Review

The hotels were mostly excellent. However, the last hotel we stayed at in Kinagawa was absolutely NOT up to an acceptable standard. From what I understand, it was not the usual hotel, and I strongly suggest you do not use it again. There was mould on the shower curtains, the rooms were old and tired, and there were holes in the flywire screens, so the windows couldn’t be opened for some fresh air in the stale rooms. The food was good there, but otherwise, it was a shame to end the tour on a stale note at that hotel

Good, although it was a challenge to get higher fibre breakfast options.. I think this may be an issue everywhere, though, so not a direct criticism of the hotels.

Chiko was absolutely wonderful. Friendly, knowledgeable and very patient.

I think it could be clearer with regards to the bag transfers and how many nights each changeover would need. We were required to carry our overnight bags a lot, and had I known more about what was involved, I would have brought a different bag (one with rollers rather than a duffel). I interpreted the pretour documentation that we only had one occasion where we had to pack for two nights, but in reality, nearly all the transfers were for two nights, which meant the duffel was heavier than I thought it would be. I carry a lot of camera gear in my daypack, which is heavy, and managing the duffel was hard at times. I’m younger than a lot of your tour participants, and was able to manage, but saw others struggling as well. I think you could be super clear around what types of bags you recommend, with strict size limits if you want.. Some had larger carry on bags, and others of us quite small duffels - others with multiple duffels.

I loved travelling by local transport - especially the trains. It was one of the highlights, and way better than being cooped up on a tour bus every day.