Ada Huang

Between gardens, foods, tours, museums, people, animals, every part of the trip was exceptional. It was amazing to see how much people care about and respect each other. There were so many little things that were incorporated into the culture that made a big impact, such as baskets under the table, hot towels before meals, umbrella stands next to urinals, plenty of public bathrooms that were all clean and had bidets in the toilets, and countless more.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was walking through the markets. Ayumi took us through the Tsukiji Outer Fish Market and Nakamise Shopping Street, which each blew me away with how many shops, snacks, and gifts there were. It was only a few days since the trip, but I couldn't help buying gifts already! Nishiki Market, Omicho Market, and the others we found along the way were each unique and captivated me the entire time. I didn’t want to leave!

Another part of the trip that stuck out was the Nakasendo. It was a beautiful combination of small towns, greenery, paved paths, dirt paths, and a mix of all of those things. I enjoyed walking from town to town and wish I could have stayed even longer in some of the areas to explore. On the other hand, it was the perfect amount of time to walk around for a couple of hours, check out some temples, eat a great local dinner, and head to bed.

I took countless photos and videos of the beautiful architecture, food, and nature throughout my trip that I will look back on forever. I'd absolutely go back to several of the places that I went to and would also like to explore new places like Osaka and Okinawa. I would absolutely recommend KimKim to others who are traveling to Japan for the first time because it helped us a lot with transportation, when to buy tickets, and where to go in a strategic order.

Ada did an absolutely amazing job with planning our 12 day Japan trip. We loved all the activities - sumo wresting match, sake tasting (although could use less time learning the history), TeamLabs, food tours, and all the small group and private tours. Kimiko was absolutely amazing - we had her as our guide for both Tokyo and Hakone - she was thoughtful, informative, and truly felt like we were with a friend taking us on tours in their home country. We had a great time exploring Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, and Osaka - all of the food was delicious, we did not have a bad meal. We did more private tours, which allowed us to customize how much time we wanted to spend at different areas ex. we loved Nara and were able to spend more time there and less time at Osaka Castle, which we enjoyed simply taking pictures of. We loved our hotel in Tokyo, away from the touristy areas. Kyoto and Osaka were in the tourist areas, which made it easier to walk everywhere, but felt more chaotic. Overall, would recommend KimKim (second trip with them) to plan and coordinate the trips - we didn't have to worry about anything before, during, or after the trip.

Activity Reviews

Lake Ashinoko Tour with Mt. Fuji Views

Japan

This was the highlight of our trip - we loved the ropeways to the top of the mountain, amazing views of Mt Fuji and the pirate ship across the waterway.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kimiko was absolutely amazing! Our driver was great as well.

Transport

Loved the Alfard - comfortable car and drive into the mountains.

Asakusa Sumo Club: Sumo Show Admission with Chankonabe in Tokyo

Tokyo

This was surprisingly a great addition to our trip. We had a fun time learning and watching the match. It was very entertaining.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of the guides were excellent and everything was well planned and coordinated. Great hotels.

Hotel Reviews

Shiba Park Hotel

Tokyo

Good location. Great buffet. But rooms are rather small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

A great experience! Nice amenities and balcony view with hot spring water was amazing. Loved the free ice cream and beverages!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Kanra Kyoto

Kyoto

Very cool rooms with ab excellent buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

Very moving museum experience. Wish we could spend more time on island.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Highlights: A Day of Tradional & Modern Culture with Local Life

Tokyo

Nice tour of Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi Tour with Hakone Tozan Railway

Japan

Very scenic. Couldn't see Mt Fuji but I hear that is fairly typical. Interesting ride up the mountain and nice boat tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Osaka Castle, Shitennoji Temple, Umeda Sky Building and Shinsaibashi Tour

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour of Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

Great tour. Wish we could have spent more time in certain places but we packed a lot in.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Very nice but didn't find it all that compelling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Official Street Go-Kart Tour - Osaka Shop

Osaka

A lot of fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Nara Kofuku-ji, Todai-ji, and Isuien Garden Tour

Kyoto

Interesting tour but a bit repetitive from what we've done elsewhere.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, our 24 day trip with our two adult children (4 people all together) to Japan was outstanding. Ada with Kimkim was exceptionally responsive in our trip preparation and spared us numerous booking details, transportation logistics, ticket purchasing and itinerary planning, while still allowing lots of flexibility for us to modify most of our days. The private tours we signed up for were all worthwhile— only 6 in 24 days, and most guides managed with fair English but were very thoughtful, attentive and responsive. JJ, Jo, Kei, Kay, Ayumi and especially David in Kanazawa were excellent. There were only a couple minor glitches; once with using the odd double ticket needed for the Shinkansen, and once when a museum on our itinerary was closed the day we were supposed to go. But we shuffled the itinerary to make it work. Kimkim took note and even reimbursed one transfer for our unused tickets.
Kimkim is a great service. Professional, exacting, customizable, responsible. Paying a bit more if any in booking fees is totally worth having an organized trip, especially in a country like Japan, spread out over a large area, with mobs of people, many travel connections, almost no English speakers, and trekking off the beaten path. We highly recommend Kimkim for any travel, long or short, comfort driven or off the beaten path.

