Reviews

This is an epic way to get to see Japan, but more accurately it was a tour by road and rail. Please be aware that it should be rated as a level 2 tour in terms of physical exertion. You should be able to walk 2 miles on rough ground and climb some steep, narrow stairs to fully enjoy every aspect of this trip.

This was an interesting tour that was well organised, with a good range of activities, opportunity to enjoy all sorts of Japanese food, using good hotels and with a very good guide. There are just a couple of things that stop me awarding it 5 stars

Excellent trip very well organised.
Would never have been able to cover so much in such a short time

An amazing and comprehensive itinerary - don’t think we could possibly have seen any more of Japan. So well organised and looked after by our guide Hannah (Haruko) who was so knowledgeable and went above and beyond what could have been expected to make sure we got the most out of our trip.

Some of the sites visited were extremely busy which is due to over tourism, not the fault of WendyWu. This may however be an opportunity for Wendywu to find some less visited sites in the country for a more off the beaten track experience (a more rural or seaside area added for a couple of nights would be great). The tour guide, Mari, was excellent and the trip went very smoothly, due to her great organisational skills and knowledge of the country. It was a full on tour and a little more free time might have been useful. In hind sight I think that a bit more time in the south/middle of the country would have been better with the trip finishing in Tokyo. Travelling up to Sapporo was a lot of time on the trains with only single nights in hotels (rather than 2 nights for most of the rest of the trip) and the weather was worse in the north with shorter days at this time of year. Overall, an excellent trip.

Tour guide Kumi was the best we've had - very knowledgeable with , helpful and professional - even helping members of the group with transport once the tour had finished. This is a very full on tour with lots of walking and traversing across the whole of Japan - some older members of the group struggled to keep up with the pace, so I would suggest this is upgraded to a 2 level in future. Lunch locations could have been closer to some of the sights, or even bento boxes being provided as a picnic, enabling longer visiting times at some sights, as we were restricted timewise at some castles such as Himeji Castle. Also, a dinner with a show option could be added to the itinerary, rather than just dinners each evening. I would also recommend changing the dinner start times to 7.30 pm, as 45 minutes to collect luggage, check into the hotel, shower, change and get out again on a repetitive basis is challenging.

I would give 4.5 if I could…….. I never give 5 as there is always room for improvement. I should, however, mention that our holiday was cut short due to an accident. The tour manager, Mina, was brilliant, she managed to produce wheelchairs as if by magic and also assisted us in finding a doctor who spoke English. I have already recommended you to friends who are looking to book a Vietnam tour with you.

It is a very expensive holiday, but on the whole worth it. The all inclusive 3 meals a day caused quite a lot of wasted food as it became just a bit too much. I also felt a bit aggrieved for not being given the included breakfast on the day of departure. Admittedly it was early (6.45 am) but I thought the hotel could provide a small take-away croissant and a coffee.
Very much enjoyed the train journeys and the special evening meals and locations, a lot of variety. Very well organised itinerary, however, our guide was somewhat overwhelmed with looking after a group of 28 people and relied heavily on group members to help. For this size of group I thought she should have been given a Wendy Wu assistant. However, she did an excellent job and was always cheerful and helpful.

The tour was very well organised, the guide Miuchi was superb, so patient and good humoured.l did find the itenary a bit busy on some days
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When I first enquired about this holiday, it was hard for me to get the right information so I could make a choice between two different Japan trips. I was a bit unsure about spending so much money on the longer trip, which carried no discount. Also, I had to pay a very large single supplement, which made me hesitate. On top of all that (which was probably my fault for booking so late), I had to pay an additional £600 on the airfare. So, all in all, it was a hard decision for me to make and I didn't find the sales agent very helpful. However, I went away and thought about the long trip and decided that, since I was only going to go to Japan once, I should try and see as much as possible. I called you again to book and this time your sales agent was very helpful and gave me advice on the best day to fly. The trip was expensive but, once I got to Japan, I hardly spent any money as all meals were included. Next time I book a trip with you, I will try and find an offer of reduced or no single supplement , which I know you do sometimes. Anyway, it was a great trip with lovely people and a wonderful guide, Sam, who really contributed towards our overall enjoyment. He was excellent.

We enjoyed the trip very much, it was brilliant that we saw as much as we did. It was a shame that we didn’t have much free time as we were on the go which is understandable. . A day of free time would be welcome with the amount of travelling. It stated in the brochure that the level was grade 1, we felt it was more like grade 3 to 4 with the amount of walking required and the steps going to the top of the temples.

From start to end this tour was amazing. Our group leader, Sam, was exemplary - very kind, attentive and well-organised, with a wealth of knowledge to impart everywhere we went. The route was well planned to include a range of cultural experiences in both urban and rural settings. Hotels were always good and the included meals meant that we were able to sample a lot of Japanese dishes as well as some Western options. The itinerary was quite intensive and fast-paced and it would have been good to have the option of a bit more free time to explore on our own in some places. I would have liked the option of an evening's entertainment to experience Japanese music or dance. The trip encompassed a huge area of this amazing country: the transport, whether by train or coach, was seamless and the experiences we had along the way were so memorable. A trip of a lifetime, for sure!

Wide selection of places visited, delicious food, helpful guide all made a wonderful first visit to Japan and with lots of cherry blossoms.

Did exactly what it said it would. Good guide-good hotels-good food=good experience