We have really enjoyed the tour, especially both guides.

In retrospective I'd think again about the Anime part which was more a shopping-centre tour (even though Ghibli museum is beautiful) which we could have done by ourselves.
Guides through the rest of our time was great, places picked carefully. The tour was so packed we rarely even had time both for eating and souvenirs in our "free time" ;-)

More free days would be also appreciated - at least half a day per big city would be beautiful, but we have seen a lot and Miho (our guide) was always open for a late night shopping/dinner trip.

We did not know what to expect when we booked the tour but our expectations were exceeded. Our tour guide, Hidesan, was amazing! We saw so many beautiful sites, ate some authentic food, and participated in several cultural activities that were both fun and educational. We brought our 11 year old daughter with us and she thoroughly enjoyed the trip as well. It is fun for the whole family!!

Anime tour was excellent. The guide told us lots of Japanese history and culture. We went to amazing places

My trip experience was AMAZING because of this tour! We got to experience and see sooo many things in such a short time! I got to see every aspect of Japan that I wanted; anime, culture, architecture, landscapes, and history! I will say because we got to see so many things, time while we were there was shorter. Some places I could’ve spent a whole day at but, we only got an hour to look around. I still very much enjoyed everything, this was just one small downside. Another thing I will recommend is if you go to the anime Japan convention, be prepared to not be like regular anime conventions. I was shocked with how little merch they had and how focused it was on promoting new animes. Very little independent artists and a lot of big companies with big displays. It was definitely still a cool experience but I guess just not what I was wanting out of it. But there was A LOT of cool cosplayers there! Overall I had a greattttt trip and we had an amazing tour guide! Hide-San was the best! I would definitely recommend this tour!

Everyone & everything was awesome. It was well planned out & our tour guide “Hide” was exceptional. All we had to do is pay and go with the flow. We felt like saw & experienced AllJapan had to offer. Hide offer insight and information not all tours have. All I can say if it was not for this tour guide I doubt we would have had this much fun, experience & culture. You get way more than you pay for w/ this tour.

We had an enjoyable time but it was a bit rushed in places. I also think certain areas could have had more or less alloted time to them. For example; we could have stayed at in Akihabara for four hours rather than the Anime 2024 convention.

What can be said other than it was a fantastic experience! Yuki was and is an amazing tour guide who explained history, local culture, and more while making the tour fun and engaging the entire time. He is awesome and cannot recommend him enough. The sights were beautiful, the food was awesome, and the experience was once in a lifetime. The hotels were wonderful and comfortable to stay in. Highly recommend and would use Japan Deluxe Tours for a future visit back to Japan.

Overall, my spouse and I had an outstanding experience. It was our first time out of the country and having JDT take care of planning & logistics was wonderful! Time-saving and much less stress on my part.
It was off-season so we had a very small group with only one other person. So instead of having a tour bus, we took local transportation. I didn't mind, but others might so it's something to keep in mind.
Both our Tokyo & Kyoto tour guides were excellent. Very friendly and knowledgeable. They knew all of the best spots to take pictures and had recommendations for shops and restaurants.
Hotels were great, no complaints there. They had nice breakfast buffets with a mix and western and eastern cuisine. It was a good opportunity to try a little bit of everything.
We hit a lot of the big attractions at the various locations. We usually had some time for browsing, shopping, and snacking at each one.
My recommendation for JDT is that one day we went to Shibuya for just long enough to take pictures, then headed to Harajuku to shop for a while. I would rather have stayed at Shibuya to shop. Unless you're after fashion, Harajuku isn't that interesting and is a small shopping area.
The only complaint I have is that the itinerary that I purchased did not match the itinerary that I received. There were a few things left off. One day we should have had teppan-yaki dining with wagyu beef, but my tour went to another restaurant instead. The original itinerary had a sake museum and a maiko dining experience listed, but neither of those were on my tour guide's own itinerary. He did his best by taking us to a sake tasting, but it was really odd that what I bought didn't match what I got. Again, tour guides were great and I don't blame them. There was just a disconnect between the itinerary I purchased and the one they received.