M

Hotel Reviews

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Kiyomizu Gojo

kyoto

Great breakfast, service, location and accommodations

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient to train and walking to sites

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were excellent and attention to detail was superb all around

Taoya Kisoji

Tsumago

Luxurious! Very generous free snacks room and especially good complementary massage chairs. Memorable stay

Authenticity & Character

Location

Off the beaten path in small town but outstanding service and everything you could want coming off the Nakasendo trail.

Staff

Activity Reviews

Full Day Gokayama and Shirakawago Tour from Kanazawa

Japan

Great slice of a very different side of Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

“K” Katsuhiko was so friendly, kind and helpful

Tokyo Highlights: A Day of Tradional & Modern Culture with Local Life

Tokyo

Ayumi was wonderful. The pace, sites, explanations of culture, shrines and temples were very good and thorough. She also had inside knowledge of a food place to buy Japanese knives away from some overpriced options.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Got to where we wanted to go efficiently

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Japan

Gorgeous setting but quite a long drive to see Mt Fugi from a distance. Fugiyoshida is a lovely setting with a beautiful park. But it was the most touristy of our excursions. Especially the boat ride.

Quality of Experience

JJ was great. Would probably select a different king of excursion

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour (Kinkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle and Fushimi-Inari Taisha)

Kyoto

The heart and soul of Japanese castles and shrines to immerse you in the Shinto / Buddhist cultural icons

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Helped explain so many symbols and rituals

Full Day Miyajima Island and Memorial Park Tour

Hiroshima

Must see if you have any interest in Hiroshima history and environs, past and present.

1-Day Tour: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake in Nagano (Join-in)

Japan

On the surface it can feel touristy, but this is not a zoo. More like a National Geographic excursion to the truly phenomenal evolution of a troop of unique Macaque monkeys.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour of Kanawaza With Dinner

Kanazawa

One of the most detailed and entertaining tours we did. David was outstanding. Focused on stories more than just interesting history. Interacted with the group exceptionally and added his own fun trivia game at the end to help reinforce what we learned.

Quality of Experience

Food

Out of the way restaurant that felt like the home of a local

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above.

Transport

We had a varied and busy 10 days. Our favorite hotel was the Ace hotel in Kyoto. We loved the Sumo wrestling academy, a highlight was dinner and spending the evening with the Maiko in Kyoto, and feeding the deer in Nara. I would recommend the “Happy Cow” app to find vegetarian restaurants. We had good guides although I feel we scheduled too many excursions and had more time driving than ideal. One guide Yasuko Nagai was really a gem. She was so knowledgeable and flexible about our itinerary. I like the personalized approach that we get with KimKim. Thank you for your service Ada. The had a great trip.

Our local specialist Ada did an amazing job right from the trip planning stage and into the execution phase. Her efficiency and attention to detail were commendable. At the conclusion of each part of our itinerary she would summarize the next activity and actions needed which we found very handy. Most memorable was day 4-- Mt. Fuji & Ryokan experience in Hakone. The pristine landscape and relaxing ambience was a welcome change after Tokyo. The guide/driver Datong san was excellent. The Ryokan provided us with a vegetarian dinner and breakfast that exceeded expectations.
Not to denigrate Tokyo, which had it's own attractions. We appreciated the efforts of guide Tomoe Koyano on day 2. The afternoon of day 3 could have been better utilized. It was aggravating to navigate ourselves from our hotel to the meeting point at Nezu station in pouring rain. I wonder why the guide couldn't meet at our hotel ? The walk through the old town was uninteresting. The guide didn't have much to contribute as we meandered through the streets!
Day 5-- Kyoto. The tea ceremony was disappointingly contrived and lacking authenticity.We were not impressed by the attitude of the host of the show.
Day 6-- We appreciated our guide Sanae Uchida on this excellent excursion.
Day 7-- A good day's trip with driver Tan san to Himeji castle. The Mt Nunobiki visit was curtailed due to rain and we just rode the cable car up and down.
Day 8--An interesting visit to Nara with the competent guide Yuki.
Day 9--Very interesting visit to Tsumago and Magome with Vincent. Disappointed having to drop hiking plan due to heavy rain.
Day 10-- Was wasteful. Not enough time for the self guided morning tour and to catch a 11.48am train. We should have been booked on a later train. Reaching Kanazawa around 3pm was a wasted afternoon there as well.
Day 11--Appreciated the Shirakawa go tour with the well informed K san.
Day 12-- Drive to the Kurobe gorge. It was disappointing not to have visited the Shomyo Falls. The guide Mike said there wasn't enough time. However, this would have been possible by spending less time at the final trolley station and the Unazuki Onsen city (where there was nothing much to do). This was the first day that the trolley resumed going to the final station. Due to ongoing construction we couldn't go anywhere outside that station. It looked like the tour guide didn't have the authority or flexibility to make these small changes that would have enhanced the experience. Your itinerary promised a "stroll through nature"--- but it was sadly lacking! It was mostly a trolley and bus ride.
A suggestion for future trips: It would be useful to know the price break up of total trip cost to each segment of the tour. This helps to put a value on the experience at each venue.

