Shona Zhang

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

Our guides were mostly good with the exception of one young man in Osaka and Kobe whose English was horrible and he seemed generally disinterested in his job.

Activity Review

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

If you are prone to independent travel, but reluctant to be entirely on your own because of the language barrier and lack of familiarity with Japan's transportation, KimKim is the way to go. Shona did an amazing job communicating with us over 6 months prior to ask about our travel dates and style, where we wanted to go, what we wanted to see and experience. She created a trip that enabled us to be on our own and have guides and transport when we needed them.

Our guides were so helpful in explaining what we were seeing, the history, and were responsive to where we wanted to focus our attention. We visited Tokyo, Hakone area, Kyoto and Kanazawa. Each day we had a guide at least part of the day to get us to and explain various sites. In every area we visited spectacular temples, shrines, and gardens full of blossoms, ponds, bridges. The designs of these parks and gardens are what makes Japan so remarkable and memorial. Some of the other highlights included Tea Ceremony in Tokyo. Being dressed in Kimonos was not to be forgotten, and learning about true Matcha tea and mochi was enlightening.
Traveling by car to the Hakone area was an opportunity for country scenery and living. We had perfect weather to see Mt Fuji and experience our first soft ice cream. In Kyoto we made ramen at a ramen Factory, from the pasta to the chicken and broth. We had a blast. The day trip to Nara with our guide Orura Mei was unforgettable. The Todai-ji Temple and park are not to be missed, and our guide was not only helpful and knowledgeable but responsive to our needs for breaks, water, bathroom, hunger . We had Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancakes) which are our new favorite, and we walked through the older part of town through shops and residential areas away from the crowds.
In Kanazawa we had a private prepared traditional Japanese dinner and night tour with a fantastic guide whose name we forgot to write down. She went into depth about the differences between shrines and temples, and the history of geisha districts which we walked through. The dinner was superb. We also took a day trip to Shirakawago in private car. The drive through the mountains gave us another perspective of Japanese scenery and living. We walked through the town of thatched roof houses and learned the history and why it's now a UNESCO Heritage site.

All the hotels Shona booked were clean, comfortable and had easy access to transportation, sites, restaurants. Staff always tried to be helpful and were polite and professional and there was usually someone who spoke some English!

Hotel Reviews

Okura Act City Hotel Hamamatsu

Largest hotel in Hamamatsu. Very fancy for us. We were on 44th floor. Good location and near our grandson who we were visiting there. Good breakfast selections

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asakusa View Hotel

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

larger more modern hotel

Location

Great view of shrine and Skytree. Convenient to train station and access to sites

Staff

confusion at check in but friendly and apologetic. Not much English

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean and comfortable bed. Small room. Hard to find space for two suitcases

Tenseien Odawara Station Annex

Hakone

We thought the hotel would be in Hakone so were disappointed it was right at the train station. That said, we had access to bus to Hakone and the hotel was comfortable, clean and had a public bath.

Authenticity & Character

public bath was a plus. We had our first bath experience there with clear, writteninstructions in ENGLISH

Location

Not in Hakone but good access to transportation

Staff

friendly and try to be helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

window, comfortable bed, clean

Mitsui garden Hotel Kyoto Station

Kyoyo

Nice breakfast choices

Authenticity & Character

Location

close to station, restaurants,.

Staff

friendly and helpful. More that spoke some English

Cleanliness & Comfort

lovely and a bit more spacious room for easier suitcase access

SOKI KANAZAWA

Kanazawa

This was our favorite in terms of atmosphere and authenticity. An authentic Ryokan with futons on floor, onset on site, traditional Japanese breakfast. Breakfasts and beds on floor isn't for everyone but we appreciated the authenticity, the heavenly smells of the place, the traditional dress of staff, the fresh cherry branch decorations

Authenticity & Character

smaller hotel, bit of a walk to train station

Location

further from station but right across from huge fish market

Staff

helpful but not mush English

Cleanliness & Comfort

beds on floor a challenge for octogenarians

Activity Reviews

Master Tokyo's Must-Sees: 5-hour Tsukiji, Akihabara & Asakusa Highlights Tour

Tokyo

Our plane was a day late so missed this. Fortunately our grandson met us in Tokyo and was able to show us the major sites we missed

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park

Japan

Amazing because we were SO lucky with the weather! The mountain was in all its splendor. The boat ride was very short and crowded but gave other perspectives of the mountain.

