Review

Dan Andrada

Tokaido Highway

May 23, 2024 - May 29, 2024

Samurai Tours is the standard for me to compare other Japan based tours -- when I am able to visit again, Samurai Tours will be my first call to book my next tour!!

Itinerary

The stops and length of this tour were perfect for our \"first time\" full visit to Japan!! Experiencing flavors of Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto were fabulous introductions to the country

Lodging

I enjoyed the Ryukan type accomodations -- greatly contributed to the immersiveness of being in Japan yet not too different from western type accomodations where we were able to have a comfortable stay.

Food

The included tour food were excellent choices -- I enjoyed the meals immensely. The Sayonara dinner provided in Kyoto was outstanding. My only wish was that we would have been able to dine with someone to explain the food to further enhance the meal. Although the tour staff member who brought us to our dinner provided a good explanation of Shabu-Shabu style dining, getting to know the rest of the items that were served would have been good too. Otherwise, it was fun exploring the meal and it was certainly delicious!

Guides

Toshi-san was our guide in Tokyo/Hakone and not only was he pleasant to talk with, he was also excellent in hitting all the points in the itinerary. We never felt rushed and we enjoyed the history and background he provided during the tour. Keiko-san guided us in Kyoto and was equally pleasant to talk with and was teriffic in getting us around Kyoto despite the remnants of a typhoon that drenched our second day. Enjoyed her explanation of the Tea Ceremony as she was trained in the ceremony herself.

Pre-Tour Handbook

No problems with Pre-Tour Documentation and Organization -- all relevant information was clear and concise regarding the tour

Tour Organization

Well done!

Tour Transportation

Outstanding!! Airport pickup was terrific and very welcoming after a long flight -- I loved taking the train system throughout the tour rather than being packed into a tour bus -- and thank you for arranging our Shinkansen reservations for our return to Tokyo and our own accomodations! Using the famed transportation system in Japan to get around in our tour is what sold me in booking with Samurai Tours!!

Would you go on another tour operating by Samurai Tours: Yes!

Would you recommend Samurai Tours to friends or family: Yes!