Japan: Past & Present A Cultural Journey from Tokyo to Osaka (Tokyo to Osaka)

Customer Reviews

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  Dianne

  · June 5th, 2025
  A woman who was a child when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, spoke with our group about her life. She and her family lived 2.5 kilometers from the city and were spared from the worst of it all. . But what happened after!!
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  Trip date: April 2025

  Review collected by Collette
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  Jeanne

  · June 5th, 2025
  This adventure was very immersive into the culture of Japan. We saw beautiful sights, experienced several cooking classes preparing our own Japanese meal, rode the bullet train making traveling between cities faster than by motorcoach, heard from a survivor of the Atomic Bomb which was moving, and experienced a night in a Budish monastery. This is a level four trip with a lot of walking but was paced well. I would highly recommend the trip for those able to do a lever four trip.
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  Trip date: April 2025

  Review collected by Collette
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  Ronald

  · October 30th, 2024
  Too much walking in hot weather. After awhile all temples and shrines look alike. The 2 ANA hotels had non ice machines, no vending machines, nothing in refrigerators.
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  Trip date: August 2023

  Review collected by Collette
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  Gonzalo

  · October 30th, 2024
  Excellent service wonder places to see and great hotels.
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  Trip date: October 2023

  Review collected by Collette
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  Ana

  · October 30th, 2024
  One of the best tours I've ever taken. Everything was orderly and managed well. I would definitely go again with Collette.
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  Trip date: October 2023

  Review collected by Collette
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  Adelinde

  · October 30th, 2024
  Tour was very diversified and covered so many interesting sights from the bowing deer to the bamboo forest. The sunrise over Ise Bay is unforgettable as was the drive up to Koya mountain.
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  Trip date: October 2023

  Review collected by Collette
• A

  James

  · October 30th, 2024
  One of the best tours run by collette
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  Trip date: October 2023

  Review collected by Collette
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  Anita

  · August 2nd, 2024
  DON’T DO IT WITH COLLETTE I just returned from Japan trip Past and Present this past July 13-26, 2024. This trip was a waste of money. My daughter and I booked the trip thinking since it was a level four we would see a lot. We were very wrong, it should have been a level 1. My travel agent told us that college was above the rest in travel, she was wrong. We booked the tour for a small group which was nice. We did not have early starts at times we met at 11AM and done by 3PM. WE did not see much since the excursions were so short. Way too much free time. The first hotel we stayed was very nice. One of the hotels we stayed for 2 nights was a resort in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. If you wanted to use anything on the property you had to pay an extra fee. Needless to say no one wanted to pay. Another experience which was an absolute waste of time and money was the monastery in a non existent town with nothing to do that closes at 5PM. We were thinking that it was going to be a great experience, It was not. It was a FAKE monastery just rooms like any hotel. They tried to sell us beer and sake. The only one Monk there was wearing a smart watch and jeans. DID I MISS SOMETHING? You could get the monk to pray for you for $1000 yen. I did not realize there was a fee for someone to pray for you. Most of the tours were mediocre at best. We saw too many shrines and temples. In the 13 days which was advertised as a level 4, we did not come close past a level 1. The weather was extremely hot as we came and left the tour bus. They did not have a cooler with cold water on the bus for us which is common sense. Whoever planned this itinerary did a very poor job. We were not the only person who felt this tour to be mediocre at best. Most of the people were complaining they did not feel as though they got their money’s worth. On a brighter note. We went to a cooking class, a business owned by women. This event was wonderful. We also spoke to a war survivor who was absolutely amazing. The provided meals at the hotels were fair. Most of the hotels were above average. The bus driver was courteous and drove safely. I was very impressed with the response from Collette when I needed to see a doctor. They immediately spoke to the tour director and I was taken care of. They followed up the next day with me and the director. If you are looking for a very slow trip with late start and returning to hotel early, this is for you. If you want a level 4 where you see a lot, gone from early to late, this is not it. My overall rating for this trip at best would be a 2 out of 5. Go on your own it’s much cheaper and you will definitely see more.
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  Collette commented on this review

  Thank you for taking the time to complete your review regarding the Japan: Past & Present - A Cultural Journey from Tokyo to Osaka tour. All feedback is encouraged as it allows us the opportunity to identify areas of concern and strive to make the... Show more
  Trip date: July 2024