Reviews

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.

This full-on tour visited many of the main tourist points in Japan during October 2024. There were early starts and some long journeys across three of the islands visited - Kyushu, Honshu and Hokkaido. The group comprised 28 people, plus the tour guide, and was too big for the guide to keep together, especially when travelling on trains in the peak hours.
As lunchtimes varied according to the visit programme, and could be anytime between 1100 and 1330, it would have been helpful if the group had been advised the previous evening of the next day's planned time of lunch. This would have helped us organise our food intake at breakfast to match an early or late lunch as appropriate.
A lovely boat cruise of Tokyo Bay with evening meal was arranged on our last night in the Capital, which left us late(ish) back to our hotel. On arrival back, we had to pack our cases for despatch by road to avoid the Shinkansen restrictions and then to prepare an overnight bag for a two night stay, all whilst having to be up for a 6 am start the following morning.
There was a farewell dinner arranged for the last night of the tour that was held in a very large cook-it-yourself type restaurant. The air was thick with the smoke of meat being cooked on the griddles at the numerous tables, which left our clothes impregnated with the smell of the experience. These were the clothes in which we would be travelling home from Japan the following day.
The horrors of the A Bomb were seen at the museums in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which portray graphically the events to the full, and really test one's emotions. Our guide was so moved, even though she must have seen the material many times, that she took to a quiet corner away from the displays to recover her composure.
The tour visited a number of gardens, Temples and Shrines, many crowded with tourists. At Matsumoto Castle, the stairs to reach the upper floors are very narrow and steep, with people ascending having to compete with the large numbers descending. Some of our group could not make the ascent. Due to the long hot summer, we were told that autumn in Japan had been delayed, with little sign of trees changing their colours in the two south islands.
The tour included hands-on experience of making Momiji-Manju (a type of maple leaf shaped cake), sushi, a sake drinking cup, fan painting, and a calligraphy lesson. These were lighter moments much liked by the group. We also enjoyed a tea ceremony and the art of Zen meditation conducted by a Monk. The tour itinerary was followed to the letter apart from one departure, when we were unable to ride the Komagatake cable car at Lake Ashi, closed due to poor visibility.
Overall, the tour was enjoyed very much by my wife and I, but it would have been more practical to have a smaller tour group. This would have made it easier for the guide to negotiate the busy places we visited and to keep the group together. Over the 21 days of the tour, we had three separate tour guides, all of whom were well prepared, and provided information on the venues to be visited and gave us other interesting facts.
The Japanese culture is much to be enjoyed. The people are unbelievably polite (less so in Tokyo, perhaps) and appear to behave within a set of unwritten rules, to which they all comply. In short, they work as a team and have a country that is devoid of litter, graffiti and, interestingly, dirty road vehicles. The trains do run on time, well almost, as we saw a sign for cancellations on one line. But, all across Japan we saw evidence of the effort and dedication being applied by workers, many in white gloves, who seem totally enthused by their individual roles, however basic. Well done Japan and its people, I would love to visit you again.

Brilliant tour guide . Evening meals and breakfast great .
Lunch meals too many and not worth having . Not enough time spent at sites, no free time. Lunches should be cut in 1/2 or scrapped and vouchers given .

Sapporo not worth going to . Time could have been better spent in Tokyo and Osaka .

Too much time on coaches , faster transport was available .

What we did see was very good , simply not enough time to explore.

Connecting flights a nightmare(both going and returning), not enough time allowed as Tokyo security took 3 hours, connecting flight was 2 hours. Returning the flight took longer than expected consequently missed connection flight. Therefore lost approximately 2 days of holiday and had to spend all night in Airport.

Great guide, very knowledgeable

Wendy Wu Discover Japan tour was interesting and it was good that all meals were found so we didn’t have to hunt for good restaurants. Food was very good and more than plentiful. Sometimes eating in the hotels where we stayed and sometimes our guide walked with us to nearby restaurants. The days were quite full on and the coach travel a bit difficult as seats were small and my (tall) husband struggled to get his knees into the seat space. It would have been better to travel a bit more by train. Our guide was knowledgeable about historical Japan and the many shrines and temples we visited. We did ask her for some more up to date information about how the Japanese live now as we felt this would have been more interesting and we got very little on this side of things. Our tour group was mixed with people from the UK, Australia and New Zealand which gave a great atmosphere and everyone got on really well. Hotels were mostly very good, modern style. One was down a side street so we had to trundle our cases uphill which was a challenge for some and we helped each other. We did some crafts like paper making and decorating chopsticks with gold leaf. Watched a tea ceremony, did some sake tasting and some origami. These were good activities making a change from touring round temples. The transfers were odd as on arrival in Tokyo we were taken by taxi to the hotel. On leaving Osaka we were taken by taxi to a bus stop then waited 90 minutes for a bus to the airport. We would have preferred to return to Tokyo for the last night then flown straight back rather than going from Osaka to Tokyo and then flying home - it made a very long day coming home.Overall we enjoyed the tour but found that admin from Wendy Wu was poor. We got different answers to questions we asked, sometimes no reply to emails with requests regarding transfers etc. We had to write many emails to get flight options to upgrade to premium economy. For this reason we would not book another tour with Wendy Wu as touring should come with reassurance to things we need to know before travelling without so much hard work on our side to gain information.

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.

Telephoned to make an appointment and was asked to email the request. Email responded to next day offering a date one week later. This took us beyond the cut-off date for a special offer. They kindly offered to extend the offer to the day of our meeting. We had done some homework so were fairly well prepared. We were disappointed to find the advertised offer of upgrade to business class flights one-way did not include the tour we were interested in (confusing advertising!). Nevertheless Julia helped us to choose flights and arrange for an extra night's stay. Our meeting was helpful.

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.