Quality of Experience

The mountain itself in good weather. Scenic drive once out of Tokyo. Soft ice cream for the first time!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very polite and considerate of our needs but not very informative

Transport

immaculate car and excellent driving, particularly in heavy traffic coming out of Tokyo.

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

We loved it but barely made it because scheduled to close to our arrival in Kyoto. Had to take a taxi in traffic. Once there the experience was a lot of fun, from them taking us to men's and women's dressing area where they did us up in full garb, then to the ceremony itself where we learned about the ancient tradition and drank true ground matcha tea and fresh made mochi. Many opportunities for pictures.

Quality of Experience

It was all lots of fun. Self guided though, no guide or driver

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff at the location were wonderful and fun

Transport

we got our own taxi and barely got there in time.

Fushimi Inari Taisha and Kinkakuji Temple

Kyoto

The shrine and temple was lovely, our first ones with a guide, so learned a lot about traditions of each, the different aspects of shrines and temples. we especially liked the temple in the forest. The day included several modes of transportation and lots of walking which we could not have navigated on our own. Our guide, Tomoko was knowledgeable, responsive to our questions and needs. We had a lovely lunch with her.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful and great guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

thoughtful, responsive, knowledgeable guide

Transport

She navigated it all with ease

Kyoto: Ramen Cooking Class at the Ramen Factory & Souvenirs

Kyoto

This was so much fun though we barely made it there because of confusing directions. The woman leading the small class of 3 couples was an excellent teacher with patience, clarity and good English.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff at the factory were great. This experience was self guided - no guide or driver

Transport

Took taxi on our own but the address provided was wrong and we got quite lost trying to find the location.

Half Day Sagano Bamboo Grove and Tenryuji Temple Tour

Kyoto

Beauty and long walks with wonderful guide

Quality of Experience

Such beautiful gardens with fruit tree blossoms

Guides, Drivers and Staff

so happy to be with Tomoko all day

Transport

Kanazawa Half-Day Tour

Kanazawa

We went back to some of the sites we were impressed with and wanted to go, like the geisha districts and the Kenrokuen Garden. Was able to tour inside a geisha house. Our guide also took us to the Samari district that we wanted to explore, as well as several arts and craft shops in the area. We were able to go inside replicas of a samurai and a geisha house.

Quality of Experience

The gardens are the finest we saw on the whole trip and we could have spent hours there! Very interesting to go inside some of the buildings.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kiya (I think spelled right) was totally responsive to what we wanted to do and navigated seamlessly many bus rides and walking to get us places.

Transport

buses and walking

Nara Day Tour from Kyoto

Kyoto

The temple itself, great guide, Japanese cabbage pancakes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour of Kanawaza With Dinner

Kanazawa

Walk through two geisha districts and along the river, culminating in a delicious multi course private meal with our wonderful guide whose name we neglected to write down.

Quality of Experience

Food

superb

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

walking

Shirakawago Day Trip

Kanazawa

Drive from Kanazawa with alpine scenery, high snow capped mountains, tunnels, thatched roof houses

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

good driver in comfortable car but not very communicative. He was responsive to our questions and requests (for water, coffee, etc)

Transport

beautiful drive

Shona did a great job setting us up with some fantastic private guides through all of our stops in Malaysia. We believe excellent private guides are the single most important factor in having a memorable trip.. Shona also
made sure that our hotel bookings were set up in time, that our tours covered the places that we most wanted to see, and that the trip went off almost completely seamlessly. Even when there was one small pick hiccup, she made sure that the issue was addressed and the local tour guide was notified of the issue. So, this is our second trip planned with Shona, and we would highly recommend her to anyone else who is planning a trip to Japan or any of the surrounding Asian countries, like Malaysia. Thank you, Shona!

Our trip to Japan included four cities and 7 people arriving from different parts of the world. There were a lot of moving parts, and Shona was tasked with all of the transfers which was a monumental task on its own. The drivers all communicated with us and arrived on time so there was no stress. We were able to get in touch with Shona every day that we needed to.

We developed a nice mix of planned tours and time on our own. The tour guides were excellent and prompt. We did some touristy things like the Sumo wrestling club and the Cup of Noodles museum, but they were more fun than expected.

Very pleased overall. Two points of feedback: during the planning stages, it would be helpful if the travel agent was clear about how much time it would take to get from one location to another. We had one day planned on our own with a driver that was too rushed due to the distance from our hotel, the later pick up time, and operating hours of the spots we were visiting. The second issue was that the Kim Kim website wasn't updated with our final itinerary, so when we went into it we would see older itineraries and it all got very confusing. Part of the issue is that until you are actually in the country, it is hard to understand what you don't understand about the requirements of the day.

Hotel Review

Hotel Grand Phenix Okushiga

Nagano

Highly recommend this hotel. It is at the end of the bus line, so it is about a hour to take the bus back to things like Shibu Onsen or the snow monkeys. However, it is slopeside for the skiing. Ski rentals were in-house. If you are looking for a vibrant apres-ski scene, this is not it, but for a family gathering it was perfect. There was a full lap pool that I had all to myself. On an upper floor there are the public baths that overlook the slopes. There was a lounge with a real fire for post-skiing drinks or for lunch. They offered an in-room massage therapist who accommodated our schedule. The two restaurants were amazing. Our large group got a private room in the Japanese restaurant. The Italian restaurant had a fixed meal menu that changed each night. We had two pescatarians that they accommodated on the spot, and then remembered who they were the next time we ate there. All the food was exceptionally delicious. Service was flawless. After checkout when we drove away, the front desk person ran outside, bowed, and waved us off!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tokyo: Sumo Show Experience with Chicken Hot Pot and a Photo

Tokyo

We had some sceptics on the trip, but this turned out to be a lot of fun, plus we learned about the sport. It is a tourist experience, and the food was meh, but the host and the wrestlers were such fun. Glad we included it on the trip.

Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano

Nagano

We visited these sites with a private driver and no guide. There is nothing wrong with doing it this way, but the issue we had was that from our hotel, it was over an hour to the temple and we didn't leave until 11:00AM. So we were rushed the whole time. The town around the temple is nice to explore but we barely had an hour. The walk into where the snow monkeys are is over 30 minutes and the park closes at 4pm.

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

Guide was prompt, knowlegeable and friendly. Would not want to miss the golden pavillion, for sure. The tea ceremony was about an hour and very informative relative to the culture.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Osaka Discovery with Cup Noodles Museum

Osaka

Cup of Noodles Museum is mostly for children, but the inventor was a rock star in Japan and the history was very interesting. Glad we did it.

From a year out and the initial planning to daily check in and quick replies…Shona was beyond amazing… we knew there would be hiccups, but really there weren’t

Yuki was our guide to Mt Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi and Kirin whisky tasting, we had the best time, he was so knowledgeable and so friendly!

Tomoko guided us through the world of Samurai and Geisha in Kanazawa. From the beautiful Kenrokuen gardens to the dangerously fascinating Ninja Temple, she explained as we explored such an amazing city.

Yoshiko navigated us through Kyoto and Nara seeing the historical shrines and temples. Our favorites were the 10,000 Torii gates, the world’s largest bronze Buddha and of course the respectful and adorable bowing deer in Nara Park.

Jimmy took us for a foodie tour in Osaka Dononbori famous tastes we will never forget and drool remembering.

Our hotels, tours, and transportation optionswere spot on what we wanted, close to all our favorites and comfortable.. My favorite, in Kanazawa, the hotel Onyado Nono with natural hot springs that rejuvenated the soul and late night ramen to warm the body..

Whether it’s your next vacation or your trip of a lifetime, let the guides and experts at KimKim be who get you there, you won’t regret it!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Keihan Tsukiji Ginza Grande

Tokyo

This hotel is close to Subway entrance only a couple stops away for most of the places in Tokyo we wanted to visit . it was clean and the staff was so friendly. they had one of the best breakfasts on our trip. We were both well fed and well rested. I loved that they had laundry services that we were able to use!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to many subways and locale

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Onyado Nono Kanazawa Natural Hot Spring

Kanazawa

Such an amazing hotel, from the time you enter and leave your shoes in the front lockers to the invigorating hot springs in the crisp air, this hotel was a favorite on our trip. Dormy does such a great job providing little extras for their guests.. yakult drinks in the morning, popsicles and ramen late at night.. a breakfast buffet that has so many fresh and hot options. This was a super spot and convenient to transportation throughout the town!

Authenticity & Character

The best of our stays in Japan

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Gracery Osaka Namba

Osaka

Well, this hotel did not provide a public bath Its bathroom within the guest room was a miniature version of a public set up with the bench bucket and shower area. A nice spot with great food and a comfortable room made our stay great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Socks ended up soiled walking on the carpet within the guest room

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Kawaramachi Jokyoji

Kyoto

Centrally location to shopping and cultural sites, this hotel even had its own shrine right next door. The best and accommodating staff, clean rooms and great food options at breakfast and dinner!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kanazawa Highlights: Gardens, Castles & Samurai Secrets

Kanazawa

The Kanazawa Highlights tour of the Kenroken Gardens, castles, and samurai secrets was truly amazing. Our guide Tomoko added a personal touch with her deep knowledge and long experience, making the tour feel more intimate and engaging. The cultural and historical aspects were humbling and enlightening. Overall, it was a remarkable experience.

Osaka-Nara Day Trip

Osaka

Our trip to Nara with our guide was a surreal experience. She truly felt like part of the family by the end of it. Her kindness, consideration, and deep appreciation for the culture made the trip memorable. The rich culture and history of the area were beautifully presented.

Everything Kimkim touched in preparation for our trip was flawlessly arranged and executed.
Our long standing hotel accommodations, transit connections, and air and rail tickets made for seamless enjoyment and ease of travel flow.
The availability of Shona to assist or answer questions was a given and much appreciated when we received her help managing a luggage transfer between hotels.
The four days of guided excursions were flawlessly executed and so easily accomplished thanks to the expert handling of the local guides and professional drivers. Even our day in Kyoto where we relied on mass transit to visit multiple locations on every side of the city were incredibly easy thanks to the excellent transportation infrastructure of the city, prefecture and country.
Shout out to Ayumi and Sochi for insight into both the history and current lifestyle of Japanese culture. Guide Ian’s perspectives provided a good contrast as a western expat living the dream in Japan.
Lastly, we arranged our ski portion of the trip mostly independently and it went really well thanks to the most excellent service provided by Hokkaido Nomad car rental in Sapporo. The camp car service was flawless. We had engine trouble on New Year’s Eve and Suzuki (our rental lead) delivered a brand new camp car to our location in less than an hour, ON NEW YEARS EVE. Amazing.

All the members of my family have been to Japan multiple times, but this trip helped us to deepen our understanding and explore new parts of the country we'd never accessed before. Shona provided wonderful service from planning to booking to helping us to handle unexpected bumps in the road (a member of my party left their passport at a hotel early on, and she was immensely helpful in us getting it back seamlessly and stress free).

A few standout guides/experiences:
Architecture Walking Tour in Omotesando - this was our first formal experience on the trip and set the tone. Yoshi was a passionate, thoughtful, and friendly guide who helped us to understand the architectural treasures hidden in plain sight in this busy neighborhood.

Hidden Gem Food & Whiskey Night Tour near Roppongi - We were staying in Roppongi and didn't realize that there was such an amazing enclave of restaurants so close by. Ellen clearly loves food and this neighborhood, and seeing it through her eyes was very fun. At the end of the night, we ate a meal at the neighborhoo Obaa-chan's restaurant. What a special experience to be in a 4 table restaurant and be served a home-cooked, custom meal from the neighborhood granny!

