Reviews

Both tours had excellent national guides and wonderful tours experiences. The coaches were reasonably comfortable but we were disappointed that the coach windows in China were not clean. The hotels in China were normally 4 star whereas in Japan most were 3 star. The China tour was more strenuous and fast paced.

We had a very enjoyable time. All the group members had many opportunities to gel with each other.

Our guide Noriko was outstanding. She was very kind, had a great sense of humour, was knowledgeable and briefed participants adequately about the intended visits to the various venues each day. She was very professional, well informed, intuitive and treated everyone with respect often accommodating small requests that arose from time to time. She enforced a disciplined approach to the day's schedule, by giving explicit instructions about reporting on time both verbally and by using a flip chart with the correct time written on it using it as a visual guide. By repeating her instructions firmly as well as in a friendly tone she ensured that the message was communicated effectively.

Considering the participants weren't school children but adults and of a mature age, she had to be flexible in her approach if some members were not particularly keen on visiting certain venues and being there full time. She didn't hesitate to offer them their preferred choice of not being present full time and having a coffee break instead, nevertheless insisting that reporting time to be adhered to for the onward journey. It was much appreciated and respected.

Frankly speaking, we all would have loved to have had the opportunity of a guided tour of Osaka, but to our disappointment that didn't happen. So could the organising committee look into it and ensure that for future participants a guided tour of Osaka is included as well and an additional night's stay becomes a part of the tour. We would also have liked to have had a few more opportunities to do a bit of shopping.

All in all, I'd recommend Wendy Wu tour to anyone seeking fun and enjoyment. For this, much credit goes to our guide Noriko. The tour company provided very clear instructions and information to intended customers about all aspects of the tour which was very helpful.

We had a fantastic time - we arrived in Tokyo after spending 3 days in Hong Kong and met up with the group. The meal at the Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel that evening was horrible - the chicken legs were undercooked and several people had to send their food back to the kitchen. However, after that meal everything was fantastic. Our guide was Hiro who was excellent. We saw some amazing things and Hiro was so informative and told us about so many things. Mount Fuji and Hiroshima were particularly memorable although everywhere we went to was worth visiting. We all had lanyards with cards with our names on and on the back was a message in Japanese for us to show someone in the event we got lost - which proved invaluable during a couple of incidents when we had free time and a couple of people asked someone to contact Hiro - who went to find them. Having said that, Hiro was always checking we were all there! The coaches taking us from A to B were comfortable, so were the bullet trains. We were all issued with “whispers” with headphones so we could hear what Hiro was telling us. We specifically chose to go on this trip during the cherry blossom season - I was expecting pinker and more blossom and so, if I were to go again, I wouldn’t choose to go at the same time as the blossom as it attracts crowds of people and I don’t think it’s worth visiting when there are extra people there. Making the soba noodles was fun as well as making an origami crane - and we enjoyed the tea ceremony. The food was amazing and a real mixture - forks were always available for people who struggled with chopsticks. Some of the food we cooked ourselves. I’m not sure the Japanese had grasped some of the dietary requirements but my only request was that I didn’t have anything too spicy and the food I was served with was perfect for me. There were a lot of steps but, the brochure did warn that there were a lot of steps so I was expecting this. There was a lot of walking but, again, the brochure did warn about this and the itinerary tells you how long to expect to be on your feet. There were 26 people in our group ages ranging from 40s to 80s - we all got on really well. Now, back at home, I’ve got the task of choosing the best photos from the ones my husband and I took to have a book printed to take and show all our friends!

Would’ve loved to have to have spent another night or two in Osaka absolutely loved your tour and guides on the Jewels of Japan

The whole booking from start to finish was a breeze with Zoe. She was very patient with me struggling with emails and attachments. I must be getting old!! Anyway she was very informative with any questions I had and it seems she would be a delightful person if I met her in person. Nothing was too much trouble. I feel totally comfortable with my upcoming tour thanks to her.

Called 1300 number & quickly spoke to Reservation Specialist. Cameron was very knowledgeable & explain details of tour, booking process & payment schedule. I have paid deposit for your to Japan in 2027

Personable, professional, patient service.

Very good holiday. Well organised, guides helpful and friendly and we travelled with a lovely group of people. We covered most important sights in the guidebook and we were lucky to see 2 troupes of snow monkeys.
The food experience was good and we tried a good cross section of Japanese cuisine and I learnt a lot. The breakfasts were western or Japanese from the buffet and the other meals included Italian and other more western food. I think the food was done really well and we visited some excellent restaurants.
We experienced sushi making and Washi paper making as well as a tea ceremony.
You need to be fit and active for this trip as many early starts and lots of walking on uneven ground, up hills and steps. There was a boat trip in Tokyo bay with karaoke (plenty of booze to reduce your inhibitions if you chose to drink it)
We experienced the Shinkassen on the leg to Hiroshima. Everywhere we went was worth the visit.
My only real issues were being dropped at the airport on the way home one and a half hours before the terminal building opened so waited in the cold. Also the change over for the connecting flight at Tokyo meant that it was only with serious queue jumping and the tolerance of fellow passengers we were able to catch our connecting flight due to poor connectivity between Tokyo airport's terminals.
I would recommend this trip

