Odynovo Tours Co., Ltd

We were only in Japan for 7 days, but managed to see four cities in that time-Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka, and Izu. We saw many incredible attractions with the expertise of KimKim. We particularly enjoyed experiencing traditional Japanese accommodation and cuisine. Eleanor, our planner, was professional, responsive to our questions, and very polite. We never worried while we were travelling and were able to discover beautiful Japan! Thank you KimKim and Eleanor for an amazing experience. We would highly recommend their services to anyone planning for a stress free trip!

Our family of 4 had a wonderful first trip to Japan with Shona's planning and guidance. We didn't have a lot of notice on the trip, but she was still able to put together a really nice itinerary. We had great communication with our drivers, who were all on time and sent photos to explain how to find them when getting off the rails and at the airport.
We had very good experiences with all three of our tour guides, but Zumi in Kyoto went above and beyond to teach about the area and connect with our family. I highly recommend using Shona and the KimKim platform to plan your trip to Japan.

Our guides Sun in Siem Reap and Sam in Phnom Penh were both incredibly knowledgeable and made sure we had a fantastic time. The hotels Kimkim had booked were both excellent.

We had a wonderful trip to Japan thanks in large part to the help of KimKim Travel specialist Shona Zhang. We traveled from Sapporo in the Northern Island of Hokkaido to the Southern Island of Kyushu.
The guide in Sapporo was Yuko Sayu who did a great job explaining history, culture and any questions we had. Her communication skills we very good and her knowledge of Sapporo and of the Snow Festival. Se were able to see things we would have never experienced on our own. Yuko is a lifelong resident of the Hokkaido and gave us great insight into the lives and culture of the people there. The Hotel that KimKim Travel had arranged for us was comfortable and the the location was perfect as we were walking distance to the ice and snow sculptures as well as a myriad of eating options and shopping. Yuko recommended some excellent places and things to eat locally as well as things that were unique to Hokkaido…”Genghis Khan” bbq pork, local crab and sushi, Sapporo style ramen, as well as the Sapporo Brewery museum and the world renowned Nikka Yoichu Distillery in neighboring Otaru city. The night ice sculptures and lights along the Otaru canal were beautiful. The transportation was well planned out, on time and very accommodating.
We next flew to Fukuoka in Kyushu where we met up with our guide Asako Iwai who was born and raised in Kyushu. We were able to take a van from the airport on an excursion to Nagasaki where we visited the
Atom Bomb Memorial and Museum. That was a moving experience and more so because Asako knew so much about that history and the thoughts of the local Japanese. We spent 2 nights in a very nice Hotel convenient to the train station and close to places where the local people ate and shopped. There were many pleasant surprises in Fukuoka including old castle grounds, beautiful gardens at Ohori Park, Fukuoka tower, all with a rich history that Asako explained to us. We sampled local cuisine, including the local sake and pastries. We then rode the bullet train from Fukuoka to Kagoshima…a real treat to see the efficiency and speed of that rail system.
In Kagoshima we met our guide Mikiko Horikiri. She guided us on a ferry to Sakurajima Island where we were able to enjoy a free foot bath in the warm volcanic heated water, and visit an observation point to get a clear view of the Sakurajima active volcano. So much of area’s culture is based around the Volcano and the effects it has on the local people and the enviroment. Miki gave us a great overview of life there. She pointed out numerous places to shop and eat and had great recommendations of what to try…Kurobuta (black Pork) tonkatsu, Unagi, and a special Chicken dish served at the Senganen Garden. One highlight was the Shimadzu Satsuma Kiriko Crystal Glassworks where we viewed craftsmen blowing the glass and artisans etching the intricate designs into the glasses. We even got to try our hand at etching our own glass shochu cups to bring home as keepsakes.

We had very good accommodations and transportation while in Japan and all three of our tour guides were top notch! We especially appreciated Shona at KimKim Travel who took a personal interest in us and make sure all our questions and needs were addressed in a timely manner.

Thank you so much!
Reid Saito

Hotel Reviews

Ibis Styles Sapporo

The Ibis Styles was perfect for out stay. We were able to room 3 in one room which was significant savings. The Japanese breakfast showcased authentic Japanese cuisine with many choices. The western style breakfast was also available. The service and Front Desk were very helpful although they did not always speak English but with the cell phone translators we were able to get by fine. The location was great with walking distance to the Ice Scuptures and Snow Sculptures during the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival). There are many eating places, pubs, and shopping malls within a few blocks making this hotel a great place to stay during the busy ski and festival winter season.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the Susukino Street which is a great nightlife and eatery scene.

Staff

They Were help full and responsive to our needs and questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and quiet, the cleaning staff was very efficient through in their cleaning.

Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Fukuoka

Fukuoka

Nice hotel with a very good location in Fukuoka. The combination in Japanese and western style breakfast buffet was excellent and provided us with a chance to eat without leaving the hotel in the morning. The staff was very helpful and accommodating when we shipped our luggage to the next hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel was very close to shopping and great restaurants.

Staff

The staff was very helpful and made an effort to communicate in English using translators and maps.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kagoshima Tenmonkan PREMIER

Our room was very good size and was able to accommodate three adult adults. The Breakfast buffet was both Japanese and western food and was all very good. The hotel location was central to downtown Kagoshima and had easy access to restaurants and stores.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

This hotel had a great location in the Shibuya District of Tokyo. It provided easy access to shopping and restaurants and was located very close to Shibuya train station. They provided both Japanese and western style breakfast buffet every morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

2025 Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo

A fantastic display of snow and Ice Sculptures taking months to make every year. The scale, diversity and number of sculptures is truly amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yuko was an excellent guide with so much local knowledge getting us place and coordination with the drivers.

Transport

Comfortable vehicles and prompt service.

Full day to Kagoshima with Sakurajima

Kagoshima

Our Guide Mikiko, born and raised in Kagoshima took us on tour of the city and of Sakurajima Volcano. It is truly an amazing sight to see so many living in the shadow of an actively erupting volcano.

Shonna put together a great short itinerary for Japan. We got a taste of that lovely country! While it was a little bit hectic, we made the most of the short time we were there with her help.

This trip was amazing! I personally like to research/plan my travels but life was hectic beforehand and having someone assist with our travel planning based off our preferences was amazing. The fact it was not much more expensive than doing it ourselves is always a plus. Also, the itinerary layout and portal for KimKim was very straightforward and was always helpful to look at when referring to travel events/timing. I loved how flexible your company is as well, accommodating to our “budget” travel style and self guided events so we could do what we wanted at each location without having to worry about booking timing/tour guides.

We really enjoyed the assistance Sandy provided, she booked domestic travel, checked us in, sent our boarding passes/tickets to us, and provided clear descriptions of where to meet our private transfers at each location! She was even helpful of providing information for where to meet family friends and websites that can help with reserving tables. Sandy was also very responsive the whole trip, helping us get our questions answered as well as being prompt with rescheduling/refunds as our trip changed.

A few points I think Kaelyn mentioned internally, but worth noting here:
-we had to ask Sandy for times of private transfers, reservation #’s, and timing of domestic travel. We didn’t have this info very close to our departure date, and it may have been provided around that time, but I’m sure other people would feel the same of wanting this info a bit beforehand.
-originally, when Sandy booked the Sapporo beer museum tour it said food was included, but the day that we booked it the food was closed all along, not sure how Sandy missed it, but we had to eat lunch somewhere else. Not a huge deal, our local guide Kana was very helpful with this and recommended a great soup curry restaurant that was probably our favorite meal of the trip. Also, Sandy/Kana figured out the refund for the Sapporo beer museum to be applied to our lunch which was great to not have to worry about.

Overall, I would recommend KimKim to most people. This was mine/my wife’s first experience with a travel agency as well, so there were some things that were confusing to us, but overall the trip ran very smoothly and a lot of stress was eliminated because of KimKim’s/Sandy’s assistance! I would definitely consider doing a trip through KimKim again. Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Niseko Northern Resort Annupuri

niseko

You could tell it was an older building, but still a great vibe, good rooms, amazing that it had restaurants/breakfast on-site! It was a bit farther away from everything else in Niseko, almost an hour bus ride to the main village which we didn’t know. It would be nice if this place had a free shuttle to the village as the local bus took a while and was honestly expensive (so was the taxi service), which added up over the couple days. The fact that it was ski in/ski out was the highlight, also each room had their own ski locker which was amazing!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nothing, it is just far away from the main village/restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

They made our beds everyday and gave us fresh towels, awesome!

The TOURIST HOTEL AND CAFE AKIHABARA

Tokyo

Amazing breakfast, and delicious coffee. We would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern and clean.

Location

Right near electric city, great central location.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Half-day Sapporo City Discovery with Genghis Khan BBQ and Sapporo Beer Tasting

Sapporo

We thought this was a brewery tour not museum tour. And the food was closed. This may have been our fault for not researching when booking, but was fun to learn the history nonetheless.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport