Reviews

We have just returned from an excellent trip, Japan Uncovered. Blessed by outstanding weather, and in cherry blossom season this trip covered all the major sites that we most wanted to see in Japan. Our guide, Mina, was fabulous. Patient, knowledgeable and with a great sense of humour. Her English was excellent. Our group of 27 included English, Irish and Australian participants. A few of us had food requests and allergies which Mina took time to understand and to ensure that the restaurants were aware of.
Before embarking on a trip such as this though, I would urge people to do their homework. This is a trip designed to cover as many peoples interests as possible. Therefore, there will be occasions when you like certain activities more than others. This is not a personalised trip. This also applies to the food. Sometimes you will eat at fairly high end restaurants and sometimes the equivalent of a cafe. The food is predominantly Japanese because that is what people eat in Japan! I am not a huge fan of Japanese food but I tried everything and I was never hungry. The days are long and there is often quite a bit of walking. So when it is stated that a good level of fitness is required, that is what they mean. On the first day we walked over 20,000 steps as well as travelling by coach and boat; and recovering from jet lag. English is not widely spoken but with a smile and a sense of humour most things can be communicated. We were happy with all of the hotels that we stayed in but Japanese hotel rooms tend to be small and rather warm. There often isn’t a bar to relax in, in the evenings but the vending machines are excellent.
We will definitely be keeping our eyes peeled for other Wendy Wu tours but I think that this one will be hard to beat both in terms of cost and the amount of Japan that we were able to see. Just a couple of thousand photos to go through now.

Poor value. The guide had never travelled with a group and he had no idea what he was doing. Often he was lost at large historical sites and so a lot of time was wasted. We often did not have enough time to queue up to see the sites we were visiting.
The hotels were very good, however the lunch and dinner venues were often very cheap, rather nasty places. We often arrived late for lunches and the food was sitting waiting for us so cold. Not pleasant.
Lack of information in a daily basis. Such as where we were going, meal times etc.
The coach transport was of a very high standard with plenty of room. Great drivers.
In general I could not recommend this company. I feel the holiday was very overpriced for the service we received.

We had a brilliant time filled with so many experiences- it fulfilled my lifetime dream to visit Japan and see the ancient sites whilst experiencing modern Japan too. Our guide, Kaori was great fun and very informative. Whilst it was a whistle stop tour with a lot of travelling included, we had a good balance of time spent at attractions, having experiences and eating out at restaurants, sampling local cuisine. Being vegetarian we were very well looked after wherever we ate. We enjoyed shopping in quality outlets to buy lovely souvenirs. Our colleagues were great company and the group gelled really well. We had some free time at the end of the tour to enjoy Osaka and our transfer was easily managed too. The only shame was that on arrival we had to wait a further 2 hours at the airport before the next transfer bus which meant that we missed our dinner and nothing was provided for us on that first night. Luckily we could pick up some snacks from the convenience store. We were issued a refund but that wasn’t much of a welcome after such a long journey. Given that Wendy Wu arranged the flights they must have known this would happen so this was disappointing but didn’t spoil our overall experience. We had a great time in Japan!

We participated in Wendy Wu Didcover Japan 28 March - 9 April. overall this tour was disappointing and not nearly as enjoyable as tours to China and spain with other tour providers. teh 2 key disappointments were teh food - after 3 days of Japnes tyle banquets we requested some variety to the dinner menus - we did get one Chinese night which was excellent. We dined outside the tour on 2 evenings .
While our tour operator tried her best, her English was poor and she lacked flexibility. She did teh minimum required and did not see it as her job to address issues or to ensure we were happy.
Some of the activities were excellent - paper making and origami and gold leaf work, the castle at Osaka and teh boat ride as well as the 1000 Shintu gates, but overall there were too many temples. We were disappointed that the cable car was off due to weather but we did get to level 4 at Mt fuji which ws great.
hotels were a mixed bag with some really nice rooms and some very average ones.
i did reach out locally to the Wendy Wu representative in Japan and was told to talk to our tour guide.
we woudl not book with Wendy Wu again

It was amazing. Our courier Akiko was so helpful , nothing was too much trouble.

