Review

Michael Winston

Best of Japan

June 8, 2025 - June 22, 2025

we had a great time. at times, we didn\'t need as much hand holding to get to the trains, etc. but better to have someone to assist than to miss a train on a tight itinerary. we starting telling the guides we were all good with steps and walking so they didnt try to route us to escalators and elevators for every treck.

Itinerary

really enjoyed the itinerary. free days just when we needed them.

Lodging

enjoyed all of the lodging choices. it was a good mix of traditional and western style. Miyajima was great -- hostess is a wonderful lady who really cared about making sure we had a nice time.

Food

I give it a 4 because of 1st lunch in Tokyo. All other places were great but the lunch in Toyko was very heavy with lots of thickly battered fried food. didnt taste bad but just way heavier than we needed.

Guides

everyone was great.

Pre-Tour Handbook

lots of good information. I would add in somewhere that washing machines have automatic detergent so you don\'t need to bring. Asunaro in Takayama had laundry on site not nearby. all washers were free - dryers cost 100 yen for 20 minutes. washers/dryers were really clean and nice unlike US where they can be sketchy.

Tour Organization

Tour Transportation

everything worked great and getting from place to place was very easy. only travel day that seemed longer than it needed to be was to Koyo-san but that was partially because of an accident on the train line which made us take a different route to get around it.

Would you go on another tour operating by Samurai Tours: Yes!

Would you recommend Samurai Tours to friends or family: Yes!