Inside Travel Group Traveller Reviews

Very varied trip to Japan - at the starrt we were asked what we wanted to see/do - I mentioned about 10 things and by the end I had expereinced all of them without exception. A good mix of cities, nature, activities, relaxing hotels, amazing food, charming people. I loved it and hope to return to Japan.

Very happy with the overall tour - as mentioned above it was a well organised tour and the tour guide was very good and always helpful.

I took the 'Hands On Japan' 15 day tour of Japan. It was well run and had quality lodgings, food and activities for the price of the trip. It represented good value and escorted tours of Japan without taking big tour buses that cannot get down half the streets that you really need to experience, and staying in boutique business hotels and ryokans is the only way to go if you want to know that you are immersed in another country and culture!

They handled all my travel arrangements professionally and answered all my questions in advance of the trip. While on tour, the guide was fantastic as he knew the terrain, the history and local stories that make such an escorted trip a full experience with a truly social-team atmosphere that is unlike a school tour by the teacher...you know what I mean!

Unseasonal weather had a negative impact on our exploration of this fascinating country with its amazing mixture of ancient and modern, its beautiful gardens, its history and religion. However we found it stimulating in every respect, from the graciousness of the people to the information imparted to us by our guides,from the temple lodgings to the Ryokan. Experiences were too numerous to mention, but we shall never forget the Peace Park in Hiroshima or the magical Miyajima island, or the Golden Pavilion, or the Geisha in Gion. It was for us a once in a lifetime trip but utterly without parallel.

Our tour operator was Inside Japan Tours. They were helpful and extremely proficient in following our brief and making all necessary bookings. They answered every question fully and we had the additional support of their team in Japan. we would be very happy to recommend them

We opted for Japan as a honeymoon destination and it was the best thing ever! SO different, rich in culture and just so many sense awakening experiences.

Inside Japan Tours take the hassle out of planning. So incredibly detailed and flexible. They captured our requirements 100%.

We booked a 3 week tour that went from Angkor Wat to Phnom Penh to Saigon to Hanoi. The trip was planned perfectly, with just the right amount of temples, excursions and relaxation time. The guides and drivers were knowledgeable, helpful, spoke English very well. The trip couldn't have been better.

Inside Asia was terrific. They gave us plenty of options, let us choose what wee wanted to do, and provided great insight about what to expect.

It was brill, every little detail in our booklets were spot on , from the trains to finding hotels as we were on self guided tour but it was sooo easy to follow the books we were sent before travel. The hotels that you put us in were lovely and clean and central to where we were staying. All in all the best holiday company I have ever been with . Well done keep up the good work.

Inside Japan , Kester was great we got the self guided tour with all the books and it made the trip so easy to follow .

12 days exploring Japan. Staring in Tokyo with the overwhelming assault on the senses, stopping in Hakone to experience a traditional onsen and continuing to Hiroshima and the cultural capital of Kyoto, it was an unforgettable experience. The world class public transport service including the bullet trains ensured the travelling was easy and comfortable.

Inside Japan Tours was brilliant. We opted for a self guided adventure, which meant they booked the accommodation and all the transport and armed us with the information we needed to get around with ease and then off we went. For anyone with a thirst for a little independence but who may be a bit overwhelmed by Japan and not know where to start they offered the perfect balance. They also custom made the holiday providing suggestions on where to go after listening to your interests as well as making some great suggestions. The traditional ryokan in Hakone with our own onsen was an experience we will never forget. They also offered us guides as part of the experience in Tokyo and Kyoto to enhance our experience. Also for those who prefer the comfort of a fully escorted tour, they also offer trips to suit all interests and budgets.

Our trip lasted 2 weeks and we covered central Japan - we fell in love with Kyoto and adored our time in Hakone, although everything didn't go exactly to plan after a small typhoon hit midway through our trip we still can't wait to go back. The lovely thing about our trip was the mix of activities and places we got to try out - we were able to watch the quirky performance of the robot restaurant in Tokyo whilst also having time to sail across lake Ashi to see the Hakone Shrine and walk the Tsumago trail seeing the natural beauty of Kiso Valley. The pictures we took just don't do the trip justice. A fantastic holiday that we will never forget. (We're already thinking of other parts of Japan we'd like to try!)

Inside Japan Tours made everything so easy and simple for us, we'd love to travel with them again, this is the first large package I've booked myself and the first I've been to Asia at all. Our experiences, travel and hotels were fine-tuned to what we wanted and was all booked as soon as it could be - we had a few small upgrades in our hotels later on when places were booked up already (which left us in much nicer hotels to our surprise!) Overall a fantastic service we'd definitely use again.

On 15th August 2016, I flew from Dubai, UAE to Osaka, Japan to begin a 15 day tour of central and southern Japan. I initiated contact with IJT via their Bristol, England office on 1 June 2016 by requesting PDFs of their brochures and various options they offered for tours in Japan. Since I would be travelling solo, the idea of joining a small group tour with a maximum of 14 pax soon caught my attention. Thereafter, arrangements were made to talk to the Boulder, CO office as I would be returning home to Canada on vacation from the UAE. The Bristol office forwarded my information to Boulder and I was soon talking to a very helpful Tour Coordinator by the name of Evan Milton. I was torn between two quite distinct tours. One which began and ended in Tokyo. The other, began and ended in Kyoto. With Evan's patience and guidance it became much clearer that the second option out of Kyoto was the one for me. It was a quicker paced tour with lots of activity. The Tokyo itinerary was a little more of a slower pace. I also booked a Maiko Makeover Experience as an add on. IJT were also very kind in booking me in to En Tea House in Gion at no extra charge. Decision made, it was time to take care of the administrative side of business. IJT could not have made this any more straight-forward or easier. Everything done on line through my Client Portal. Once our group of twelve had checked in to our Kyoto hotel from various parts of the world, our tour began on 18th August 2016. Most of us had never been to Japan before. Or it had been many years since a previous visit. For the next 13 days we were up and out by generally no later than 9:00 a.m. From Kyoto our route took us to Koya San - Tokushima - Takamatsu - Kotohira - Matsuyama - Hiroshima and back to Kyoto. The accommodations varied from modern city hotels to Buddhist Temple to Ryokan where the traditional futon was placed on the bedroom floor in the evening. Our tour guide Mark Fujishige was worth his weight in gold!! He was very knowledgeable about much of the history behind the places we visited. He had a wealth of experience from having lived in Japan himself. And he was a great person to be around....especially as he is fluent in Japanese. The variety of food we ate had to be seen to be believed. I suspect we only scraped the surface too. You never have to wander far to find some edibles in Japan. The food is always, fresh, tasty and wonderfully presented. We travelled by bus, train, taxi, trolley, jet foil, boat, Shinkansen etc. No matter which means of transport was used, it was clean and ran on time. Mark, our tour guide, made it all look so effortless. But for anyone who has travelled abroad, you just know how much time, energy and organization it took to make it look as if it happened all by itself!!

InsideJapan Tours are by far THE BEST travel company I have ever dealt with over the years. From the initial contact to the final Sayonara...there was never a minute when I felt anything but well taken care of. The foresight that has gone in to making the whole process work so well has to commended. The calibre of each and every person I dealt with was very impressive. You can tell how passionate IJT staff are about Japan itself and sharing its unique ways with foreigners. I was met upon arrival at Osaka Airport by a young lady who personally escorted me to my mini bus and continued to wait there until the remaining passengers travelling to Kyoto arrived at the mini bus. She even stayed to wave goodbye to me. Now that is customer service. Similarly, when returning to Osaka Airport from Kyoto, the mini bus driver arrived as scheduled at 5:00 a.m. on the button at my hotel to pick me up. No time was ever wasted hanging about, even picking up the remaining passengers dotted around other locations in Kyoto was swift and efficient. The efficiency of the entire preparation and the follow through, could not have made life any less stressful if they had even tried. I had an amazing vacation thanks to IJT and everyone who helped along the way. I would love to return again to discover areas not explored in August....with my husband this time.

I had an outstanding experience when I booked my honeymoon in Japan through Global Basecamps, who partnered with InsideJapan tours to put our trip together. From start to finish, the customer service was above and beyond and we had the smoothest travel experience possible. The level of care and detail shown to all our bookings to maximize the experience was apparent throughout. Aside from the very detailed travel packet and travel instructions we received, we were always pleasantly surprised to find out that our reserved seats on all our buses and trains gave us the best views possible. We had the unforgettable experience of seeing Mt. Fuji from our shinkansen and we would have missed it if we'd been seated on the other side of the train. Finally, InsideJapan went above and beyond when I ended up needing to see a doctor while in Japan. Navigating a foreign healthcare system when you don't speak the language is pretty terrifying, but everyone at IJ worked with incredible speed and care to get me to a local clinic and get me back on my feet from the moment I called their emergency line from Tokyo at 3am. They faxed me directions to the clinic at our little ryokan in Hakone, and called repeatedly to make sure to had the info I needed and to check in. They even put someone on the phone to translate for me at the doctor's office, and followed up with me to make sure I was being taken care of and make sure I was feeling better. What could have been a honeymoon disaster ended up being a very small hiccup and I was incredibly grateful for the support. I truly cannot recommend InsideJapan tours enough. We had an unforgettable honeymoon and could not be more grateful for everything they did for us! Thank you!!

I had an outstanding experience when I booked my honeymoon in Japan through Global Basecamps, who partnered with InsideJapan tours to put our trip together. From start to finish, the customer service was above and beyond and we had the smoothest travel experience possible. The level of care and detail shown to all our bookings to maximize the experience was apparent throughout. Aside from the very detailed travel packet and travel instructions we received, we were always pleasantly surprised to find out that our reserved seats on all our buses and trains gave us the best views possible. We had the unforgettable experience of seeing Mt. Fuji from our shinkansen and we would have missed it if we'd been seated on the other side of the train. Finally, InsideJapan went above and beyond when I ended up needing to see a doctor while in Japan. Navigating a foreign healthcare system when you don't speak the language is pretty terrifying, but everyone at IJ worked with incredible speed and care to get me to a local clinic and get me back on my feet from the moment I called their emergency line from Tokyo at 3am. They faxed me directions to the clinic at our little ryokan in Hakone, and called repeatedly to make sure to had the info I needed and to check in. They even put someone on the phone to translate for me at the doctor's office, and followed up with me to make sure I was being taken care of and make sure I was feeling better. What could have been a honeymoon disaster ended up being a very small hiccup and I was incredibly grateful for the support. I truly cannot recommend InsideJapan tours enough. We had an unforgettable honeymoon and could not be more grateful for everything they did for us! Thank you!!