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Chureito Pagoda & Oishi Park - Really loved spending time with Toru. He helped provide a great background on Japanese history and geography. His enthusiasm for the towns was infectious. It was clear how excited he was to get clear views of Fuji and this made the experience special.

Takayama Full-Day Walking Tour - Miyuki has so much pride and love for Takayama. You could tell based on her description of the annual festival, and the way she would pick up any stray pieces of litter along the way during our tour. That spoke volumes to me about the values of Miyuki and the Japanese people overall. She also pointed us towards her neighborhood restaurant, which was probably the one of the best meal and dining experiences we had during the trip. Still thinking about that Omelette.

Half Day Artisan Tour in Kanazawa - Nozomi was energic, fun, and incredibly well connected in the city. I was impressed with her connection to so many of the artisans of Kanazawa. Impressively, we decided to spend the first part of the tour in the Geisha district, and Nozomi was able to provide a full history and background from memory, without planning. Additionally, she heard we were interested in seafood and pointed us to a very special restaurant to enjoy after the tour, even calling and making a reservation for us. Never would have found that place on our own and I've never seen my dad so happy at a meal.

Hotel Reviews

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

A wonderful Ryokan experience. There are two different onsens, which alternate between Men and Women each day. We were left slack jawed by the outdoor waterfall and hotspring. Simply magical. Would recommend the buffet meals here - they're quite extensive and quite good.

Authenticity & Character

Top tier onsens

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amazing food on site

Honjin Hiranoya Kachoan

Takayama

Wonderful full service Ryokan.

Authenticity & Character

Very authentic Ryokan

Location

Staff

Kind and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were quite large, with multiple rooms.

Mitsui Garden Hotel Roppongi Tokyo Premier

Tokyo

Right in the heart of Roppongi. Solid breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel, A Pan Pacific Partner Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

A little dated compared to our other accommodations on this trip.

Hyatt Centric Kanazawa

Kanazawa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located right next to the train station, and next to some amazing restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Architecture Walking Tour in Omotesando

Tokyo

This was our first formal experience on the trip and set the tone. Yoshi was a passionate, thoughtful, and friendly guide who helped us to understand the architectural treasures hidden in plain sight in this busy neighborhood. Great experience if you want to practice photography!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hidden Gem Food & Whiskey Night Tour near Roppongi

Tokyo

We were staying in Roppongi and didn't realize that there was such an amazing enclave of restaurants so close by. Ellen clearly loves food and this neighborhood, and seeing it through her eyes was very fun. At the end of the night, we ate a meal at the neighborhoo Obaa-chan's restaurant. What a special experience to be in a 4 table restaurant and be served a home-cooked, custom meal from the neighborhood granny!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Warm, passionate, and very personally connected to the neighborhood

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Chureito Pagoda & Oishi Park

Tokyo

Really loved spending time with Toru. He helped provide a great background on Japanese history and geography. His enthusiasm for the towns was infectious. It was clear how excited he was to get clear views of Fuji and this made the experience special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Takayama Full-Day Walking Tour

Takayama

Miyuki has so much pride and love for Takayama. You could tell based on her description of the annual festival, and the way she would pick up any stray pieces of litter along the way during our tour. That spoke volumes to me about the values of Miyuki and the Japanese people overall. She also pointed us towards her neighborhood restaurant, which was probably the one of the best meal and dining experiences we had during the trip. Still thinking about that Omelette.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half Day Artisan Tour in Kanazawa

Kanazawa

Nozomi was energic, fun, and incredibly well connected in the city. I was impressed with her connection to so many of the artisans of Kanazawa. Impressively, we decided to spend the first part of the tour in the Geisha district, and Nozomi was able to provide a full history and background from memory, without planning. Additionally, she heard we were interested in seafood and pointed us to a very special restaurant to enjoy after the tour, even calling and making a reservation for us. Never would have found that place on our own and I've never seen my dad so happy at a meal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport