Kimkim Trip Reviews for Japan

Great and convenient.

Great location, friendly staff.

Really informative and complete.

Our stay at Rengejo-in monastery in Mount Koya was a highlight of the trip. We were given an incredibly spacious and luxurious room dubbed the 'Silent Forest,' with fantastic amenities like a private garden view. The experience was spiritual and beautiful, including a morning chant with monks. It was unlike anything we expected and absolutely memorable.

The half-day experience with a traditional Japanese garden designer in Kyoto was absolutely amazing. Our guide, an expat landscape architect, shared incredible insights about Zen gardening, its aesthetics, and cultural nuances. It was a truly enriching experience, learning the history and philosophy behind Japanese gardens. I highly recommend this tour!

The tea ceremony at the Flower Teahouse in Kyoto was a fascinating and unique experience. We were unexpectedly upgraded to a private ceremony, which added a special touch. The hosts dressed me in a traditional outfit and my wife loved the entire experience. It was educational, and the location in the Geisha district enriched the cultural immersion.

The guide was excellent, and we all had a great time.

Lovely, older hotel that's popular with business people and small travel groups. The staff was extremely polite and friendly. It feels a bit out of the way, but it's actually close to many sites.

Phenomenal! Stunning! I wish we'd had another night at this beautiful, modern hotel with wonderful hot springs tucked into a mountainside. The dinner we enjoyed was one of the best of our trip. Highly recommend.

Lovely hotel and location and very nice staff. Note that the restaurant for breakfast can get very busy if you don't go early.

Great hotel that was the most "American" of all our hotels, so it felt a bit less "Japanese" in ambiance, but we liked it.

I wouldn't return here. The hotel felt dated and needed renovation. The staff was very nice but not as friendly as others we experienced in other hotels.

This gorgeous, elegant luxury hotel is in an upscale area of Tokyo and is attached to luxury stores next door. The staff was friendly. The clientele appears to be a mix of tourists and business people. (I would have preferred to have stayed here when we first arrived in Tokyo. It's a good, walkable location.)

Every world leader should visit this museum and park. It offers a vital history and moral lesson. It was very poignant to us as Americans.

We loved our guide and driver, but I'd suggest not spending much time in this part of Osaka (walking around the area with many restaurants and tourists; feels gritty and over-commercial) and asking to see other areas of Osaka. We did, however, appreciate our guide's knowledge of the area.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first day of touring in Tokyo and appreciated our lovely guide.

Everything was great but the most wonderful was the concierge service. On my last day, I checked out, checked my luggage and asked for advice on where to get a haircut in the hour and half I had left in Tokyo. The most wonderful lady assisted me, booked my cut at the salon she goes to and got me a car. When I got back I looked fabulous and thanked her, wish I remembered her name but it seemed everyone at that hotel had the same eagerness to help. Two more things; the Japanese breakfast and rolled omelets at the buffet were amazing, and the in room amenities were superb. I'll be back.

The experience here was so beautiful i'm a bit at a loss for words. Tyler and his wife are such wonderful beautiful people. The food was literally some of the absolute best I've ever had. The baths were clean and incredible. Beds and bedding fabulously comfortable. I'll be back.

Absolutely the best hotel buffet EVER. Location is walking distance from the most interesting neighborhoods. I could stay there years and have more to explore.

This hotel had the best hotel dinner!

We spent too much of the day driving up and down hills, and maybe were out of the car for 1.5 hours total. Unfortunately we did not see Mt. Fuji either.

Very touristy but still enjoyed the tea ceremony and found it meditative. Definitely recommend this!

We decided to skip the onsen (as we already used one at our onsen hotel) and Mt. Rokko but still had an amazing time with our guide.

The highlight of our Nakasendo journey

Spacious and nice room in great location

The view is amazing. But the room has the countertop (like kitchen countertop) which take up a lot of room. I would trade the view for the more functional room.

Best hotel chain for my trip. Both lobby and room are nice and roomy. I would love to stay here next time.

Best hotel chain for my trip. Both lobby and room are nice and roomy. I would love to stay here next time.

Location is good but the lobby is so tiny. Room is clean but ok. I'm ok to stay here next time.

Good lobby, room is ok but one annoying thing is about the motion detection light. I would like to have an option to use it or now. At night if you have to go to the bath room, this light will be wake you up or your partner up.

I was really looking forward to experiencing the local food in Osaka, but honestly, it didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe it’s because I’ve had amazing street food in places like Thailand and Vietnam, which are hard to beat.

Absolutely amazing location view

Centrally located very nice hotel

Nice location at the heart of Ginza; friendly stuff. Rooms are small yet clean. Public baths with hot water is a plus. Minute walk from Higashi Ginza station and 7/11, which is very convenient.

Nice hotel overall but location is a bit off the center, unlike the hotel in Tokyo.

Perfect location in the heart of Osaka, few minutes walk to iconic Dotonbori, close to everything.

Very nice trip; unfortunately the foggy weather did not allow to see Mt Fuji in all of its beauty. Cable car ride to the top was a huge relief - a breath of fresh cool air comparing to hot and humid weather down there. I would not say that TK (guide) storytelling style was extremely fascinating but still he provided with adequate information and overall he kept the the tour at just right pace. I must admit I did not like much the canteen-style lunch experience, and food quality was just okay. The performance of traditional Japanese drummers did brighten up the things though.

Unforgettable and unusual peek at Japanese tradition through real participation!

Very interesting tour; Jun is knowledgeable and engaging; it is a big advantage to have a private guide so we learned many things through easy and laid-back conversations. The visited shrines and temples are amazing. However, heat was excruciating, and hopping between buses, trains, and walks contributed to our exhaustion and took away from otherwise wonderful experience.

If you are looking for a nice place to stay in Sanur: look no further. The appartment is nice and clean and offers a lot of space. There are two huge bedrooms, both with a nice bathroom that has two showers (semi-inside and outside) The living room and Kitchen are well equiped and if you want they can serve breakfast in the appartement. Just outside out appartement there’s the swimming pool. The swimming pool is located in the inner space of the property, it is clean and big enough for all the guests. Towels for the pool are in the rooms. Staff is super friendly and they offer a bring-away service to a location in Sanur. Super flexible.

We had a 3 person room with 3 large beds. The beds are very comfortable. There was room for our 3 suitcases, but little space for walking. Bathroom and toilet are fine. There is a waterboiler in the room and the accessoires are available in the public hallway near the elevators. Very nice breakfast buffet. Good hotel!

This hotel is more like an appartement home. It does not have an elevator, so you have to Carry your luggage up the stairs. The room is equiped with 4 bunk beds and a small couch. The room is small, so navigating with 3 big suitcases was a bit of a challenge, but the facilities are great and clean. It had it all. The Nespresso machine is perfect. Upon arrival we found the entry code in an envelope on the front door. It is very nearby the railway station. The restaurant downstairs serves very nice pizza’s!

Wauw! This hotel is truely perfect. It is situated on a 15 minute walking distance from the Shinkansen railway station. It is on walking distance from the Centre. Personel is super friendly and the room for 3 adults is very well designed. The beds are equal and very comfortable. The room has a seperate toilet and a really cool setup for the bathroom. Breakfast was very good.

Very close to the central big railway station, which makes it easy to get around. Very nice interior and friendly staff. The beds are comfortable and equal, so no bedcouch or stretcher. Breakfast was okay, just simple and not very specific.

The hotel building itself is amazing. The reception desk is on the top floor with amazing views on the city. Staff is a bit rude and service is poor. Breakfast is served in the restaurant downstairs and offers not much to choose from. But the food is okay. The rooms are nice, with quite some space for 3 big adults. The hotel is very close to the memorial centre, so location is great. You’ll need to grab a Streetcar in order to reach the hotel; taxi’s are too small for 3 adults and 3 big suitcases.

Fine hotel, close to the railway station. Maybe a bit outdated but the beds are nice and comfortable. There is little room for stalling big suitcases but it is fine. The breakfast is truely amazing with fresh fruits and a lot of different types of good.

The hotel is situated nearby the subway station and just a heartbeat away from the Osaka Castle. It has friendly staff. Rooms are equipped with 3 equal beds. Service is good. Breakfast is very good with a lot of diversity and fresh fruits.

The hotelbuilding, it’s location, the staff, the breafast: all very nice! Upon arrival at 2 in the morning, our room was not ready. This was a bit confusing. The staff acted properly but it took a lot of time. At 3 in the morning we could finally go to bed. They do not offer 3 person rooms, so they added a stretcher, which was not so very comfortable as a normal bed. The rooms are small, a bit too small for 3 beds. So please make sure to ask for a big room if you decide to make it a triple.

We had a marvelous day with Yumi! She is an amazing guide with a lot of nice stories and enthousiasm! We had so much fun!

Mr. Bae is a very kind, gentle driver and guide. His English is not very rich but his efforts and kindness are great! He gave us a wonderfull guided trip from Tokyo to Hakone, passing Mt. Fuji, Lake Kawaguchi and several highlights and amazing views on Mt. Fuji and a visit to Oshino Hakkai village.

The tour would probably be very interesting but since we had to be at the airport 3 hours prior to departure, we skipped this tour.

This was a self-guided item. We found our way easily through the city towards the location of the tea ceremony. The entourage is memorable. The kimono’s looked amazing and these garments add a special emotion to the ceremony. The ceremony itself is done by someone who speak English very well. The tea tastes fresh but is different from your regular green tea. The gardens look stunning! Do not miss this if you want to take pictures of yourself and your family in typical Japanse outfits!

Mr. Masato is a very well educated and knowledgable gentleman who took us to and through the highlights of Kyoto Arashima (boat trip), Togetsukyo bridge and Bamboo grove and Tenyuji Temple gardens. His English is good and his humour is nice. He’s a great guide.

