Reviews

I have waited a couple of weeks before responding as I wanted to express my views as clearly and articulately as possible.

In brief, this is the first time I have travelled with Wendy Wu - I was expecting it to be a 'higher level' of travel than other groups I've travelled with. Sadly I was disappointed.

Some of my feedback, on reflection, may be to do with my own expectations including:
Group size too large
No welcome meeting - opportunities for introduction
Itinery not reflective of 'real Japan' e.g. I was expecting a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, instead we were given a demonstration of a tea ceremony on the top floor of a shopping centre then left an hour to 'spend' money whilst waiting for the bus.

Feedback in relation to Wendy Wu organisation/quality of guide is however vital to ensure things can be improved - I'm hoping this is 'just' unfortunate and not the norm.
Examples of concerns I'd like to share:
Guide was inconsistent in using marker to recognise self - did not have any identifying marker in the busiest of places, including train stations/City Centres; he actually lost a member of the group (left behind at 2 road crossings).
Guide was inconsistent in sharing information e.g. telling group to meet back at a certain time and place then changing time and/or place but only telling some not others - this was particularly problematic for myself as a solo traveller.
Guide spent too long talking about 'maps' and procedural info. rather than sharing relevant info. about the site being visited - I was itening in to other guides from other groups to glean information.
Guide unsure of some directions - coach unable to locate hotel on 1 occasion, guide unable to locate restaurant on 1 occasion
Luggage was collected a day prior to being needed - not delivered at next hotel until almost 48hrs later
Time in some locations was so restricted that there wasn't time to access them eg. Himaji castle visit was recommended 1hr 30mins - we were given 50mins - this wasn't even enough time to join the queue to get in to the main keep. Zen Gardens - 40mins - barely had time to sit and enjoy them (restricted self to 10mins).

For the record - I have never provided a negative review for anything previously be that food, travel, accomodation, anything.

A lot of money spent on what was supposed to be my trip of a lifetime; it did not meet my expectation. If I had not already got another trip already booked (China 2025), I would not be booking again.

Kind regards
Pam Anderson

Thoroughly professional and welcoming

While Japan itself was wonderful, the mechanics of the tour left a lot to be desired. Fine if you are prepared to walk over 70 miles during the course of the tour, fine if you are prepared for a mix of good and mediocre hotels, many without bars, OK if you are prepared to accept repetitive meals, and be prepared to be rushed at the end of the day prior to the evening meal. Considering how much we paid, I would have expected consistently good hotels and food above average. Having said that Japan is a wonderful country and worth visiting.

Enjoyed this holiday very much. But I've been quite unwell since I got home.

overall lovely holiday and tour of Japan and I would use company again.
three main issues -
the tour size group was 28 in my view far too many for one tour guide despite the guide's best efforts.
she was outstanding
most of the hotels were outstanding but a couple were cramped and and some it was just impossible to get breakfast as the dining areas were just far too small compared to the number of people needing to come to breakfast
thirdly some of the restaurants chosen for the evening meal were not good while others outstanding.

this was not a cheap trip and my expectations were for a much more consistent standards in hotels restaurants and meals.
it did not seem the company was skimping more rather some poor choices

Excellent tour, well organised, brilliant guide that made everything so easy and enjoyable. The hotels were mostly good quality although some needed a bit of investment in staff training and fixtures. The only criticism we have is the talk by the farmer at the cookery demonstration- not relevant. The drivers were excellent.

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

Loved the tour. Wendy Wu also helped us to book two extra nights before and after the tour so we could see more of Japan. Tour guide was amazing. Food and sights were delightful. Cannot recommend more.

The pros
Excellent variety of places visited in Japan and the hotels were all of a high quality with the exception of the last one prior to flying home. This was very basic.
Restaurants used for lunch and evening meals were excellent and the range of Japanese food chosen was good. The tea ceremony, origami and noodle making
sessions were all great fun and enjoyed by all.
Our second guide Nana, was absolutely excellent and would be a good role model to follow for the others. We were very sad to lose her when she passed us on to the next guide.
The cons
However, we were disappointed that we had three different tour guides in 10 days and their ability to communicate in English was very different. The first guide neglected to pass on the microphone attached to our headsets which meant after the first 3 days we could no longer use headsets for commentary wherever we went which was a limit to the knowledge we could take in.
We also missed out on the included breakfast prior to our early flight home and when queried, the guide said we didn’t get this refunded even though we had paid for it and was on our itinerary.
Overall though we had a fantastic time but felt Wendy Wu had let us down with the succession and limitations of the guides given to us.
We would definitely recommend the tour but it was definitely not as slick and well organised by the two inexperienced guides . We had expected a different level of organisation after a previous Wendy Wu tour we had taken to Egypt in October 2023.

During touring Vietnam & Cambodia we did a cruise on the Mekong explorer this was in the middle of the tour and was a great relaxing experience in the middle of a hectic tour which we would recommend and always remember

Too large a group size (28) for the conditions. Tour guide found the group size unmanageable leading to many timing issues daily. Her use of the audio equipment was poor and her knowledge limited. The coach driver was always late compared to all other tour group drivers. The actual itinerary was very good but the timing issues left no time whatsoever to go exploring on ones own despite there being space in the itinerary to do just that. Improvements to be made - 1. lower the group size significantly. 2. vet the tour guides more thoroughly. 3. Use coach drivers that can turn up on time. 4. Make absolutely clear at the booking stage that anyone with any walking disability at all (such as those who need a walking stick) should not choose this tour. It was described as easy walking, which was true if the conditions on the long walking routes weren't so crowded with other tourists.

It was a bit full on and tiring but we'll worth it.

Our wonderful guide “ Jimmy “ made the trip so special his knowledge and how he looked after us was exceptional.

The booking procedure was very good but I can’t recommend Wendy wu to anyone until I have actually been on the holiday