Hotel Reviews

Ryokan Aura Tachibana

Hakone

Excellent service. They specially prepared vegetarian food for us and the presentation was superb! Amazing private onsen. Great views from room.

Authenticity & Character

Blends in with it's natural surroundings

Location

Set in a picturesque location

Staff

Personal attention to detail

Cleanliness & Comfort

Couldn't ask for more.

the b asakusa

Tokyo

We stayed here on the way in to Japan and on the way out.Very conveniently located providing easy access to public transport. Room very functional despite the small size. Very friendly staff. Adequate breakfast options.

Authenticity & Character

Great location, customer friendly.

Location

.Very conveniently located providing easy access to public transport,shopping and cultural sight seeing.

Staff

Great service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day Tour to Kurobe Gorge, Unazuki Onsen, and Shomyo Falls

Kanazawa

It was basically a long bus ride followed by a trolley ride (admittedly a beautiful scenic ride) We were not taken to the Shomyo Falls apparently due to time constraints ( not very credible). It happened to be the first day that the trolley resumed the full ride till the final station but there was nothing to do there as construction was ongoing. This time could have been better spent at Shomyo Falls or at any other scenic spot, for a stroll through nature. The halt at Unazuki Onsen wasn't worth the time. Anyway the onsen was lukewarm and unimpressive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly.

My daughter and I took a 2 week trip to Japan. We started in Tokyo. It was helpful to have a driver take us from the airport to our hotel after the long flight and not having to try to navigate by ourselves to the hotel. In Tokyo, our first day was with Motoki Watanabe, who guided us to the Tsukiji Outer Fish Market, Meiji Jingu Shrine, and Sensoji Temple among other sights and provided some information about what we were seeing. He also was flexible to alter plans as needed. One thing I found useful was navigating Tokyo subway system with his help so we could manage it the next few days. The next couple days were spent at Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. Both were nice parks but if I had to pick one, it would be Disney Sea as it's totally different from other Disneyland parks. The final day in Tokyo we went to to the Ghibli Museum and explored Tokyo by ourselves.

Leaving Tokyo, we took the bullet train to Kyoto. In Kyoto, we were guided by Yoshiko Yoshida to the Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park Tour with a Boat Ride. She shared information about the area and since we had a little extra time, we went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The next day we were guided by Asuka Koyanagi and saw more of Kyoto going to Kinkaku-ji Temple, Nijo Castle and Fushimi-Inari Taisha. Only the last day in Kyoto navigating by ourselves, we did Samurai Ninja Museum and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya. The Tea Ceremony was enjoyable since you learned about the ceremony while dressed in Kimonos.

From Kyoto to Osaka, we were driven by a driver and had Yukari Onishi for our guide. We stopped in Nara and visited the Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. We also fed the bowing deer. In Osaka, we went to the Aquarium, which my daughter found really cool since we saw a couple whale sharks. We also did a Sushi class, which was enjoyable even though my daughter really doesn't like fish.

Overall, the experience was a good one and would look to do again. All the guides spoke good English, willing to change things up if needed, and provided information about the areas that we visited. Most texted us the day before about the pickup for the tours. The hotels were all nice and provided breakfast in the mornings. Having the Kimkim app download on a phone is helpful so you can get any updates to the itinerary.

Our 9-day trip to Japan was a whirlwind of last-minute planning, an ambitious schedule and special requests from our teens and we wouldn’t have made it without Ada and KimKim. They were our itinerary’s guiding light, wizards at scheduling and key factors in crafting the amazing adventure we just completed.

