A well organised introduction to Japan
We visited Tokyo (4 nights) and Kyoto (3 nights) using Explorient to book all arrangements (hotels, tours and rail transfers). We enjoyed the trip, all bookings were efficiently made and everything worked as expected. In particular, Explorient's local agent quickly sorted out a misunderstanding at the Grand Nikko Daiba concerning our baggage transfer to Kyoto. A few points: Whilst the Okura hotel in Kyoto was excellent, the Grand Nikko Daiba in Tokyo was a major disappointment. The Nikko is built on an expansive scale and no doubt would have been impressive in its day. Now it is simply tired looking and rather impersonal. It is also rather out of the way for sightseeing. Our bedroom was tiny. Our visit to Kyoto began with a half day private guiding walking tour. . We were first taken to the interesting Nijo Castle. Our guide was very pleasant and answered our questions but could have provided more historical background. After the Nijo Castle we were taken (to our surprise) to a shopping arcade! A shopping arcade is the second most impressive thing to see in Kyoto?? Seriously?? If you are contemplating a walking tour, I suggest you get some details of the proposed itinerary in advance.The next day we did a half day cycling tour. This was excellent. The cycling was safe and our guide who was most informative took us to a number of interesting places.
By Aubrey W.
Response from Explorient Travel Services· Sep 28, 2018
Dear Aubrey, Thanks so much for taking the time to post your trip experience with us. While we're thrilled you enjoyed your trip with us, we're sorry it fell short of exceeding your expectations as we strive to do for every one of our trips. To help explain the two not-so-great points you mentioned, Grand Nikko is indeed located in a more open setting outside the city center as compared to the ANA Continental (the other hotel option available on the package). As for room size, we do agree hotels in Japan are not as generously sized as those elsewhere but Grand Nikko's 30 square meter rooms are actually considered quite large for Tokyo standards. Regarding the Kyoto tour, our program features visits to Nijo Castle, Gion District and Nishiki Market, also known as "Kyoto's Kitchen". While Nishiki is one of the alleyways amid Kyoto's shopping arcade district, many do consider this as a highlight of Kyoto as it showcases unique foods of the region. While there are countless temples & shrines (over 2,000!) as well as historic landmarks across Kyoto, our programs are designed in such a way that give visitors a chance to sample various types of experiences (i.e. culture, architecture, food, etc.) in and around Kyoto. Our guests can then revisit those experiences on their free day. I do hope this information helpful and please feel free to reach out to our office with any additional comments & feedback. We greatly appreciate your having traveled with us as well as taking the time to provide us with such valuable feedback. We will no doubt take them into consideration as we enter our next product development cycle. Thank you again and best regards, The Explorient Team