Japan is an absolutely beautiful country, it was brought alive by our very competent Guide Reo Sakamoto and Wendy Wu tours.
GO if you can … it’s amazing !

The tour was well organised and lead by a very helpful and informative guide. The information before and on each day of the tour was clear and timely.

This was an enjoyable, informative, interesting and, sometimes, extremely beautiful experience. However, I was denied the spoken commentary, and sometimes important information, unless in transit on the coach; because the 'Whisper' system is not compatible with hearing aids, and I am hearing impaired. Although, I find the total dependence on such systems (given poor signals and inferior sound quality) is a very mixed 'blessing'. Our guide, who, in all other regards was exemplary; intended, I believe, to offer me brief summaries or other assistance, but mostly either forgot or was too busy, which is understandable in the circumstances. Constructively, I would urge a greater awareness of hearing impaired travellers' needs. The only other improvements I might suggest would be a more traditional setting for the tea ceremony experience, and serious consideration regarding the purpose of driving to the 5th Station on Mount Fuji which seemed to be a waste of, always precious, time.

Busy tour of many historic and picturesque sights of Honshu. Travelling mainly by bus - but plenty of spare seats so not crowded - which has the advantage of being able to go through and stop in the mountains which wouldn't be so easy with a rail tour. Excellent guide - knowledgeable and entertaining. Hotels were mainly big international tourist branded chains - mostly good with a couple more average. Breakfasts catered for just about every nationality and taste. Food was mainly Japanese - deliberately as varied as they could make it but it helps if you like fish - with the occasional western style meal. Many of the stops had large tourist shops and there were other opportunities for shopping and wandering around on one's own. I recommend adding a day before and/or after the tour and also Tokyo National Museum where we went on our last day. Altogether memorable.

We went to so many of the most iconic, and deservedly so, places in this stunning country. Everything was perfectly arranged and managed day-to-day by our in-country guide, Coco, to give us the very best experience. So many wonderful memories - no downsides anywhere in the whole 18 days.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip. It was a full on experience that exceeded our expectations. The schedule although busy was varied and interesting ; it gave us a great insight into the tradition, history and culture of Japan. We travelled with a great group of people and mixed well. The guides were informative and shared their personal experiences and perspectives which added to the tour. Being quite a large group, we definitely benefited from there being two guides at all times. The coach transport was comfortable and reliable. The journey on the Shinkansen was a treat. We loved the food and overall we were highly satisfied and pleased with this tour. A holiday to Japan I had long dreamed about ; it didn’t disappoint.

What an amazing, extensive, well organised tour of Japan. Experiencing local cuisine and landmarks and really emerging yourself in the Japanese culture. This tour delivered all my expectations and more. Our travel through the country was impeccable. Coaches were on time and comfortable and riding the bullet trains were a highlight.
Our guide was very friendly , knowledgeable and lead our group in a supportive way. April was a great time to visit Japan. The weather was perfect and the gardens/ blossoms were beautiful.
I would highly recommend this tour with Wendy Wu.

A very full on holiday covering the whole of Japan seeing all that is needed. Perhaps the last 3 days were not worth the long train journeys as there was not much to see in the North for tourists in April. The furthest North should have been Sendai. More time in Tokyo would have better.
The trip was well organised. The hotels were good , although I was expecting to stay in smaller hotels to experience the culture more. The guide was excellent and made us feel safe. He had a good knowledge of the history of Japan.
The group had 28 people which in my opinion was too big. Not all the people were willing to associate with us and we didn't even get to know some of their names. Maximum should have been 18 ,and it would have been better if more people were from the UK like us.
Food for vegetarians was very limited but we didn't starve. Breakfasts were very good with a good choice. Lunches and evening meals were the same meals. Basically, it was what the meat eaters got but the meat and fish taken away. Vegetables, rice and tofu with soy sauce for 3 weeks ! Pizza was given on one day and a French meal on the very first evening.- what a treat !

The tour went beyond my expectations. Our tour guide Mariko was very knowledgeable.
Would definitely return to Japan .

Fantastic tour. The best guide ever in Mariko who was so helpful and knowledgeable. We travelled through almost all of Japan and the organisation was superb. The hotels were mostly great with a couple of exceptions where the rooms were really small for two people. The sights visited were all fascinating and Mariko always knew the answers to all our questions. The meals were all provided with some dinners in restaurants and some in the hotels. The final dinner cruise was wonderful. In April, the weather was much warmer than we expected it to be which should be pointed out to avoid bringing the wrong clothes. The first week was physically very full on and maybe an afternoon or morning of free time would be a good idea. I thought the tour was excellent value for what was provided. Wish I could do it all again in slow motion!

I felt this holiday was an excellent intrduction to Japan. The itinerary was well thought out and varied. A number of people on the tour thought the 1 rating was too low as there was a lot of difficult stair climbing in the castles although this could be omitted. Meals were very good especially the Japanese ones though one buffet dinner in Nagano was very poor. Our guide, Okumura Michiyo, was very friendly and helpful especially with 3 of our party who developed health issues during the tour. Her English was not great and her reliance on a microphone and listening devices was frustrating as the sound was not at all clear. I stopped using mine as I could not understand what she was saying. Nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed this holiday and for me the pace was fine,

A very intensive tour of some of the major Japanese highlights
Good hotels, although the one in Tokyo could have been nearer the centre
Transport throughout well organised and comfortable.
Very helpful guide although could have been more aware of pace of group as we progressed between sites
3 good meals a day although, personally I would have preferred a greater balance between Japanese and western food. Dietary requirements well catered for but at times some strange choices made.
I would say that this is not the tour for people with mobility issues, too many stairs which are often steep and slippery and too much walking between sites on sometimes rough paths

We really loved our Jewels of Japan holiday with Wendy Wu tours. A fantastic experience, giving a real feel for the history, culture and food of Japan. Some excellent hotels, great places and had a great variety of Japanese food. We certainly never went hungry and were really impressed with the restaurants chosen for our meals.
Our guide for the whole trip Kanako was excellent. She really made the holiday exceptional. Just the right amount of information, always cheerful, and very engaging with the whole group.
Also our guide for our Nara add on day, Sachiko Mori, was excellent too. We really enjoyed our day with her.
Highly recommended