In mid-June, I started looking into Japan travel options, planning to leave the last week of June. I put together a rough itinerary and sent it to some travel groups to get thoughts on feasibility, additional options, and if they could help us coordinate things on the ground. Our family didn’t want a group tour and Ada, first to reply with a response that was professional and friendly, seemed to get that right away. She was always available for late-night or early-morning itinerary reviews, answered every question we had, made changes on the spot and never once mentioned how last-minute everything was.

Ada’s experience was clear, and I felt completely confident with her scheduling and suggestions throughout.

We left New York with a packed itinerary, tickets downloaded and easy access to everything we needed for the trip. Every part of the trip went exactly as planned, with drivers (and mini-vans), guides and all our bookings all uniformly excellent. The guides and drivers were always early, friendly, flexible and organized. On our first day in Tokyo, our guide patiently explained the city’s huge subway system—from buying tickets to reading the map and picking our seats - our kids felt confident enough to travel the subway solo the next afternoon.
One of our favorite guides was Yuki in Kyoto who maintained group calm and orchestrated a wonderful day despite heat, crowds and drooping family members. All guides spoke great English and were informative and hands-on without being overbearing.

Throughout the trip, Ada and her team were available and we felt supported every step of the way.

Now back in Brooklyn, our family of four gives Ada and KimKim 5 stars and would recommend them to anyone wherever they are in their planning journey.

All of the guides were very helpful and knowledgeable. They didn’t just give us a tour, but assisted with our planning and came up with suggestions that would work better. They were all very enthusiastic and loved what they do. Kimkim did an amazing job helping us plan our first trip to Japan.

Hotel Reviews

The Knot Tokyo Shinjuku

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good central location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Yumoto Onsen Tsuki no Yado Sara

Hakone

Authenticity & Character

Very authentic; amazing location next to river

Location

Great location, close to station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hiroshima Tokyu REI Hotel

Hiroshima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Nikko Narita

Narita

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Enjoy Temples & Bamboo Grove in Kyoto

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Discovery: From Traditional Landmarks to Akihabara’s Anime Haven

Tokyo

Appreciated guide taking us to viewpoints and some areas not specified (e.g. Gojira head)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guide was super helpful in teaching us the subway system so that we could do it on our own later

Full Day Hakone and Lake Ashi Tour with Hakone Tozan Railway

Japan

Very authentic experiences; liked variety of a smaller town

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

1-Day Tour: Port City Kure - Cruise, Battleships, Submarines & More!

Hiroshima

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

Our guide was so helpful and knew how to adjust our activities due to the weather and timing of our next locations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nara Day Tour from Kyoto

Kyoto

Our guide was so helpful and knew how to adjust our activities due to the weather and timing of our next locations. She also helped us find the information we needed to make sure our departure was smooth without us asking. She voluntarily helped us plan ahead.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I've used kimkim in the past for a trip with my best friend. This time I decided to use their services for a trip with my sister. Overall, the trip featured all the aspects we wanted to touch on on our trip. Every guide we had was great and the trip was paced out well. You can't really escape from walking too much in Japan but even with all the walking, we enjoyed the pace and all the activities. It's definitely pricier to experience Japan this way but since it was our first time, we wanted it to be hassle free so it was very convenient to have everything booked for us and to just enjoy the trip. The few times we had to get to places on our own, the instructions were clear and I knew my specialist was not far away if I needed them. I will definitely visit Japan again and may consider using Kimkim for it but perhaps be even more particular about where I want to go so that it would be most beneficial to pay for a service to plan for it.

Hotel Reviews

The Knot Tokyo Shinjuku

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien TEN-YU

Hakone

Would definitely visit again - location was stunning and food was amazing

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Forza Osaka Kitahama

Osaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was clean and comfortable but our window faced a wall which was kinda sad.

Richmond Hotel Premier Kyoto Ekimae

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Japan

Got lucky and could see mt Fuji

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was great- she was super helpful, patient and overall just a great driver.

Transport

Enjoy Temples & Bamboo Grove in Kyoto

Kyoto

Asuka was our guide and she was awesome!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

Food was great and filling, our guide was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

So much fun! Learned a lot too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Highlights: A Day of Tradional & Modern Culture with Local Life

Tokyo

Our guide was Yoshi and he was awesome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yoshi! Highly recommend

Transport

We took public transit and it was a good experience

Sushi & Home Cooking Class from Market to Table near Asakusa

Tokyo

One of my favorite parts of my trip. Alice was our guide and she was a lot of fun. Learned a lot and made the best sushi. Would love to have another class with her in future.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport