Southern Japan Tour Companies

Very pleased with the trip.

Great at giving the best talking points for the different locations we visited. Gave excellent recommendations for restaurants, cultural sites and many other things. When asked questions, they were always answered and always with great enthusiasm. Always nice to talk to and have fun discussions with regarding Japan. Made sure pictures were taken so that one didn’t have to worry about missing moments. All in all an awesome experience which I won’t forget!

Our trip was great! 15 people, all very nice, our own small bus, a very friendly tour guide who tried to fulfill all our wishes. The hotels were not always great, sometimes the location was too remote - in Osaka it took us 45 minutes to get downtown. The hotel in Tokyo really had a very small room, but we liked the hotel at the station in Kyoto best. In terms of time allocation, one suggestion for improvement: Kyoto one day longer, Okayama one day shorter. I would have liked to have seen the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto and NIshiki Market on my own, but the excursion to Artists' Island from Okayama was not a must: you would have had to book tickets in advance for the exhibition of Monet paintings. Regrettable: the Meiko evening in Kyoto could not be offered - such an event has to be booked well in advance. Nara Park: The temple with the golden Buddha should have been on the program as a must-see, the rest as free time. However, we managed to visit it, just at a fast pace there and back to the bus - including a 10-minute delay. The two events "gilding" in Karasawa and "udon noodles" were great fun and improved the atmosphere in the group even more by working together.

Spectacular event loved it ❤️ so much ❤️

A good overall experience in the sights and experiences of modern-day Japan. The tour guide, Osman, was knowledgeable, competent, pleasant, and willing to deviate from the standard tour destination lineup if circumstances warranted. When a typhoon hit the Tokyo area causing the cancellation of our Bullet Train ride, he was able to re-schedule it on another day and took us elsewhere. When the weather reports indicated Mt. Fuji's peak area would be visible that day (not clouded over) he took a vote while we were on the bus and dropped the planned destination in favor of going directly to the celebrated site to experience it in its full glory. He also tried to compensate for my mobility impairment with advice and options, as well as interactions and explanations to the Japanese staff of the hotels. Being the only dedicated photographer in the group of better-moving members was also a challenge for both of us --- every time I stopped to take a picture, I'd look up to discover the rest of the tour making a turn a block away and I had to rush to play 'catch-up', which came to be physically wearing. The bus driver was outstandingly competent on the narrow roads and unfailingly helpful, having my stored rollator ready whenever I emerged from the air-conditioned bus. I wasn't expecting the heat (33'+C ... 90+F) or the thick humid air (Canadian, after all), but the buildings in many destinations and all hotels were air-conditioned (with individual room controls), and I adopted the practice of many Japanese men of carrying a washcloth in my pocket to wipe the sweat off my forehead. A neck fan and sweat bands helped as well. An unforgettably intense and informative experience, which we will almost certainly repeat someday.

Absolutely Brilliant tour. Couldn’t fault anything at all. All the inclusions were amazing, excellent value and it ran so smoothly. Hotel accommodation was superb, we thought it may have been smaller hotels, but they were fantastic, all in good locations if you wanted to wander out at night. Breakfast everyday included an optional Japanese breakfast, but we enjoyed the full buffet. Lunches that were included were of great value, traditional and so yum. The temples were amazing, you could choose how long you had there and easy meeting points, Seb the guide was reall

Not the worst but also not the best. All itinerary is taken care of for you, but the additional tours and experiences they book for you are quite minimal. There are not a lot of activites they plan for you on this trip. It is fine if you have your own plans, but if you're overwhelmed with planning a trip, you have to still plan what exactly to do if you book here. It would be better to just plan a trip yourself and also the itinerary at this point. It would be much cheaper. The most dissapointing thing for me was Hakone. They booked a 2-day-pass for me, but I only had like half day to explore this place. It's not enough time. I also only had one physical ticket for the hakone pass, but I lost it. They have no way to send you a digital pass. Losing the ticket was my fault, I know. But that meant I couldn't explore Hakone at all. Very dissapointing.

Well organized and planned. The operator was quick to answer our queries. Would recommend if you are short on time and wanna see the main sights.

Excellent organization. We felt accompanied in every moment and the team was exceptionally responsive when it was needed. Our impression was absolutely positive and we strongly recommend them.

First tour guide for the first 8 days was great, second tour guide tried hard and seemed lovely as a person, but she was disorganized, oblivious of who was or wasn’t following her, was unaware of where she was going at times, and just didn’t seem like she knew how to do the job. I’m not the only one who felt that way. Your pre trip support was excellent and accommodating, but having taken a number of tours with other organizations, Rick steve’s in Europe, you charge a lot when offering very little. I will not recommend your tour group to anyone, and will most likely discourage others from taking one.

Genuinely fast paced very active tour with moderate quality hotels and well priced

Sehr gutes Programm/Etappen und meist sehr gute Organisation während der Reise. Der Reiseleiter war wenig enthusiastisch und die Mitreisenden zum Teil so alt, dass sie die Fußmärsche nicht bewältigen konnten und auf ein Taxi ausweichen mussten. Hier wäre eine bessere Kommunikation zwischen dem Anbieter und den Teilnehmern vorab dringend erforderlich gewesen!

Our 12 day tour was good but overall, there was just far too much packed in. It was a ridiculous pace, even for the 24 year old in our group! There was rarely time to enjoy what we were seeing or experiencing as we raced from one thing to the next. Sneaking a pic was a challenge. Our tour guide did an amazing job getting 13 people on and off trains and bought treats for us to try. Unfortunately he didn't mention there were lockers when we were lugging around our 2 day back, often started speaking before everyone was present and generally was a bit light on with information. Hotels were more basic than expected and a few were different to what was scheduled. This tour would suit people interested in ticking things off their tour list and happy to race around constantly rather than those who'd like a moment to catch their breath and soak up some amazing sights.

A great introduction to what Japan has to offer.

The tour was packed with adventures and fun! Terry is an amazing tour guide and we enjoy every moment with him!

Rei was great. Some other guideswere not so good (not all). We had a lot of Spaniards on the trip. The English speakers were split onto separate busses and the majority of the guides from Spain too. The guides appeared to dominate in Spanish.

Hello, we finished our tour and we thought it was terrific. Special thanks to wonderful guides Akane, David, Vanessa, Ken and Luis. David, Vanessa and Ken were especially terrific and really enhanced our enjoyment tremendously. Javier and Saul, although nice, lacked interest and energy and provided minimal commentary. Please note that the micro-rooms in Holiday Inn Express in Osaka City Center are NOT suitable for more than one person to a room. There is no space for suitcases for 2 people and besides being uncomfortable, this presents a fire danger. You have to block your door with your suitcases because there is no space in the room to put them. That is my only concern. Trip was great. Thank you so much. Tammy DeJesus

I just completed the Japan Into tour and would definitely recommend it to everyone! Lots of great activities, tons of culture, the food, the karaoke… what more can you ask for?! And I must mention our tour leader Adam… I’ve done many tours in my life and he was simply the best leader I’ve ever had. So don’t miss out, book this tour asap!

I had an amazing time in Japan, and a big part of that was thanks to Adam, our brilliant tour leader. He was super accommodating, always making sure everyone was happy and comfortable. What really stood out was his great sense of humour – he kept us laughing throughout the trip, which made everything even more enjoyable. Adam was always eager to help, whether it was sorting out last-minute plans or giving tips on the best places to eat. His knowledge of Japan was impressive, but he never made anything feel too formal or overwhelming. If you’re lucky enough to have Adam leading your tour, you’re in for a fantastic time!

Tour group was fantastic. Emi the tour guide was so helpful, went above and beyond. Felt like you were with friends rather than a stranger. The hostels and other living arrangements were very nice, not at all like the reputation that hostels have in the rest of the world. Emi, the tour guide offered so many extra things to do for the group. Tea ceremonies, ninja experiences, etc. She also gave some great recommendations for places to go and things to do on your own. Two of my favorite things I did on this trip, the Kabuki theatre and the sanjusangendo temple, were her recommendations. The only thing I regret is not going on the longer tour so I could have more fun with the group. The description on the site does not do the tour justice. This tour is great for making new friends and having fun experiences in Japan.

It was all we expected and really enjoyed it

The company has good customer service- they respond quickly. Thanks Emily for all the work you’ve put into the tour. The tour was just as planned with good tour guides and well planned itineraries. Having All the transportation planned was great! I would certainly do this again.

Yes it was a very busy tour, it would have been nice to have a little down time. Too much crammed into each day. Felt like an endurance trip.

The tour organizer has very, very poor communication, planning and organizational skills. The final itinerary was sent 2weeks before the start of the actual trip, I have to remind them by email to send it to us asap as they promised it will be sent a month before the actual trip. We where told initially that they will arrange our airport transfer and have told them we will be arriving two days before the actual tour, but after days before we've been told that we have to do it ourselves. The two hotel from original itinerary was changed on the final one provided so it caused some confusion on our side. Their representative met with us on the first day of the tour to sort out our JR. Pass and it took 2hours of our precious time to do this, we almost missed the pre-booked museum that day. Their hotel choices where below average, first one is in Ikeburo with bfast included but only seaweed soup and toast where given, again we have to travel to Shinjuku station to get the train to Hakone (very inconvenient), they could just chosen a hotel in Shinjuku instead. In the morning next we arrived in Hakone, we supposed to drop off our luggage at the next hotel to free our hands to roam around the area and found that it was closed and nobody around to asked for information so we have to dragged our luggage back to the station to put them in the locker. I have contacted their representative but he even asked me the name of the hotel (unbelievable, how could he not know all this details). They replied around 2.30ish pm and was told it was unmanned and we where given a PIN number to access, again they should have known this important details and informed us even the day/night before the trip. The next day we travelled again to Kyoto, to avoid the hassle of dropping off our luggage palarva we've decided to use the coin lockers at the station. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at the hotel the receptionist asked us to pay City Tax 1200yen for 3nights stay, this again we where unaware of. I messaged the representative and to the people on the WhatsApp group and question about this city tax, they said they will refund me with the money so no choice I have paid.Again breakfast was included but only varieties of bread available and some butter and jams and coffee or water. Unsatisfied again. On arrival at Hiroshima after 3days this is where the confusion happens as the name of the hotel was different on the final itinerary they've sent us (this was our mistake we owned this as we didn't checked the final itinerary). We've only stayed at the Flex hotel (supposed to be two nights) for a night as wanting to have more time in Osaka instead (paid privately for one night

I recently took a trip to Japan and visited Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Osaka, and I can confidently say it was one of the best travel experiences I've ever had! The tours were fantastic and provided great insights into each city's culture and history. The transportation was also very reliable, making it easy to get around from one city to another. The accommodations were top-notch, with comfortable rooms and excellent service. I highly recommend booking a trip to Japan with Bamba and experiencing all that it has to offer!

The Japan winter wonder trip has been a hit and miss for me. Hit: 1. Contiki has been professional in its hotel accommodation arrangement. 2. Our tour manager Renee has been very friendly and helpful, so does the local Japanese tour guides hired in different cities. 3. The organized tours cover most of the top destinations in each city. 4. The pace of the tour is good, as it mixed organized tours and free time add-ons. Miss: 1. We were brought to shopping plaza for lunch / dinner a few times. Contiki can do a better job recommending highly rated local restaurants for us to have a better dining experience. 2. Contiki is first and foremost an Australian travel agency targeting yound Australians. > 90% of your fellow travelers are young Australians (< 25 years old). If you do not conform to this demographic, you will likely have a hard time connecting with many of your fellow travelers. 3. Related to point 2 above, heavy drinking / partying can be expected throughout the trip. If you are not a drinker or party animal, you may want to think twice about joining this trip.

Contiki knocked it out of the park 10/10