Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

We loved the trees - the cherry blossom and perfectly sculptured conifers. We loved the bamboo forest and gardens nearby. We loved the traditional architecture of sliding panels and tatami mats. We loved the politeness and cleanliness of Japan with train guards bowing as they entered and left carriages. We loved the gardens sitting in nests of skyscrapers in Tokyo. We will miss the quirky Japanese toilets and the onsens.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We liked Shin - he organised tickets and reservations perfectly and with assiduous counting managed to keep the group together at very crowded stations during complex journeys.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Prepare for crowds everywhere and standing in trains and buses. Prepare to walk fast. Do your research before the trip to help use your free time. There are great food outlets at the stations where you can grab a picnic.

Most Inspirational Moment

No single inspirational moment - the experience of aspects of Japanese culture [old and new] was best. The National Museum in Tokyo was good for providing a comprehensive historic picture of diverse elements - power, religion, creativity.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The replacement leader [on day 3] was very experienced in all aspects of Japan. All were very happy with his performance.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There is a lot to pack in and it can be very tiring

Most Inspirational Moment

Feeding wild deers at Nara Koen Park, seeing snow monkeys in the mountain, admiring cherry blossoms (due to cold weather these blossoms were late and lucky for us!), seeing wild temple cats, travelling in bullet trains (trains do not turn but seatings do!) - just few of many more...it was also interesting to see how Japans que for metros and how nicely their behave in them (phones on silent and no talking or eating) and how clean Tokyo is (no rubbish & no rubbish bins!).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ayaka Tsukamoto had excellent admin skills (arranged all entrance / travel tickets for us in advance with no problems), was patient (answered all questions several times - even after just explaining them to us), was enthusiastic on all planned trips (transferring her enthusiasm to us), was responsible (managed all 18 of us through rush hour using various local transports), was caring (directed one in our group, who used walking sticks, to escalators / lift when ever these were available) always explained our daily plans and associated timings in advance (organisation skills) and told us relevant informations regarding the destinations (excellent historical knowledge!).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared to walk briskly and be always on time to avoid delays - and have sauna every evening (as I did).

Most Inspirational Moment

The Temple of a Thousand Budhas In Kyoto and the optional trip to Mount Fuji. The EDO museum in Tokyo was very good. The bullet train trip to Hiroshima was also inspirational and may be more time should allowed for the Peace Memorial Museum.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Keigo Ninomiya was excellent always helpful planning optional trips on our free days and buying our railway tickets for instance on our day trip to Mount Fuji which involved bullet trains and other transport.

Advice for Potential Travellers

MasterCard and Visa were accepted everywhere contrary to the trip notes so less cash is needed. In addition, the minimum cash withdrawal from 7 Eleven stores was 10,000 Yen which is around £70 which is a large amount if you are in the last few days of your trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Geisha district in Kyoto, mystic Nara with shrines and deers, cultural diversity in Tokio, traditional Japanese villages in Takayama, Matsumoto and Yudanaka, and of course...food!!! So many inspirational moments :)

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take it all in and enjoy the ride, be open-minded to a very different culture and try to immerse yourself in it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Big things? The sheer scale of the space age buildings in Tokyo, standing not far from delightful back alleys with great restaurants and bars. Or the traditional dwellings and tea houses of Kyoto, with the promise of a sighting of geishas in the early evening. Hiroshima. The artistry of so many shrines and temples. Smaller things? The lovely student lad who, when we couldn't find our way back to our hotel, insisted on taking us all the way to the front door - then bowed at us as if we had done HIM a service. Snow monkeys - hilarious. The tiny bars in the Golden Gai in Tokyo. The first ryoken - and the first onsen.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Keigo Ninomiya . What a wonderful group leader; indeed, what a wonderful friend. He loved his country, and was desperate for us to experience and enjoy as much of it as possible. This was a man who did not accept that a "free day" was a day of respite for himself. Keigo was with us EVERY day and EVERY night. Our itinerary was so much more full than the extensive programme outlined in the trip notes. We visited temples and shrines which were not covered in the notes, we went to great restaurants (ie great food and drink, for modest prices, in traditional Japanese places), we went to Japanese theatre. in Tokyo. On one particular night in Tokyo, after our meal, a small group of us wanted to visit the Golden Gai. Keigo was immediately obliging, and led us to the place and to a delightful little bar, which could accommodate no more than a dozen people. We stayed there until 1.00am. Keigo was up bright and early the next morning, having arranged the theatre visit on our "free day". THAT was the kind of commitment he had throughout our trip. I have had great guides on every Exodus trip. In an exalted group, Keigo is the top man. Thank you so much, Keigo.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring a portable umbrella. Expect rain in Japan. Do a bit of basic homework about bars and restaurants before you go. Eating can be fairly cheap. The small supermarkets are well stocked with sandwiches, etc, for a modest lunch. There are PLENTY of small supermarkets, close to hotels, where you can stock up on essentials. Hotels have kettles, so if you have a supply of tea bags and/or coffee to supplement the handful of items supplied by hotels, it might make things easier. Day tickets for buses are about 600 yen, and if you are travelling on your own in Kyoto or Tokyo, these can be a good investment. Western food and drinks are available, but if you go into a "British Pub", such as "The Hub", which is behind the Kyoto Tower, you'll pay about £7 for a pint. There are also "Irish Bars", such as the one at the rear of Kyoyo railway station, where Guinness, or an equivalent, will cost 1000 yen, which is comfortably more than £7 a pint. Japanese pale beers, in Japanese places, are a MUCH better purchase.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Mount Fuji emerge from the clouds when we arrived at Hakone.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Initially disastrous. Pepe? stepped in on day 2 and was excellent until he handed over to Shin-ichi Maruyama who provided excellent service for the remainder of the tour. He really went the extra mile, including guided tours around Tokyo that weren't part of the itinerary. He always ensured that the group kept together, essential when connecting trains where there was a 5 minute gap between them.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just savour the whole experience. The Ryokans, especially in Takayama were very different but should be taken in context. What's the point of staying in 5 star hotels. You would just be missing out on a truly Japanese traditional inn. Surely that's the whole point of the trip. Plus the food was exceptional. Also be prepared for long days, long train journeys and lots of walking. But if you want to see so much in such a short period this is what it takes.

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed Kyoto. One of the reasons I want to return to Japan is to spend some more time in Kyoto. One of the highlights was the first sighting of Mount Fuiji - from the bullet train. Don’t think you can get more iconic than that. I enjoyed Matsumoto. I could have spent another day / half day there. Standing in Hiroshima at the iconic site of the exhibition hall was thought provoking. Takayama was good. Actually there wasn’t a location I didn’t like. I omitted the trip to see the snow monkeys though, choosing to spend a morning in Obuse instead to visit the Hokusai museum and wander round the town before rejoining the group.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Misa was wonderful. So calm, patient and organised. Nothing was too much trouble. She helped me plan out the train journey to Obuse. She did a good job of herding us and keeping us together, especially in the face of one or two individuals who didn’t always appreciate the importance of timing and one who I think was seeking travel advice for an extended stay that was over and above Misa’s remit.....

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy!

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed Kyoto. One of the reasons I want to return to Japan is to spend some more time in Kyoto. One of the highlights was the first sighting of Mount Fuiji - from the bullet train. Don’t think you can get more iconic than that. I enjoyed Matsumoto. I could have spent another day / half day there. Standing in Hiroshima at the iconic site of the exhibition hall was thought provoking. Takayama was good. Actually there wasn’t a location I didn’t like. I omitted the trip to see the snow monkeys though, choosing to spend a morning in Obuse instead to visit the Hokusai museum and wander round the town before rejoining the group.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Misa was wonderful. So calm, patient and organised. Nothing was too much trouble. She helped me plan out the train journey to Obuse. She did a good job of herding us and keeping us together, especially in the face of one or two individuals who didn’t always appreciate the importance of timing and one who I think was seeking travel advice for an extended stay that was over and above Misa’s remit.....

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy!

Most Inspirational Moment

In no particular order...... Seeing Mt Fuji appear through the clouds Travelling on the Shinkansen......seriously quick! Seeing the contrast between the countryside and the built up areas as we travelled around Walking The Philosophers Path in Kyoto.....very peaceful Seeing the macaques at Yukanada...the babies in particular were very entertaining Experiencing early morning rush hour on the Tokyo Metro Appreciating the cleanliness of the country...no litter to be seen anywhere Feeling welcome in a strange land

Thoughts on Group Leader

Misa is an excellent leader and nothing was too much trouble for her. She went out of her way to make sure that we all enjoyed our time in Japan. On arriving in our hotel room in Kyoto on the first evening, we found that she had left us a card and gift for our anniversary. The daily arrangements for travel were a masterclass in organisation, always done with a smile. Misa gave up her own time to make sure that we could all make the most of our free days. Some of the group found the food choices challenging, so Misa put a lot of effort into finding dishes to suit their dietary requirements. We learned a lot about Japanese culture and history from Misa and her charm and grace was simply an extension of how we were received by Japanese people in general.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Realise that the food in Japan is totally different from what you are used to. Read the Trip Notes carefully and bring your own snacks and/or be prepared to shop in the local small supermarkets. We had never eaten Japanese before and found that most things were delicious. Everywhere you go, the toilets are spotless. Most do not have hand dryers or paper towels, so do as the Japanese do and carry a small towel or flannel with you for hand drying. There is quite a bit of walking and steps, so make sure you have your walking legs on!