that no one wanted and a trip to the presidential palace which was closed so all we got to see was a bridge from afar. Surely the travel company knew that the place would be closed on the day of our visit?

Once out of Tokyo, the countryside was amazing and the tour brilliant; but nevertheless some improvements are needed.

Service rating :

Excellent guide throughout the tour.

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The dinner cruise in Tokyo was FAR too long. The meal was poor and cold. In fact it was a wasted evening with inedible food.

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Excellent tour covering all essentials. On one down side, the guide allocated to the tour should take more consideration of the group makeup as at times she was 50 to 100 yards in front talking about points of note when those left behind had no chance of seeing. This was especially so in Tokyo with large crowds.

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