These days in Japan transformed my life to live with more intensity and appreciation for life. Yuki our tour guide was caring, funny and professional. enjoyed every minute of this journey!! I want to return for a longer trip with this agency and Yuki! Im in love of Japan, soooo beautiful!!! Thank you for such a wonderful and unforgettable experience!!💞

Booking this tour was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Normally, when traveling anywhere new, I have a lot of difficulty with transportation and figuring out ways to maximize my time while at each stop. This tour was amazing because not only did it make transportation a breeze, but it also maximized the amount of time I had. If I had planned this trip on my own, for example, I would’ve set aside an entire day to visit the Ghibli Museum due to all the transportation it takes to get there from downtown Tokyo and I wouldn’t know how long I would need there. By going with this group, I was able to throw Shuriken at the Ninja Trick House, see the Godzilla Head in Shinjuku, and visit Nakano Broadway in the same day as the Ghibli Museum. You don’t need more than a couple of hours to visit Ghibli Museum anyways. There really isn’t much to see there. But I just had to get a photo with the Laputa robot on the roof. He is really cool.
Yuki was our guide and he is the best guide ever. He was fun to chat with and knowledgeable about the sites he was showing us. He taught us the correct way to bow and clap at Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples. He is willing to assist you in any way and really cares about his job. Although you don’t necessarily need a translator while in Japan (everyone speaks English and there are English words everywhere), you do need a guide to show you the main sites and explain what you are seeing.
Having airport transfers is a lifesaver. We almost got stranded in a trip we took last year to Paris due to issues at the airport and it caused us to miss our train afterwards, therefore having no transportation stress at the airport here in Japan was incredible! We had a private driver take us to our hotel in Tokyo and an airport transfer bus from the Hiroshima hotel.
Having a bus drive you from location to location was wonderful. It worked great except for the day we drove from Tokyo to Owakudani Valley in Hakone. There was so much traffic in Tokyo and Hakone that the bus barely moved at all. We ended up on the bus for about 5 hours trying to drive to Owakudani Valley (since the ropeway was down due to strong winds). And it was all for nothing since we ended up not visiting it due to too much time in traffic and a lack of parking at Owakudani Valley. All we saw in Hakone was an Open-Air Museum which was skippable. I normally like an open-air art gallery, but this one wasn’t that great in my opinion. Hakone was a skippable destination if you cannot do the ropeway to Owakudani Valley. It was a scenic drive through the area though.
All the destinations in Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima were great. I wouldn’t change a thing with those. The amount of free time at each location was the perfect amount. It gave you enough time to explore the site, Temple, or Shine and still shop for souvenirs and eat street food. My favorite activity was the rickshaw ride through the bamboo forest. You even get a private section of the bamboo forest to your rickshaw group that walking tourists cannot go into! It was so fun. I also loved the Fukagawa Edo Museum. I’d like more time to be dedicated to that stop, even if it cuts time out of the next stop in Tsukiji Fish Market. I really liked seeing Senso-ji after dark too. The way it looked lit up at night was spectacular!
I liked having one free day in Tokyo as well. I dressed in a kimono and got photographs in a local park, visited the Meiji Shrine, shopped at the Sailor Moon store, ate a delicious crepe on Takeshita Dori, and visited an Animal Café. I highly recommend visiting Takeshita Dori on your free day rather than just with the group. Takeshita Dori it too busy when the group visits and you don’t have much time. I suggest going early in the morning around 10:30am to try things you won’t get to when the place is super crowded.
Even though feeding the deer in Nara was disappointing because most of them were full and didn’t want to eat anymore rice cakes (you visit late in the day when they’ve already been fed all day long by other tourists), it was still fun to pet them, listen to the odd sound they make, and watch the young ones play. It was so relaxing to watch the deer in the Nara Deer Park. Todaiji was MASSIVE. Pictures don’t do it justice. It is a must see in Japan. A trip to Kyoto wouldn’t be complete without a half day excursion out to Nara to feed deer and see a massive Buddha statue in the world’s largest wooden building.
The two of us were the only ones to visit Himeji Castle, Koko-en historical gardens, and Hiroshima and let me tell you that it is so worth it to extend your trip by two days and visit those sites. It was neat to get a private tour of both – how lucky we were. Himeji Castle is too beautiful for words. It is a must see! The historical gardens was something that I wasn’t looking forward to, but WOW, they were awesome to see in the fall. The leaves and ponds were gorgeous. I loved watching the koi fish and walking the stones over the ponds. It was relaxing. The museum near the A-Dome in Hiroshima was somber. It was heartbreaking to see what people went through, but also a must for anyone interested in WWII history and paying their respects to all those who lost their lives there. The floating torii gate was also an awesome site!
There was some incredible food experiences on this trip. My favorite was the Kaiten Sushi restaurant or conveyor belt sushi. It was so fun ordering things and having them arrive to you on a conveyor belt. I had so much fun ordering things there and it was super cheap. You can order many different types of sushi. Try the ones with mayonnaise, they were all so delicious! I also loved the teppen-yaki meal with a view in Tokyo. The meat melted in your mouth. The savory style pancakes on Miyajima were also a favorite of mine. The Maiko dinner is massive, there were too many courses to count. It was a fun experience although I’m not a picky eater and even I didn’t like some of the traditional food items. The traditional style foods were great to try though. I wouldn’t have ordered most of what we got provided on the tour simply because I wouldn’t know what to order or know what to try. Having the tour group compel you to try traditional food, whether I liked the taste or not, was an awesome experience.
The hotels and breakfasts served every morning were fantastic. Classy hotels in great locations and such expansive breakfast options. I wish hotels had breakfasts like that in the United States. I didn’t know you could get tempura at a hotel breakfast! Even though I don’t think anyone else in our group was brave enough to try the hot springs at our Eastern-style hotel in Kyoto, I tried it and it was very relaxing. The Maiko performance was entertaining, especially when she played the traditional game with members in our group. The tea ceremony was okay, but not as exciting as I thought it was going to be and there just isn’t room for a group of 14 to all sit on the floor in that tatami room. It was uncomfortable.
Overall, I would rate the trip 98/100. If we’d gotten to see the Owakudani Valley, it probably would’ve been perfect, but that was out of the control for the group tour/Yuki. You cannot control how busy a place is or how windy it was that day so that isn’t the tour group’s fault. And if we were going to miss something, that is the one thing I was okay with missing. I really liked the phone app for this trip. It was really handy. I’m glad we got to try traditional foods, even if I didn’t always like them. I had fun with the cultural performances and visiting famous shrines and temples. Everything went wonderfully so I’d like to thank Yuki and Japan Deluxe Tours for giving me a trip of a lifetime. An unforgettable trip that we learned so much on. Thanks for arranging everything for us.

Wow! That was such an amazing adventure. The tour guides were so incredibly helpful, informative about local customs along with the history. This was truly a trip I’ll always remember. Felt like we saw everything possible in such a short time. Not a trip for those who just want to lounge around. This was on the go, go. Seeing sometimes multiple temples, shrines, restaurants, local outdoor shopping markets, and castles in any given day. It was such a memorable trip because our tour guides did it in a way that we got to experience local customs like various cuisines, tea ceremonies, cruises……. It was the works and then some! The tour guides were really great about answering all my questions about the differences in cultures along with history.

What a fabulous trip. Our guide Miho was amazing. She provided us with a detailed history and background of every site we visited. She also knew some “off the radar” places to eat and shop that made the trip even more memorable. Keeping such a large group together and on schedule had to be tough, but she was definitely up to the task. Will definitely request her on my next trip!

Sugimura Miho-san was a wonderful representative of JDTS. She was knowledgeable, personable, and attentive to the individual needs of our group. I learned so much about the history and culture of Japan, while having a great time. The JDTS staff set up a great trip for us, including everything on our “wish lists”. We had a fantastic time!

I had waited for years to go to Japan. In the meantime I researched many tour companies and felt Japan Deluxe Tours would provide a great tour. They did not disappoint in any way. The office in California did a great job being sure all was in order for us. Our tour leader, Yuki, was the best tour guide I've ever had. He made sure we were well informed of schedules, meeting points and all the while giving us interesting information of places we were visiting. His great sense of humor and friendly personality made the trip so enjoyable. He was always going above any expectations to ensure we were well taken care of.
The tour was great and the hotels were fantastic. The Ryokan in Kyoto was a great experience. The sushi dinner with performance by Geiko was a great ending to our tour.
I will highly recommend Japan Deluxe Tours for value and quality.
Sue Birdwell
Tennessee

Yuuki was an awesome guide and went the extra mile. You are lucky if you get him.

Itinerary is jam-packed from morning to dinner. Got to hit all the top attractions. Just wish we were given more logistical details in advance so we can plan the small things ahead of time. A lot was told to us the day-of. Also wish we had bigger tour buses with restrooms and more leg room.

Overall the trip was packed with beautiful and educational places to see. Some places were physically tough to complete because of our age, but we made it and was very satisfied. Our guide Miho gave very informative and interesting history and culture of each place.

What a wonderful trip! The itinerary was fantastic- so glad we went with Japan Deluxe Tours. Saw many locations and things that are not "on the beaten path." The Moss Forest alone is worth it all.
Would wish there was more free day time, but did really appreciate the AMAZING tour guide Miho for allowing for free time to explore different areas (cities, gardens, shrines).
Best advice- go about 2-3 days before the tour starts (jet lag, explore Tokyo etc). Every day is leg day, so make sure you feel fit enough to walk/steps 2-3mi/day

This was a wonderful choice as this was our first trip to Japan. We saw so many interesting and beautiful things all packed into 11 days. Our guide, Miho was fantastic. She was so informative and was always willing to help out in any way. Our bus driver, Fumio was great as well. Accomodations and meals that were included were great. Seeing as much as we did in 11 days, didn't leave alot of leisure time on your own, although Miho always gave us the option of breaking away from the days activities to explore on your own, It would be nice to get back to the hotel and have a little more leisure time. That would be my only suggestion. All in all in was a wonderful experience and very happy with our choice.

Japan Deluxe Tours provided an incredible adventure through Japan, and our guide, Mr. Shige, played a pivotal role in making it a memorable journey. Mr. Shige's helpful nature and sense of humor added a unique charm to the tour. From the moment we arrived, everything was well-organized for us, except for the flights, which we had to arrange ourselves.

Our accommodations throughout the trip were excellent. The first hotel in Ikebukuro, the Prince Hotel, left a lasting impression. Being connected to the massive shopping mall, Sunshine City, was a fantastic convenience. Exploring the mall and discovering treasures like the Pokémon Centre, Sanrio shop, and One Piece store added a layer of enjoyment to our stay.

While Tokyo demanded a lot of walking, with approximately 20,000 steps daily, it was invigorating to explore this bustling metropolis. In Kyoto, we had the luxury of buses, which meant less walking. Osaka, especially Universal Studios, offered us the opportunity to enjoy the attractions at our own pace. The smaller group size during the days in Tokyo and Kyoto enhanced the experience, allowing for a more personalized and intimate exploration.

The itinerary was packed with exciting activities, leaving us feeling like we'd only scratched the surface of Japan's treasures. The exhaustion at the end of each day was a testament to how much we saw and experienced. Tokyo alone could easily occupy a month of exploration!

Although the Ghibli Museum visit had to be canceled, our visit to TeamLab provided a mesmerizing and unforgettable alternative. The "day off" allowed us to catch our breath, do some laundry, and leisurely explore Ikebukuro, which was a pleasant break from the packed schedule.

The hotels in Kyoto and Osaka also exceeded our expectations, and enjoying breakfast at the hotels was a great way to start the day. We had a couple of meals provided, and while the wagyu beef lunch wasn't to my taste, my husband thoroughly enjoyed it. The traditional Japanese dinner at the Japanese-style hotel in Kyoto may not have been our favorite, but it was a cultural experience in itself.

One downside was the timing of our visit to Universal Studio, as it was extremely busy and overwhelming. A visit earlier in the week might have been a better choice.

Overall, our trip with Japan Deluxe Tours had a few minor downsides but numerous upsides. The memories we created during this adventure far outweighed any inconveniences. We returned home with a deep appreciation for the beauty and diversity of Japan.

I recently went on an Anime tour for 9 days with Japan Deluxe Tour. It was awesome. We had Shige as our tour guide ( a retired business man) and he was literally the sweetest man alive. The perks of this tour is you get taken to and from the airport. They book all your hotels. You get breakfast plus lunch on some days and they transport your luggage for you. Our hotel in tokyo was okay, pretty small but was attached to a massive mall so once the tour ended (usually around 5:30-6) we still had extra time to go around and shop or find dinner in the mall. The hotels in Kyoto though were amazing! Both had onsens and were very unique. Overall I think using a tour for your first visit to Japan is super helpful and stress free; however, I do recommend booking either two extra days before or after the tour (depending on what city you want to see more of) so you can go off and do the extra things the tour can't get to. I booked two extra days in tokyo before the tour started and we went to a bunch of animal cafes. My main downside was every hotel had a breakfast buffet that served the exact same thing and after 3 days of the same breakfast you start to hate eating in the morning. Plus most restaurants dont open until 10am or 11am so you get stuck with the buffets. Yet, that isnt a reason not to go so if you are looking to travel to Japan I say go for it!