REVIEWS

Carol Hamilton, California 

We recently returned from a JapanQuest Journeys-organized journey through Tokyo and Kyoto with our group of six, and from the very start, we felt completely looked after. Every aspect of our trip was handled with meticulous care and professionalism, so we never had to worry about a thing. At each leg of our travels—whether by plane, train, or private car—an English-speaking guide or escort was there to greet us, ensuring each transfer was seamless and stress-free. Each evening, we dined at carefully chosen local restaurants – historic and newer hidden gems that we would never have discovered on our own.

“JapanQuest Journeys is a national treasure whose deep knowledge and warm hospitality brought every moment of our trip to life and made us feel like honored guests.”

Our itinerary was filled with unforgettable cultural experiences arranged by Jason Gilman of JapanQuest Journeys. We practiced the art of ikebana with a master, enjoyed a traditional cooking class, engaged in meditation with a Buddhist monk in a serene temple, participated in an authentic tea ceremony, and explored Tokyo’s architectural gems with a local architect. JapanQuest Journeys are national treasures whose deep knowledge and warm hospitality brought every moment of our trip to life and made us feel like honored guests. Thanks to JapanQuest Journeys’ (and Jason’s) warm, personalized service and impeccable attention to detail, our entire trip felt effortless and deeply enriching.

Troy and Staci Brown, Pennsylvania

Nearly one year in advance, we finally found the time to curate and book our Japan bucket list vacation. We have traveled extensively but never before to Asia, so booking a two-week vacation there in the first half of April, with the goal of immersing ourselves in the Cherry Blossom season in Kyoto while seeing a broad expanse of Japan, was a bit daunting. A colleague and his wife (now frequent Japan vacationers) recommended Jason at JapanQuest Journeys, and I’m glad they did. 

We had a fantastic trip, with bespoke experiences based on our preferences (not just ordinary tourist attractions).  Jason and I communicated frequently, ensuring that all big and small details were addressed, including my wife’s sometimes tricky dietary restrictions.  As the vacation approached, we interacted by phone, text, and email to lock in dining experiences that could accommodate us.  Ultimately, we had almost no hiccups the entire trip, which is a bit of a miracle considering the ambitious itinerary!  A lot of that was due to the care and planning that Jason and his team devoted to the trip.  And a lot of it was equally attributable to the amazing guide (and new friend) that we had for the entirety of the two weeks. 

“Overall, our trip matched our bucket list hopes. We’re already looking forward to planning our next trip with Jason and his team.”

Our guide, Hiro, was incredible.  She ensured that every lunch restaurant accommodated our needs, advance-planned nightly to ensure the following day would be stress-free and as crowd-tolerable as possible despite being high season, obsessed on every aspect of every day (from trains to cars, to shrines and temples, to the busiest of tourist attractions) to make it go as smoothly as possible, and was just the nicest, friendliest and most genuine person/guide we’ve ever encountered. 

Overall, our trip matched our bucket list hopes, and the Tokyo-Matsumoto-Kanazawa-Kyoto-Naoshima-Tokyo itinerary – which did seem a bit tiring and overwhelming when we planned it out – was the perfect combination of active, relaxing, and otherworldly.  We’re already looking forward to planning our next trip with Jason and his team.

Alex Levin, Pennsylvania

Thank you for putting together a fantastic trip for us! You worked with us to customize what we wanted to do in our limited time (10 days). I wish we could have stayed longer and done more, but we will be back!  We loved our days in Tokyo; the Mandarin Oriental was a perfect home base. We especially enjoyed the sumo wrestling practice as something a bit off the beaten path, and our guide found us great lunch spots that we would not have found on our own. We loved poking in and out of the shops on Kappabashi Street.

“It’s hard to pick favorites from so many great experiences, but suffice to say, we had an unbelievable trip, and your guidance and expertise were indispensable!”

Kyoto was spectacular, and the Ritz was a wonderful home base there. Thanks for ensuring we saw the highlights, and we loved the restaurants you recommended. My absolute favorite part of the trip may be seeing Kenroku-en in Kanazawa. It’s such a spectacular garden, and we saw it in a drizzle, with everything glowing green, and beautiful umbrellas everywhere. It was very memorable. We loved our ryokan stay nearby. It’s hard to pick favorites from so many great experiences, but suffice to say, we had an unbelievable trip, and your guidance and expertise were indispensable! Thank you again!!

Sharon Herman, New York

We had an amazing trip—THANK YOU. It was probably our best vacation (and we travel a lot worldwide). Your company planned everything beautifully. It was important to us that logistics were seamless (driver waiting, transportation, hotel check-in/rooms, etc.)—and they were. The restaurant picks were wonderful (more on that), and the sites and experiences were fantastic.

I must say, though, that what made the trip was Hiromi.  Her cheery disposition was infectious, and she was flexible with the schedule.  When we were tired, she took the kids on tour several times.  They LOVE her.  Hiromi is also very knowledgeable about each site’s history and minute details, and her English is extremely good. She took painstaking care to address our dietary restrictions with all meals (her conversations were not just a few seconds with the restaurants – but an in-depth review of every ingredient).  In short – we loved her and were sad to leave.  We want to return soon and have Hiromi as our guide!

“What a wonderful country – made even more so by the curated itinerary, our guide and the unique experiences. We will be back! “

Some highlights of our journey were:

Kyoko, our cooking instructor – so warm and welcoming, and her food was delicious! 

Beniya Mukayu – the Ryokan was beautiful, and the dinners were well done.

Shirakawa-go village – our favorite!

Kintsugi – ceramics experience.

Cucina Kuramochi—the food was great, and the chef was so kind to open his restaurant just for us on his day off!

Godan Miyazawa (kaiseki meal) in Kyoto – the chefs were very warm, and the food was perfect.

In short, we recommend JapanQuest Journeys to all our friends and are happy to provide a referral for you anytime if anyone wants a live conversation.

THANK YOU – we had an absolutely special, wonderful trip.