Inside Travel Group Traveller Reviews

InsideJapan came through beautifully on this two week vacation. We had a fine selection of hotels and ryokans in several cities, and all the transit between them was well planned. The info packet had everything we needed so the travel went without a hitch, we knew where to go, when we had to be there, and had our tickets in hand and ready to go. All we had to do was figure out what we wanted to fill the days with, and they again came through with advice and many suggestions, including how to make them happen and what to expect. Thanks to InsideJapan, I now have a memory full of happy moments and experiences because all the other details were already handled. An absolute amazing job left me having an absolute amazing vacation!

Grant helped us plan out a wonderful experience, took our list of "want to see" places and came back with a wonderful trip! He even gave several very good suggestions for filling in some of the time - everything had all the info we needed and those we chose were wonderful experiences! We didn't have anyone with us on the trip, as we chose a self-guided package - though we did happen to meet one (leading another group) and he was a wonderful fellow.

Our holiday to Japan was the best experience of my life. We started in Tokyo staying in Asakusa which had a great array of places to eat, historical sites and more modern attractions like the skytower. One of the highlights of the trip was going to akihabara which we really enjoyed as we saw the otaku culture and had a great time in the arcades. The maid cafe was memorable if not slighlty aqward but was certainly a unique experience. Whilst in Tokyo we visited the studio Ghibli museum which was beautiful and very enjoyable. We also enjoyed visiting shibuya and just watching the people walk by the crossing whilst we had soufflé pancakes (which I wish I could recreate) Our stay in Kyoto was our favourite part of the trip as we visited Gion the geisha (geicho and micro) quarter, arashiayama and the hoguzawa boat ride, the golden pavilion and fushimi inari with the gates. What we loved about Kyoto is that here was plenty to do and we weren't overwhelmed by the number of people. All in all we had a fantastic time and i would love to return to see it all again.

We had a fantastic holiday with Inside Japan. The accommodation we were booked in was fantastic with English speaking staff, fantastic breakfasts included and all of our hotels were located in areas with plenty of things to do around them. We had two tours in Kyoto which were both excellent, the tour hosts again spoke fantastic English and were polite and catered to what we requested. We were very happy with the service provided by Inside Japan as they boeoked our flights, transfers and tickets to the attractions we wanted to see which made the whole trip stress free and enjoyable. The package we had was suited to our requests and they offered helpful advice on all the extra bits including currency, wifi router boxes and best places to visit.

Japan is different. A modern, industrial country sending well known, well made products around the world. But with a history of isolation and self containment. It's very distinctive culture within its very distinctive landscape. Every day is an eye opener. Just to walk down the street is to experience a new way of looking at the world. A holiday and an education.

Inside Japan really took us by the hand. We went to them with a blank page. They suggested a great itineray for us, made some slight alterations to accomodate some of our interests then made all the bookings. Efficiently and quickly. They provided great, comprehensive information and obviously know the country inside out.

We had a great time on a two week holiday in Japan. We had been to Tokyo previously and really wanted to see more of the country - and it did not disappoint! We arrived in Tokyo and used Japan's super efficient Shinkansen to get to Kanazawa, and then used buses and local trains to travel back through the mountains to Tokyo. I highly recommend getting out into Japan's mountains and countryside, particularly to Kamikochi if you like walking and wildlife.

We used InsideJapan tours for a self-guided two week holiday. They arranged our itinerary, booked us some great accommodation, sorted transport and made suggestions about where to visit, including booking baseball tickets for us in Tokyo. A detailed information pack telling us how to get from x to y to z meant that we could just focus on seeing the country and enjoying ourselves. I highly recommend them.

From the start to the end of the tour, we all had a tremendous holiday experience. The tour was varied, seeing cities both old and modern as well as time seeing the countryside and wildlife of Kyushu, the southernmost large island of Japan. The hotels selected were very good and the included meals excellent. The tour guide, Mark, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic and brought the group together well. We experienced many different forms of transport and became confident hopping on and off trams, the subway and Japan Rail. A great initial insight into Japan, which I would unhesitatingly recommend.

From the first contact through to booking, the operator : Inside Japan Tours, took the time to understand my requirements, offer me options and provided all the documentation that I could possibly need. Travelling with this company was an excellent experience.

Travelling with a small group [max 14 persons] enables the traveller to experience more personal touches including getting away from the maddening crowds. With walking included, the traveller has more opportunity to see things up close and also spend more time seeing the locals and to experience the local culture.

Very professional and the traveller is made to feel special. An excellent to really see Japan by travelling the back roads with an excellent itinerary created by our guide.

We travelled from Sydney to Tokyo in May 2017. We spent over three weeks experiencing this wonderful country. Inside Japan Tours arranged an airport private transfer to our hotel in Asakusa. We spent three nights exploring Tokyo with the metro travel card supplied by Inside Japan Tours (IJT). IJT provided us with destination guides for each area we visited during our time in Japan. These guides are invaluable and give clients great suggestions of what to do and where to go. They also provide tips on where to eat if meals are not included in ones package. From Tokyo we caught the train to Hakone (all train tickets were provided by IJT and were waiting for us on check in at our hotel in Tokyo. The Hakone Pass was also included with our tickets and this Pass was also invaluable and saved us money on many local attractions in the Hakone region From Hakone we travelled to Kyoto (again by train). Train travel is a wonderful way to see Japan, the trains run very much on time and are clean and graffiti free! We spent five nights in Kyoto - again using IJT destination guide - and had a marvelous time exploring this interesting city From Kyoto we travelled by train and ferry to Miyajima. This island is a must for travelers to Japan. Very impressive and we stayed at a lovely Ryokan with fabulous food served in our room each evening. Great walks are to be had in the island. The ferry from Miyajima also links one with Hiroshima. A very thought provoking day spent in this city. From Miyajima we travelled to Takayama. Our hotel was a disappointment and we stayed for three nights in this location which was probably too long. Takayama we travelled to Kamikochi. This area was also a highlight of our stay in Japan. The Japan Alps are stunning and our hotel was amazing. The food was Japanese/French and was of,the highest standard. Many walks are to be had in this area but watch out for the bears! We stayed two nights in Kamikochi but could have stayed longer. The area is only open April through to November due to the altitude and the amount of snow which is dumped in the mountains - truly spectacular! Finally we returned to Tokyo for a few more days exploring this rather large city. Shinjuku is a great area to stay. Return private transfer to the airport and we headed for home after a fantastic trip,to Japan

From our very first contact with Harry Sargent at Inside Japan Tours we were impressed. Harry's attention to detail was great. Hotel suggestions were spot on for us. Any questions we had were answered promptly by either phone or email. Would have no hesitation in recommending Inside Japan Tours.

This was a holiday tailored for people who didn't want guides or groups. We wanted to see some Japan 'off the beaten track' and we did. Beautiful walking, traditional accommodation and a range of travel. We could choose where and what to eat, but with trip notes to guide us if we wanted.

'Inside Japan' did all the sweaty work and planning for us, booked accommodation and gave informed support. The travel pack was superb. We just had to follow the notes and could relax and enjoy the experience. Well done!

My wife and I used InsideAsia tours to travel to Japan. They managed to plan the most amazing trip that gave us a huge range of experiences in Japan. We experienced big cities, little villages, cycle tour, traditional inns, temple living, high speed trains a spectacular island and fine dining - all within 16 days.

They did an amazing job of translating our rather wooly desires into a very concrete plan that exceeded our expectations. We received excellent value for money and we'd not hesitate to recommend InsideAsia Tours to any of our friends. Their website is probably the world's best site for inspiration and planning a holiday in Japan. They also provide bound and printed guides and a personalised travel plan in print and PDF format. Bern, our planner has lived in Japan and regularly visits there. His depth of knowledge was impressive and far better than reading generic guides. Of course you can book everything yourself, but using an agency saves you a great deal of time and effort. I believe they get accommodation a bit cheaper, so you probably aren't paying much more anyway.

We had the most wonderful time on our long awaited honeymoon to Japan and would love to go back! We had a self guided tour that was tailor made for us and we got to travel to all of the places we wanted to via the fabulous public transport system. We traveled from the huge sprawling metropolis that is Tokyo to visit the mountains of Hakone, then visited the shrines and temples of Kyoto (with day trips to Osaka and Hiroshima on the Shinkansen) before flying to the tropical island of Ishigaki. Japan really lived up to our expectations and more.

Inside Japan Tours were amazing from start to finish. Claire, who was our expert, arranged everything for our tailor made trip, kept us informed and answered all of my little questions promptly. She even recommended and booked us some experiences and recommended a portable Wifi device that we could use whilst we were in Japan and it really was invaluable. The standard of all our accommodation was high, our tickets arrived in good time before our trip and the ones that couldn't be sent to our home were waiting for us at the hotel reception on arrival. We could not fault the service and would definitely recommend IJT to anyone who wants to visit Japan for the first time. We would certainly look to book with them again.