The tour was excellent from the beginning when it was first organised to the food and trips with our brilliant guide. We saw temples and shrines and learnt the history relating to them. We saw beautiful gardens and visited local restaurants as well as exemplary hotels.
It made me think again about the people and culture of Japan.

The actual tour was excellent and better than expected. The inclusive meals were varied and gave me a true taste of Japan.
The tour guide, Akiko, was knowledgeable and helpful throughout.
My only point of concern was the flight times. The first day I arrived at the hotel too late for dinner. This was quickly covered by giving me a refund for the meal. However, the last ‘day’ myself and another woman on the tour had to leave the hotel at 3am with no breakfast. Therefore, my advice would be to check the flights available and specify your wishes.

Very good holiday and enjoyed the southern island Kyushu especially. Excellent and sympathetic leading.
Full programme and good range of restaurants.
The first full day was perhaps a little heavy on sightseeing (given jet lag) perhaps some minor relancing of intineary. But overall very godd.

A fabulous holiday from start to finish. Excellent guide and very well organised. Would highly recommend

Enjoyed the tour!! Food was a little disappointing…..whilst there was plenty- it was very repetitive and the locations not as a I would like.

Holiday to Japan was great, but Wendy Wu not so great! Communication before the holiday was poor, welcome at the airport was non-existent. When we eventually found the rep at the airport (hiding under a tiny banner), we were told we were not on their list, and basically didn't want to know us. Eventually we could see our names highlighted on their list! This is not the welcome we expected from a premium holiday like Wendy Wu. Our tour rep was not really the best English speaker if she was asked questions. She was also poorly organised at the welcome party. The intercom system used on the tours did not really work properly, and was unsuitable for hearing aid users. Many times we could not hear what she was saying. Our biggest problem was that on two occasions on the same day she failed to count the group numbers, and left us behind, despite us being on-time and in the correct place. Food at lunch times was mixed with some very odd venues chosen (a theme park on one occasion!). Highlights were very good hotels and the cherry blossom.

Fantastic experience visiting Japan with an excellent group touring together with another really well organised Wendy Wu holiday.

This tour provides the opportunity to see Japanese cities and some of the countryside on Honshu. The group size is 28 and if visiting at peak holiday time this is too large, e.g. in Tokyo because of the crowds and queues we were unable to enter the shrine and our visit to the sky tree was very restricted. It was also difficult to keep up with the guide. However it would be fair to say that it was often difficult to keep up with this particular guide. I was disappointed by the poor standard of her information about the country and quite often her instructions were confusing. I found the Japanese meals repetitive and unappetising. I had a specific dietary requirement and was unhappy that this meant being allocated a seat with others who also had a specific need. It felt like we were sat at the ‘naughty’ table. Requests to sit with our companions were flatly refused.
I enjoyed the old Japanese architecture, the countryside, the Japanese gardens and loved the cherry blossom. The activities were interesting and provided momentos. The hotels were of a very good standard and the staff very courteous.
Japan is a very clean and safe country with very efficient infrastructure. I suggest that it may be worthwhile for future travellers to explore a self-guided tour especially of the cities but it may be more difficult visiting the countryside villages which should not be missed.

I have already emailed your company. Bad use of time on a couple of precious days . Only one choice for lunch . Either you had nothing or you could pay for your own . Not a good idea considering the cost of the holiday.

Fully packed itinerary with an excellent guide Matchy. Over the 16 days we got a real feel for all the Japan highlights. Mealtimes gave us a great selection of either Japanese or western menus. Interesting to eat out at different venues. Matchy on occasion took us on the subway and through the crowded streets downtown - gave a real feel for the city. Some hotel rooms a bit on the cramped side but you're not in them long.
Good group with 26 of us: 12 Brits; 10 Aussies; 4 Kiwis. All very manageable with this size of group.