Review

We had an excellent itinerary for first timers to Japan. Usually we wouldn\'t pack so much in but we understood why each destination was included. By the time we got to Hiroshima we felt quite tired and didn\'t venture out to Miyajima Island which I have been told is also very good. We were also very pleased that destinations outside the big cities were also included such as Kamakura, Takayama and Koyasan.

We loved the Buddhist monastery experience and the rayakans. The Dormi Inns were good as they are mostly frequented by the Japanese and felt more \'authentic\' My husband loved the onsens there.. The Shinagawa hotel is not what we would usually choose however, the location was perfect for using the trains and the breakfast was very good.

Loved all our Japanese food experiences including with Fuji, our guide, on the first day in Tokyo. My husband loved the Japanese breakfasts which were at each of our hotels and I was pleased that a few western dishes were always available for this meal. We both enjoyed very much the vegetarian meals provided at the Buddhist monastery we stayed at in Koyasan.

We only had one guide from Samurai and that was on our first day in Tokyo.. Fuji was great - helpful, patient and kind. We very much enjoyed our introductory day with him.

There was plenty of good info from Samurai Tours before we left. It was however quite detailed and I needed to print it all out before we left. You really had to take good notice of everything every step of the way. I wonder if there is an easier way to do this. It was a bit stressful sorting out all the notes as we went along. Maybe dividing the information into sections so as it is not as overwhelming. For me the paperwork and tickets were a bit of hard work.

Really it was very good. I only gave this section a 4 as some directions/times were not or probably no longer, correct. A handful only. Also the itinerary for the Hakone \'loop\' was almost impossible and we ended up skipping the lake trip in order to not miss our train in the afternoon.

Loved the trains and with our guide\'s initial assistance we had the confidence to use the different types of tickets. The JR Pass though is precious and we were worried about losing it..and my husband eventually did. Maybe a more substantial holder for it could be provided.