Shona Zhang

Family trip to Japan was planned through Kimkim was generally positive. There was a lot of back and forth finalizing the trip, all done online so there was some awkwardness with communication and getting all our questions answered efficiently.

The week in Tokyo was great, part self guided and private tours. The Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park tour was a bit of a disappointment because it was overcast and we did not see Mt. Fuji at all but our guide Yang was lovely and humoured us by letting us stop to eat Hoto noodles, shop at the fruit stand and skipped part of the tour due to the fact there was no view that day. The tour company Magical Trip was very good, with friendly local tour guides that really gave a personalized experience. The sumo experience was so fun and our tour guide Shiina Saito was amazing. All the private transfers were great, the drivers contacted us in advance via WhatsApp and were easy to keep in communication. We took the suggested self-guided tours as a rough guide and pretty much did our own exploration of the city. We booked our own ticket to a Giant's baseball game as it was easier to do so.

The week in Okinawa was also great but in retrospect would have preferred more self guided with a rental car as the bus trip to North Okinawa sightseeing tour & Churaumi Aquarium was a disappointment. Most of the time was spend in crowded bus stopping at places that did not interest us and we did not have much time at the aquarium which was what we wanted to experience. We left the tour at the second to last stop as our hotel was a 20 min walk away and the end of the tour would've taken us an hour away by car from our hotel, saving us 100 min sitting in a vehicle. The surfing and snorkeling trips were enjoyable. The Shuri castle tour was with Magical Trip, our private guide Maria was fantastic.

I have used Kimkim before for a Greece trip and our agent kept in contact via WhatsApp and was available immediately for questions and concerns. Our Japan tour guide Shona was very helpful but all our communication was through Kimkim messaging and there was always a delay because of this. There was no real emergency but there was one time in Tokyo we did not have access to our TeamLab tickets till last minute and a time in Okinawa where our private transfer driver was late and we had to improvise and take a taxi get reimbursed later. It all worked out but I imagine not all travelers could've rolled with the punches as we can speak some Japanese to communicate our problems.

Hotel Reviews

ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort

Okinawa

Great view and access to pool and beach. Nice little fitness centre. PST Pizza and buffet breakfast was great. Hotel was a little remote, far from other sights but there was a shuttle to the gate that saved from walking to local restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Looked like a cruise ship

Location

Great view and access to beach/pool

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tosei Hotel Cocone Tsukiji Ginza Premier

Tokyo

Clean and convenient hotel. Great location, great service and buffet breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character

There was a public bath and small gym. Buffet breakfast was good.

Location

Staff

Staff was very friendly and helpful. They were able to keep our luggage for a week while we went to Okinawa for a week.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Okinawa Surfing Experience

Okinawa

Very small group activity which allowed it to be quite personalized. Guides were great.

Quality of Experience

Very small group and personalized.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naha, Okinawa: Keramas Island Snorkeling Day Trip with Lunch

Okinawa

Keramas Island was beautiful. It was a bit of a large group tour but we got to see a lot of great marine life. Felt a little like cattle and did not have very much freedom during this activity but they seemed very concerned about safety which is I suppose is good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Naha City

Okinawa

This was a big bus tour that was mostly stops for shopping. The stop at Churaumi Aquarium was too short to fully enjoy it. Spent a lot of time driving. The tour guide was stressed and mostly busy herding people. Our hotel was close the the second to last stop so we left to walk 20 min to our hotel otherwise we would have spent another 2 hours driving.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo: Enter the Sanctuary

Tokyo

This tour was very fun. Our guide Shiina Saito was lovely. The sumo wrestlers were funny and entertaining.

Quality of Experience

Food

Chanko nabe was tasty.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park

Japan

Our guide was very lovely but without a view of Mt. Fuji this all day tour is pretty disappointing.

Quality of Experience

If weather is not optimal make changes to itinerary?

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly and accommodating guide.

Transport

Clean and comfortable van.

The trip took us to good locations and we saw what we came to see. However, much of the best parts of the trip were without the guides provided. Only two guides out of the many we had were memorable. The others were so-so or poor. In some cases, proficiency with English was insufficient to have meaningful conversation. On the trips, the food was commonly not great. In some cases, no choice about the specific meal was provided. In other cases, the meals were up to us to find with no particular guidance. The foodie night in Osaka led us to mediocre quality street food. The plan had problems. The plan had us go to a restaurant in Kyoto that was closed on that day. The plan scheduled us to go to the same temple on both of the first two days. We asked for a change ahead of time but that change was not communicated to the guide before we got there (or at least, she was unaware of the change). In one case, the plan sent us to a destination that intended us to climb many stairs but no notice of that was communicated in the plan. Given our age, that was a potential problem. Fortunately, we were with one of the good guides who noticed this and was able to take us to an alternative destination. The hotels were largely fine, although the ryokan in Hakone felt more like a commercial hotel than an inn. There was no indication in the guide that the train trip from Osaka to Kanazawa started with a local train and then transferred to a bullet train. Given the expense, I would not use kim kim again, but would pick local guides via Get your guide or equivalent.

Hiking the Kumano Kodo was a phenomenal, life-changing experience. We had a marvelous trip and appreciated Kimkim's support in making it happen. That said, we were frequently frustrated before and during the trip with the lack of communication from our local specialist, Shona. This was our third trip with Kimkim and it will probably be our last. Our previous experiences traveling to Chile and Columbia were excellent; our local guides helped us to craft thoughtful, personalized itineraries well in advance so we could get excited and took care of all of the logistics while we were in each country. When I got sick in Columbia, our specialist was able to rebook our flight at a moment's notice. In Chile, our local guide found restaurants that met our dietary restrictions and spoke with staff at hotels to make sure we got whatever we needed.

By contrast, Shona did not finalize our itinerary or send detailed information (including about what to pack) until after we had landed in Japan. I understand that she struggled to find us accommodations along the route and it took effort to do so (as she reminded us several times), although I'm still confused as to why. She claimed our dietary restrictions were not acceptable -- one of us is a vegetarian, the other eats chicken and fish but not red meat -- but at each hotel, they were able to accommodate when we asked. We suspect that Shona was not willing to call places; she referenced waiting for emails to be returned several times, even when the issue was time-sensitive.

Sometimes Shona had done the work, but didn't communicate that to us. We asked her several times before we left home to confirm that we had travel booked between parts of our route, and it wasn't until after we landed in Japan that Shona let us know what had been arranged. If we'd been able to review beforehand, we would have identified several issues. For example, the only transportation option on one of the days was a 6:50AM bus. Shona noted the bus time but did not explain that we needed to work with the hotel to pre-arrange breakfast and lunch because it was before the kitchen opened, or that we could try to arrange a private taxi if desired but had to do so as soon as we checked in because there's only one taxi available in the region. We also asked Shona multiple times before our trip began to rebook our train tickets on the last day because she had scheduled us to arrive at the airport 6 hours early, but she didn't change the time until the day before and complained about having to do so.

In comparison to our first two Kimkim trips, we were disappointed with the level of support we received, which makes us less enthusiastic about using them again or recommending them to others.

Activity Review

Osaka day trip with Kuromon Market

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first time using KimKim and we could not have been more pleased with the arrangements that were made for us. Shona made all the plans and booked all of the activities for us. She booked activities such as a cooking class, foodie tour, digital art museum, Shibuya Sky observation deck, etc. These were activities that I didn't know about, or would not have thought of, but each one was enjoyed. She, of course, also booked all transportation, tour guides, and hotels.
The tour guides made our lives easier because they know their way around and speak the language. We could have made this trip without using KimKim, but it would not have been as good and as easy as it was with KimKim.
I highly recommend using KimKim, you will not be disappointed.

Our family vacation to Japan was amazing! Our excellent advisor Shona designed a great itinerary and made sure all of our needs were met. When hiccups occurred, she was quick to figure out a solution and went out of her way to make sure we were satisfied every step of the way. We highly recommend Kimkim, and especially Shona to make your next vacation one to remember.

Activity Reviews

Full Day City Tour with Osaka Castle

Japan

We had a great time with our guide Yuki. He was very friendly and organized and was flexible with us when we wanted to change things during the day. We loved seeing the traditional areas of Kyoto, as opposed to the modern feel of the city centers of Kyoto and Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Nara City Tour, Overnight in Osaka

Japan

We had fun seeing the deer, but be ready to be swarmed by aggressive deer who want crackers, and will definitely let you know if you’re taking too long handling them over by nipping your arms and legs. I’d recommend just watching those less informed feeding them. The area is very nice, but the museum is terrific! Definitely make it a point to spend some time seeing the many artifacts/national treasures inside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour of Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

The walk through the bamboo forest was nice, but very crowded. We absolutely loved the grounds surrounding the bamboo forest, as they were very tranquil, and just beautiful with the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Our family of four, with two sons on their twenties, really enjoyed the tea ceremony. It was fun to dress in traditional clothes and learn about the history and traditions behind it. It’s fun for all ages.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Meiji Shrine,the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and Harajuku Tour

Tokyo

Our family enjoyed visiting the Meiji shrine, a peaceful oasis in a busy city. The grounds were very pretty and our guide Kaiko was terrific! We loved learning about the history of the shrine from our guide and from visiting the museum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shona was excellent and always there ! Most of the guides were great -Toya, Hal meho, Mai were also very good but Akira in Osaka was terrible-very little information , little English and poor planning -we had to wait to enter the hemeji palace and then were rushed at the end . I would say overall that the focus could have been more varied -we saw lots of temples and shrines . The bike ride was great and the food tour excellent -udo was our guide and he was the best on the tour. Toya helped us when we realized we had left our passports in Tokyo and arranged to have them delivered to Hakone and that went well -the private bath there was also excellent.Hal helped us retrieve a bag we left in Kyoto as well . Of course the language barrier took a while to adjust to . We had no museums which would have been nice -overall I would say very good tour . Thank you