A great tour with an entertaining group and our lovely guide Masayo.
Hotels all around 4* international type some without a bar which was strange for us Brits. and finding a bar on the street was a challenge!
A night or two at a more traditional Japanese type of accommodation would have been interesting. Meals good other than dinner on first night which was all tofu! A couple of Western type meals would have been welcome. Highlight and finale was the dinner cruise on the river on the last night in Tokyo with free drinks and a karaoke machine. We had a ball and continued singing on the coach back to the hotel!

Amazing trip with lots to see and do. To fit so much in requires quite a lot of bus and train trips but we got to see many sides of Japan from large famous cities to smaller towns and activities. Hiroshima was very moving. Paper making was great fun too. Mount Fuji showed itself on both days we were in the area. You get time to shop in Tokyo and on the way. Go up every tall building you can. We did 2 in Osaka and the very high Skytree in Tokyo. We had a 3 night stopover in Hong Kong which was great as well. As on option if ending in Tokyo maybe stay a few more nights as there was a lot more to see than we could manage in 3 nights. The group we were with had a great time together. Highly recommended.

What a fantastic trip, even though it was a very busy schedule Satoshi Otsuru ran the schedule efficiently and we saw all of the attractions offered. It was a little disappointing not to see the snow monkeys and mt Fuji on a clear day. All the accommodation was excellent and whilst not used to Japanese food it was all high quality with a diverse selection that did not disappoint. Nagasaki and Hiroshima will be on every tourists itinerary and that did not disappoint. The Japanese alps are just beautiful in their own right. The .white and black castle just incredible structures. Making sushi, finishing chop sticks, painting a fan and creating our own ink were great activities. The scramble square an eye opener and the views from Tokyo tower, Hakodate tower over fort, the night view at Hakodate harbour, the peace dome observatory just incredible structures. Loved the hyabusa and thunderbird bullet trains. Saki, whisky, beer , washmi, and minso ice cream all added to the experience. Loved the hyabusa and thunderbird bullet trains. The last 2 days were a bit rushed and mostly train travel, some more time spent around Sapporo at the end and Fukuoka at the start. Loved all the gardens, particularly the Glover gardens. I understand that temples and shrines are symbols of Japanese culture the tea ceremony was an experience to watch. All our travel companions were easy to get along with and Tsuro ensured everything went according to plan, even streamline our accommodation check in. Overall I give this tour 11 out of 10

Our guide Seky was superb as was the holiday itself. The programme itself was full on however Tokyo was perhaps the most disappointing element. Hotels all good but there was few places to socialise after dinner with a bar/lounge area.

This tour was exceptional. Our group of 18 were impressed with the experiences we were able to enjoy, the amazing scenery and the insight gained through our knowledgeable tour guide. Mari was a delight, going out of her way to ensure that we had all the information we needed every day so that we could relax and enjoy the varied experiences.
Hotels were of a high standard, food was delicious and I would thoroughly recommend a Wendy Wu tour to Japan.

Great hotels, good variety of places that we visited, good tour guide but awful food. This is the reason that I would not recommend this tour, very little variety in food, no choice apart from breakfast buffet, hot pot nearly every day, sometimes for lunch and evening meals on the same day. Sometimes pork for lunch and dinner on the same day. Meals were beautifully presented but very bland and for us this meant that we skipped many meals and went off and brought our own food. We have travelled all over the world and not particularly fussy eaters but the food provided by Wendy wu was not applicable to the high cost of the tour. Definitely needed more options and choice to fully enjoy the tour . Also there is very little free time which can be tiresome. Needed at least half a day free time in Kyoto and Osaka and wasted time in filler activities such as visiting a miso factory, a wasabi farm and a chair museum which were all incredibly boring. We booked our own activities in Tokyo in order to get more of what we found interesting, such as a sumo experience and night walk. The tour overall was good but awful food had a very negative impact on the overall experience.

Appreciated the range of experiences and it was a great selection of places to visit. Our tour guide, Yuka, was excellent. Very considerate and helpful, answering all questions and keeping people entertained on the long bus journeys. Communication was good throughout. Not all of the people on the tour used the Whisper audios, because of hearing aids, which meant they did not always follow the information. It was a very busy tour. Sometimes with one too many activities per day. We would have preferred one fewer temple visits and the visit to the fish market in Hakkodate was not the best. A bit more time at leisure would have been preferred and we were disappointed not to be closer to Tokyo centre and Osaka centre. However, the dinner that we had in the neighbouring hotel in Tokyo was the highlight meal of the whole tour.