My family chose the 10-day best tour of…
My family chose the 10-day best tour of Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka. We really enjoyed our trip, these are our comments and suggestions: Tokyo: Transport from the airport was on time and efficient. Note that getting a pocket wi-fi to allow you to use google maps, etc is important once you land at the airport. Hotel: Hotel Metropolitan Ikebukuro. This hotel was excellent, very conveniently located near the Ikebukuro train stop. Breakfast buffet was fantastic, the staff were excellent Tour guide: our guide was very young and inexperienced, it would have been better for him to have given more than just a superficial description of what we were seeing, he spent a lot of the tour speaking Chinese to the driver rather than explaining what neighborhoods we were in, the significance of the shrines that we were going to see, etc. Took us to a Museum that was closed, did not really know the itinerary very well. We realize that weather may effect the itinerary, but knowing what museums are open on what days would have been helpful. Itinerary: Meiji shrine, Asakusa, Sensoji temple , Hamarikyu Garden, Ometasando, Ginza were all excellent choices as sites to see. Unfortunately the weather did not permit good views from the Tokyo sky tree but this was interesting to see nevertheless. Although Ryogoku and the Hokusai museum were on the itinerary, we did not get to go as we were taken to the Hokusai museum on a day the museum was closed and the Sky Tree tickets were scheduled for 12N so we didn't have time to see the Sumo Museum. Shibuya scramble was fun to see, we were overall given enough time to be independent and find places to eat lunch, we were not taken to Genki sushi as promised, unfortunately. Mt Fuji museum, Kawaguchiko lake, and Lake Saiko were excellent sites to visit, we were not taken to the Itchiku Kubota Museum despite this being on the itinerary. (it was closed) Again, there were discrepancies made on the itinerary and what we actually saw, the guide seemed a little confused about where to take us. A good suggestion that he made however was going to the Sengen shrine prior to Mt Fuji based on location. He did take lovely family photos. Kyoto: The trip to Kyoto on the Shinkansen was fast and excellent, if you sit on the right side of the train you will see Mt Fuji 45 minutes into the trip! Hotel: Kyoto Ryokan the Kinoe, this was outstanding, the staff were incredible, the rooms were traditional with tatami floors, breakfast was amazing and traditional, and dinner in your room at the hotel was fantastic. This hotel was one of the best experiences of the trip. Tour Guide: Rel was incredible. She contacted us the day prior to the trip and on each day to review our itinerary, knew our itinerary in detail, changed it based on geography and convenience, was always available by text, she knew specific details about what we were going to see and gave us a preview of each site as we were driving to it, as well as provided insight about specific attributes of the sites. Transportation from the train station and from the hotel to all of the sites we saw was excellent, on time, and always well orchestrated by Rel. Itinerary. Afternoon tea with a Geisha (maiko) was fun, but this was not a one-on-one experience. Kinkakugi temple, Nijo castle, Nishiki markets, Kiyomizu temple were excellent choices as sites to see. We did not get to see Sanjusangendo temple due to time constraints. The street food at Nishiki market was incredible. Rel appropriately changed the itinerary the next day to put the Okochi Mountain Villa as the last site to see, however, the trip to Arashiyama (and Nara, see below) was for us the highlight of the trip including the bamboo groves, monkey park, Tenryugi temple, Nonomiya shrine and the vegetarian lunch. Please note that for older visitors, the walk up to Arashiyama Monkey Park was quite arduous and several older travelers (not in our group) could not make it. We asked to not go on the Sagano Scenic railway due to time constraints. The trip to Nara deer park was incredible, I suggest that travelers to Japan not miss this as the experience was unique and wonderful. Rel again changed the itinerary that day to start at Fushimi Inari shrine first to take advantage of the morning light through the gates, then Nara to see the deer park, Todaji Temple, Kasuga Taisha and then travel to Osaka. Osaka: Hotel Vischio Osaka was excellent, in a great location to allow our daughter to visit all of the shops, Uniqlo, Gu, Book off, etc. Tours: Rel was excellent, really gave a lot of insight into what we were seeing. We enjoyed the Umeda Sky building and Dotonbori, Rel made a lunch reservation at the best Wagyu and Kobe beef restaurant that we have ever been to! Kamigata Uklyoe Museum was beautiful, and we finished our day at Osaka castle. Overall, our trip was excellent.