Best Things to Do in Hakone

Simply Japan was my first tour with Explore. I was nervous about going with a group but I had a great time. We were very lucky to have Karique as our leader. He has a great sense of humour and is extremely well informed and was able to answer all our questions. The itinerary is packed and is a very good introduction to Japan. I would recommend it to first time travellers to Japan.

Dean our guide was outstanding, doing everything he could to ensure we had the best experience possible. He was passionate about Japan, took time to learn and explain about the culture and places we visited.
The description of the trip was accurate, allowing us to see and explore Japan, its people, places and history.
Although the accommodation was basic, it met our needs, the stay in the monastery was a highlight. I would however, swap the last hotel in Osaka, it was noisy, lacked sounproofing which meant we could hear the trains, planes and other guests through the night. It was out of town and not near any attractions.
Lastly, we ended our trip in Osaka, arriving at 15:00, and although we went into town to have a meal, flying home at 04:00 the next morning meant that we didn’t get to see the city at all.

Wow, I’ve just returned from this trip, my first to Japan and I definitely want to return!

The trip is fantastic, you get to see so much from the busy streets of Tokyo to the beautiful beaches on Hirado island. We also got so lucky with the cherry blossom

The tour was quite full on and it felt as though we were moving around quite a lot. Because Japan is so highly organised, this was relatively easy. We were very lucky to have an excellent tour leader who looked after the group very well. The only thing I would change would be to swap the home stay night for a conventional hotel night while, if possible, keeping the home stay eating arrangement.

I would have preferred to have more time in Osaka (arrived late afternoon and left 5am following day), and a more central hotel in order to get to different areas of the city. Not sure the time at a family rayokan was necessary instead of more time in Osaka. I would have also like time to go to Mount Fuji included rather than try to include it on a free day, therefore another day in Tokyo would necessitate this. I also think maybe reversing the trip would have given more confidence in travelling around Tokyo a bit easier.

Overall, this trip was everything we wanted to do in Japan for a once in a lifetime trip. Our local guide was very knowledgeable about the locations and culture which put us at ease throughout. We'd highly recommend this trip to anyone - especially those who haven't been to Japan before! Just brilliant.