Japan Family Vacation Review: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, Local Cuisine, Sake/Whiskey Tour, Ryokan, Eight-Night Travel

Review by traveler

Liz C.

11.29.2023

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Japan

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

Our family of four traveled to Japan, visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, and the Hakone area. The Zicasso travel agency put together great properties. We loved the locations of each and their amenities. We had excellent seats on the bullet train. Our driver and tour guide in Kyoto were outstanding!

We felt there was definitely a communication misstep with our plans for Tokyo however. Our driver/guide was very lovely, but not very definitive on what we were doing each day. We felt we had communicated with the driver and the travel company as to what we wanted to do, but for example, when we went to do our food tour of Tokyo, it was paired with a visit to the fish market. We asked if the food tour was after the market, to which our guide said yes. However, about two hours into the fish market we realized that was his idea of the food tour. There was no specific plan of what we were to try and no explanation of the items. Instead, we walked around and bought a few things we wanted to try. We shared everything as we were saving room for the food tour that really never happened. It was frustrating as we felt our guide was more of a driver and less of a guide. Communication was definitely a factor, which is why we hired the travel agency.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

The people and culture of Japan are amazing! The food culture is such a big thing, which is why we were anxious to make a food tour part of the experience. The sake/whiskey tour in Kyoto was very well done! We loved the history and background behind sake, whiskey, and Japanese food. We loved the entire Kyoto experience. Staying in the ryokan in Hakone was amazing and driving Mario Karts through Tokyo was super fun.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

We would likely do a day trip to Hiroshima. Tokyo was fascinating, but we are not into anime so that part of our tour was not something we would repeat.

Travel Company Comments:

Dear Liz,

Thank you for taking the time to write a review, we really appreciate the feedback.

We are so glad that overall you had a great time on the trip and that your family was able to have so many varied experiences during your time there. We are very sorry that the tastings in Tokyo did not meet expectations as it was structured more informally as going through the market and trying various different food items as you wander vs a full set itinerary food tour and thus perhaps different than other food tours that you have taken in the past. We have already taken steps internally in rectifying this situation and now we’ll be more clearly figuring out with the clients which type of experience they would prefer. We always want to exceed your expectations.

We are so glad that you enjoyed the properties and that you had a great connection with your guide and driver in Kyoto. We hope you will always look fondly back on your experiences in Japan.