Review

The itinerary was exactly what we wanted. Mike's suggestion of including Koyasan was fabulous, it may have been the highlight of our trip.

We loved all our accommodations especially the ryokans in Takayama, Koyasan and the hotel/ryokan in Kyoto. Only in Hakone were there problems with English communication. There was one person at the desk who spoke some English but that was only when we checked in so there were some small difficulties during our stay but we managed, hopefully, without committing any faux pas.

We are not big fans of Japanese food so that somewhat colors our opinion of the traditional meals served at the ryokans. We do not normally eat big breakfasts so the food amounts were overwhelming and we did not wish to offend our hosts nor waste. So we'd probably not sign up for the traditional meals again. The food itself was beautifully presented and prepared. We loved the vegetarian meals at the temple in Koyasan. In Kyoto there was a choice of smaller breakfasts so that was appreciated. The food in Japan was very fresh and the variety in restaurants, train stations and cafes was much bigger than in the U.S. and we enjoyed the enormous scope of choices. One huge treat for me (Niki) were the tomatoes. They were delicious!

All three of our guides were wonderful: Miko in Takayama, Kaho (?) in Koyasan and J.J. in Kyoto. Not only were they delightful women and well informed but also extremely helpful. All three went the extra distance to make our days educational, enjoyable, fun and memorable. We greatly appreciated all three.

Loved the handbook, it was very helpful and came in handy in our preparation for the trip.