Kimkim Trip Reviews for Japan

The hotel in Kyoto was great for our four-night stay. Both Tokyo and Kyoto hotels had fantastic breakfast buffets offering both continental and Japanese options.

The room was fine with a little garden. Initially, the front entrance was hard to find due to a lack of signage. Once inside, the hotel was nice. Louise prefers bathtubs and this hotel lacked one, but it was manageable for two nights.

We selected this hotel on recommendation s from a friend and it did not disappoint. The rooms were spacious and clean the private outdoor and indoor bathing areas were wonderful and made for a special experience.

Great hotel with comfortable rooms. The breakfast buffet is excellent with western as well as Japanese food available. All fresh. On a clear morning we could even see Mt Fuji from our table. It is an easy walk to catch a local train or the subway

We did enjoy the Hidden Gardens experience. Our guide, we called him Kay, was great, and we enjoyed the interaction with him.

This was our first temple visit in Japan. Very interesting!

I loved this tour. Osaka Castle is beautiful and has a lot of history. Well set up to see

This was fun but a little hairy riding through traffic for part of it. Going to see the monkeys (macaques) was a bit of a hike up.

We did the half day tour and it was not even that long, maybe 2 hours, not including the wait.

I wish I was a better artist, not having done this before but the class was fun anyway. You have a choice between an ink painting on a board or coasters

The gardens are beautiful especially with the fall colors.

As Mt Fuji was covered in clouds, our guide for the two days suggested we wait until the next day do the Ropeway and boat cruise the next day and we were rewarded with beautiful sunny skies. Instead the guide took use to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum and it was amazing

This was not part of KimKim’s original plan but they provided a driver and a great guide which made it extra special

The public baths are a huge win! What a great hotel and location. But beware, there are a LOT of tours that stay here too, so there tend to be long wait times to the elevators or breakfast in the mornings.

Really such a fantastic location to get anywhere you need in Kyoto and beyond. In the center of it all!

Wow, wow, wow—this experience was absolutely amazing! Learning about sumo wrestling directly from retired sumos was unforgettable, and then having them cook a delicious lunch for us? How cool is that! The sumos were hilarious, passionate, and so eager to share the history and culture of the sport. After the meal, we even practiced and had a match in the ring with them—which was hysterical fun and such a unique memory. 10/10 recommend, especially because our tour guide, Mayu, was so personable and an excellent translator, making the whole experience seamless and enjoyable.

My tour guide, Ayuri, was absolutely amazing! I loved this entire tour—it gave me the chance to see areas that most travelers overlook because of the usual “tourism blinders.” Ayuri’s knowledge and passion made the experience unforgettable.

I can’t rave enough about this Tea Ceremony experience! The women running the tea house were incredibly kind and generous with their time. What was supposed to be a 30-minute visit turned into an hour and a half of conversation, laughter, and exchanging stories with the staff. This was truly the highlight of my entire trip—an authentic, heartfelt experience that I’ll never forget. If you’re considering it, don’t hesitate. I recommend it 100%!

Hakone is a beautiful and fun destination, but I realized that traditional ryokans aren’t for me. While the experience is unique and deeply rooted in Japanese culture—complete with traditional clothing and footwear—I personally found it a bit uncomfortable. For travelers who want an authentic cultural stay, I highly recommend trying a ryokan at least once. However, if you prefer familiar comforts, this experience might push you out of your comfort zone and could feel a little stressful. The site itself was amazing and the staff incredibly attentive.

As a huge Studio Ghibli fan, visiting the museum was an absolute dream come true. My tour guide, Michico, was incredible—so knowledgeable and passionate, and it made the experience even more special knowing she was a fellow Ghibli fan. She was truly a highlight of the trip! The museum itself is something beyond words—magical, whimsical, and full of surprises. It’s a must-visit for any Ghibli lover. I spent hours exploring, letting my inner child lead the way, and loved every minute of it.

Absolutely amazing! Brand new, right on Osaka Castle... A little walk to the metro but not bad. Breakfast was incredible. We will definately stay here again!

Very neat learning about this neighborhood. The guide Michiko Aoyama was incredible - she was tireless and took us all over, to all the alleys of the neighborhood finding millinium old shrines. Great tour! And wonderful tour guide!

Incredible. the guide Akira Itoh was knowledgable and very friendly. An incredible visit!

Amazing hotel, and exceptional service

Very conveniently located. Clean, comfortable room. Wonderful breakfast.

Hotel was convenient. Many shops nearby for shopping. Clean, comfortable room. Breakfast was wonderful. Very friendly staff member offered to take photos of us in the indoor garden.

Convenient for our walking tour of the city. Comfortable, clean room. Wonderful breakfast.

Very, very convenient to public transportation. Clean, comfortable room. Delicious breakfast.

Lovely setting. Clean, comfortable room. Wonderful breakfast!

Room was clean, comfortable, located conveniently for our activity. Delicious breakfast!

Luxurious lodging! Wonderful opportunity to attend evening meditation and morning service. Breakfast and dinner were incredible, very interesting, very delicious.

Very friendly staff. Great location. Amazing breadkfasts.

This was an enjoyable walking tour of the marketplace and walks along the river. Tomoko san comes from that area, so our tour was more personal because she gave us information as a native of the city. She stopped often and offered to take photos of us at scenic places. She took us to a family operated noodle shop, which was a real treat. We enjoyed Takayama very much.

We really enjoyed Shirakawago. The history of the village and the tour of the Temple and the museum were fascinating. I took many photos with hopes that some research now will give me a better understanding about the silkworm business. Naoko san was an excellent guide, speaking English and educating us about the history of the World Heritage Village and offering to take many photos of us. This was high on our list of places we visited. Our driver was prompt and very patient.

We learned quite a lot about Hokusai and were able to see some of Hokusai's work and learn about his history. Our guide was very knowledgeable. We enjoyed our time with him.

Sake is not my drink of choice, but I did settle on a sake that I liked. We were given many choices. Staff at the sake brewery were pleasant and helpful. The Monkey Park was a nice hike up the mountain trail, and we were grateful that one monkey was there to entertain us.

This was the initial reason for going to Japan, but it left me the most disappointed. Tour guide was not astute enough to realize that I was recovering from bilateral Quadriceps strain from climbing the 5 tier pagode in Osaka a few days earlier. I am 84 years old and was carrying a backpack with overnight necessities. She walked rapidly, leaving me about 25 yards behind and then having to rush to "catch up." At one point, I asked her "May I ask a favor of you? Can you walk slower?" As a result of not walking a steady, slower pace, I was unable to physically complete the last bit of the trail to Tsumago. It required a taxi to get to our hotel. Although she stayed with us to register at the hotel, we did not require that help. That added time made her late for her train connection and she had to stay in a hotel that night. We offered to pay for her overtime, but she declined. I am disappointed that I couldn't complete the final part of the Nakasendo Trail.

Hector was a wonderful tour guide who taught us so much about the history of the area as well as of Japan. We will remember him warmly.

This was a fun class. Certainly will attempt to put to use what we learned about ramen and gyoza.

Great hotel. Our hotel got two people and had do split up our family of 4 into two connecting rooms which worked out okay too. Rooms were smaller than other hotels but clean, classy. Located in a business district. Hotel is more for professionals and business. One subway stop away from Umeda which is the big central station with shops. Overall very nice hotel.

Very nice hotel. Nice, clean, green, modern. Great breakfast. Spacious room to fit our family of 4. Located in the center of action, shops and restaurants.

Perfect for families. Love that Ueno Park is across the street for a stroll. Safe. Clean. Spacious. Centrally located. Kids loved the bunk beds.

Very beautiful trees and meticulously maintained garden.

Nice experience of Japanese customs and tradition. We did this with our 8 and 11 year old. The event is very formal and very respectful.

Clean, authentic experience. The breakfast was inedible- both Japanese and Western. I recommend going to nearby cafes for breakfast!

Clean, good breakfast, convenient near train station

Cool eco conscious hotel

Cool spot with train access, cool local area is far from shin osaka but central to all sights

Spitting distance from the station, nice vibe and staff

Kind staff, very stylish

Awesome. Just really great very traditional, be careful walking around though this place is kind of a maze.

Fun and relaxing

Fun again not sure if I just got lucky with my group or not but it wound up being really enjoyable

This is the quintessential tea experience, no need to look further, its perfect here.

Did not go into this with high expectations, maybe we just had a great group, maybe we got lucky with friendly locals but it was blast

Hakone is beautiful but be warned if you start at the point I did it takes several hours to get to odawara for the train in just travel time, plan where you will stop accordingly.

Fun, need to be fit enough for it though which thankfully I was. But it is not a easy trial at the end.

My guide was awesome and we managed to get on some hidden paths to avoid the crowds at thier worst

Not bad, only one I wasn't over the moon over, felt like a medieval times style gimmick but that could be me being too harsh

Awesome , just great fun got to glimpse everything and we could dodge crowds

The lobby smelled nice when you enter, of lavender! We spent two nights here, loved the proximity to the train station. There is a very nice ramen restaurant that we found near the hotel to enjoy our thanksgiving dinner at. The hotel breakfasts, both Japanese and western style were yummy.

Very nice hotel, they had a cool train display for the holidays in the lobby! Staff were friendly and the breakfast was very good! We were only here one night and enjoyed our brief stay.

Loved the closeness to the Shibuya station for exploring around Tokyo. The staff were all extremely helpful when we had questions about setting up a cab or shipping our luggage to Kyoto. The bar on the 40th floor made really good cocktails and the Japanese breakfast was so yummy.

My husband loved this! He was like a kid in a candy shop at the automobiles museum. It was very cool learning about how Toyota originally started as a textile company and then became an automobile maker- especially enjoyed how the Industries museum noted different events occurring in the world as they became a car maker company.

Even though the weather was not the most cooperative, we had a good time. It was impressive to see how a 12,000 foot mountain can be completely hidden with what I’m assuming is snow clouds. Enjoyed the 400 stair walk to the pagoda that overlooks the Mt Fuji valley and learning about its construction during WW2 for missing and injured Japanese soldiers (was nice to get a Japanese perspective on events in the pacific theater). We bought some cool souvenirs and tried pizza with sweet potatoes as a topping!

Loved trying the food- only thing I wish we would have done is to have had a smaller breakfast. We were both pretty full by the time we started exploring the fish market but were able to enjoy some really nice matcha and crab. I especially enjoyed the deep fried sweet potatoes in the market from Asakusa.

Guide took us to a relatively obscure sushi restaurant featuring a private session with a sushi chef who explained and prepared everything before us. Sushi was fresh. Probably the best I've ever had!

Entertaining and educational. But not a true sumo match. Still worth it.

This hotel was pretty amazing, but it was more of a roller coaster. The breakfast bar was great; I'd have been blown away had I not just been at a Keio Plaza that set my expectations sky-high. This hotel's breakfast had most of the same stuff, though our other hotel literally had a soft serve ice cream machine... how do you compete with that? Additionally, this hotel's restaurants had very weird hours. Some were only open alternating Tuesdays/Thursdays, for example. The dinner restaurant required reservations... at a hotel. Otherwise, the amenities were on point, and I particularly appreciate the hotel shuttle to Kyoto Station. The rooms had a good deal of floor space but were short on furniture, meaning there weren't many places to set things, so luggage just had to sit on the floor. At least doing so left plenty of walkway. The fixtures (showers and toilets) were all great, there were no problems with water temperature or pressure, and the hotel had blackout curtains and other lighting control. The hotel paid a lot of attention to aesthetics; the lobby was stunningly beautiful. However, there was only one set of elevators in the whole hotel, so we managed to stop on every floor on our descent from level 6, just to watch people elect to wait for the next elevator.

This hotel's breakfast bar is carrying it. It was that wonderful. The hotel had water pressure problems and the shower flailed wildly between unpleasantly cool and painfully hot. But I worked around that by drawing a bath, and I'd do that every day for the breakfast bar, which blew the other hotel from our trip out of the water. The beds were comfortable, though on the firm side, which I believe many will appreciate. Beyond that, our experience was perfect. The rooms were small but there was space to put our stuff under tables and on a shelf above the beds' headboards, so we did better here than at our other hotel which had more floor space but no furniture to put things on.

This experience really made the trip for me. Kiyumizu was breathtaking; a real must-see among the temples. We actually hit multiple on this tour, and our guide was so friendly and accommodating; she made plenty of time for all the stuff we wanted to do. Dinner selection was on us, which was also stunning. If I ever book through KimKim again, I'd just tell them I want more of this. It was night and day in so many respects. We met the guide at our hotel, at an hour we set; she provided us bus passes so that we didn't have to worry about transit for these events (or anything else that day), we did everything we wanted at the temples, had a great meal, and left ecstatic.

Experience oozed authenticity; any deviation from that was carefully noted by our hostess. Good for tourists as there was time for photo shoots in our kimono, which was strongly encouraged. The place featured a small "zen garden" kind of structure for it, and while said garden was pretty much in the heart of the city where I'm not sure grass can actually grow, they made it work. Sitting on my knees is hard, but the hostess was very accommodating in that respect.

The tour guide was friendly, spoke great English, and took us through some basic Japanese language and culture lessons, which was cute. These stops were over-commercialized tourist traps that managed to be all about Mount Fuji while exhibiting surprisingly little nature (our final stop was better, as it was a shopping center located next to a very scenic lake). The stops on Fuji itself were just tourist traps that charge you (separately and individually) to so much as use the restroom (there *is* a free one on site, as well). I was told to avoid Mount Fuji because it's a tourist trap, and I accepted the risk because hey, I'm a tourist. What I didn't expect is some extremely poor planning on the part of KimKim that made the whole day a huge pain. We had to leave our hotel before breakfast opened (which would have been at 7AM) to make it to the meetup point on time (a bit after 8 AM). To add insult to injury, the bus we boarded in Tokyo passed within a few hundred meters of said hotel an hour later. I was livid. My party constituted three of the five individuals on this tour, and the other two were from a separate stop; KimKim should have arranged a stop for us. Breakfast was not provided on the tour, nor did we have time to catch any before departure. Lunch was some sad prepackaged meal offered at a random hotel along the way. I enjoyed our time by the lake, though.

A lot of good sights, especially the thunder temple, and a good guide to tell us about them. Japan has largely over-commercialized these temples, but it doesn't feel so bad because it's all cheap, all done on the honor system (within the temples; stands around them are pretty touristy), and all deeply rooted in their culture (even most of the local shops and food stands). Some of the pacing could be improved; I'd rather walk and talk when possible, but this tour still left some wiggle room so we could do what we wanted in the area, and the guide made time for photos and helped us out with them. The tour also left us plenty of time to structure the rest of our day around it.

Our guide was great. The choice of eateries was questionable. The food selection was predetermined, rather than just setting a budget, so some members of our group left after eating very little (of the 8 pieces of sushi and 3 tempura that were offered at the first joint). The second joint seemed to be higher quality and was far more impressive. We actually bailed on the third place because it was just some type of ice cream and our group was falling asleep, nearly out of phone battery, by that point in the day.

This hotel was very basic but location could be a huge draw for some people because it is right off of shibuya crossing and near the large train station.

Best hotel we stayed in while on our trip. Room was by far the biggest out of any location. Very nice lobby with a great luggage locker and coffee/drink machine.

Very new hotel. Breakfast selection was great. Very convenient to the train station and local train cars.

Hotel was nice. They had a fitness room and a coin laundry facility. Location was good near a metro

This hotel has potential to be a great place to stay for the right people. The onsens are great but there is no tattoos allowed so my husband could not enjoy. The rooms are outdated with peeling wall paper and old bathrooms. The dinner and breakfast was included which in theory sounds great but the menu is fixed. The food is definitely for a particular person who values presentation over taste. I would be surprised if a kid would enjoy any of the food because it is heavily raw fish.

Overall a nice hotel. Rooms were small but that is standard in Tokyo. The breakfast was good but the sitting area could only accommodate a certain amount of people so most mornings there was a 5-15 minute wait to get in.

A day full of beautiful views and a beautiful memorial. Miyajima is very pretty but I would advise getting there early to avoid big crowds. The memorial was hard to see but was so well done.

Fun learning about tea ceremonies. This is not a full tea ceremony but you still learn a lot.

Arashiyama was great. We did a scenic train ride that was pretty but if you are sitting on the wrong side of the train you barely get any views. Bamboo forest was cool but way over crowded

Our local guide Yoko was great. There is so much to see in Kyoto and she was able to bring us to all the highlights. We had extra time and she was able to bring us to an extra temple with 10001 Buddha sculptures.

Nice day trip with 3 key experiences. We were able to see Mt Fuji which made the experience. We went up to station 5 so we actually got to be on Fuji which had great views of surrounding mountains. Lunch was decent, food was cold but had variety. Then we headed to a scenic boat ride which was short and I could have done without but some people really enjoyed it. Then we went up to a shrine on the top of a mountain using a cable car. Great views and cool shrine.

The beginning of the class was a little awkward because it seemed like that were training a new hire to lead the class. The second half ran really smoothly and was fun. Sushi and quality of products were great. You end up eating everything you make and it’s a lot of food

Had a great time seeing the highlights of Tokyo lead by Yumi. She was knowledgeable and was able to tailor the day to what we preferred.