Hiroshima memorial park and Miyajima Island guided by Remi was impressive and unforgettable. We loved the way Remi told us amazing stories about the Hiroshima history and all it’s facets of the A-bomb. At Miyajima Island we walked around leisurely and had a great time! Remi told us about the fireworks at the docks later in the evening and advised us to go and see the event. So we did at our own pace, it was absolutely beautiful! Quite a lot of people attended the show. Nice!

Nagasaki peace park and museum and Meganebashi bridge was guided by sweet guide Yoshi. Yoshi is very knowledgeable and speaks with experience about the past. She’s very interesting, as is Nagasaki. Ask her to take you to a typical Nagasaki restaurant and she takes you to a Chinese restaurant. The Chinese cuisine is well adopted in Nagasaki and the dishes are huge, yet very tasteful. We loved it! We skipped the Glover Park because of the heat. We headed to the 9th floor in the new city hall for a nice view over the city of Nagasaki. The rooftop hall shows a short film about the city and it’s history with the A-bomb.

We skipped the lake Kawaguchiko Cruise but instead we took the ropeway up the hill for stunning views over lake Kawaguchiko and Mount Fuji. Oshino village is nice and pittoresque, with the natural ponds and the traditional house it looks amazing, but it was very hot and there wasn’t much shade, so we did not stay long.

Nara trip from Osaka. And look who’s our guide: Mr. Masato! Yay! Very nice to see him again. Nara is huge yet amazing. The deer, the amount of temples and shrines, the overwhelming nature. We loved it! Despite the heat, we just had a wonderful day! Mr. Masato appointed a small Japanese restaurant to us, which was conveniently tug away in the basement of a building. We would not have found it if it wasn’t for Mr. Masato. The food is amazing there!

This is such a nice activity! We are food lovers and part of this trip is to get to know more about the Japanese kitchen. This cooking class took us along the journey of creating dashi, sushi and sashimi. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed our ‘own’ dashi, sushi and sashimi. It was a small group, us three and a woman from Hongkong. The location was a bit hard to find, but while we we wandering around to look for the entrance, one of the cooks came to pick us up.

If you like the sun and the sea and everything in between, this is a day you should experience! The boat to the island, the mangroves, the trip to the devils tear and the dream beach, snorkling and swimming, it all adds up to a wonderful memory of a wonderful day! Our guide Gidde was great! He knew his way around and he spoke very good English. He told us so many interesting things! He’s a very smart and funny guy. We had a great time. You don’t need to bring your own gear for snorkling , they have it for you and they have a brand new mouth piece and hose for everyone. Our guides had a GoPro to make under water pictures. They dropped all the pictures in a onedrive so we could download them. Very nice. The homebase is very relaxed and they have cold drinks. It’s just a piece of paradise on earth.

Imagine 42 degrees Celsius and no shade in the red sand desert of Dubai… imagine a 4x4 bashing a sand dune, splashing sand… at sunset; making the sand even more red… This is an amazing and great adventure and the driver is nailing it! Wauw! Sometimes it feels like riding the waves of the ocean, and the speed, very nice. At the desert gate we could ride a camel, saw a falcon show and we drove a quad through the sand! Suddenly outside temperatures did not matter anymore. Pretend to be like the nomads. Smoke the waterline, enjoy the dance of the bellydancer and the traditional dancers. All that in combination of a BBQ under a starry sky. One word: MIRACULOUS

When in Dubai, visit Abu Dhabi! Absolutely stunning city with so much to offer! Many great architects have established works here, Jean Nouvel’s Louvre, Zaha Hadids bridge and museum, and so some others. But if you have one day, do the Abu Dhabi city tour. You’ll get to see and visit some great highlights and the main event is the visit to the Grand Mosque Sjeik Zayed. This amazing building, made of marble, natural gemstones, 24 karat gold, Murano glass, Swarovski Crystals and flowery mosaics is just stunning! This mosque was openend in 2007, it houses the mausoleum of Sjiek Zayed, who is the founder of the UAE and the first president. The mosque covers 22.000 square meters of ground, and 7000 people can pray inside the main hall and another 33.000 people can pray on the central square. There are 1000 columns and 82 domes. The main hall counts 3 huge chandeliers made of Swarovski Crystals. The biggest has a diameter of 10 meters and is 30m high. Wauw! Take your time to see everything. It’s just amazing.

We arrived at the airport at 1.30 am in the morning. Upon arrival our guide, Ali, for the next days was waiting for us with a sign with our names on it. His english is very good. He guided us to the taxi and helped us check inn to the hotel. It was 2am when we arrived at the hotel, but they switched rooms and so the room was not ready for us. If there is one thing you’d like to do in the middle of the night after a long flight (9hrs) it is going to bed and get some sleep. In the end - and with help of Ali- it turned out right, but the room was not ready until 3am. Ali was very nice and helped us the next morning with our talk with the hotel manager. Arrival in Dubai turned out to be succesfull after all.

This hotel had a wonderful lobby space for sitting, an outdoor bar…& a fabulous restaurant! Also live music some evenings.