Discover Japan on a Budget: 8-Day Ultimate Starter

Customer Reviews

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  maria

  · July 10th, 2024
  There was nothing in that tour that I could not have planned by myself. Further more, I could have gotten all the hotel stays and the train trips and the sky hop on hop off buses for less than I paid for this package. I felt like I was in a scavenger hunt running back and forth looking for the next bus or train to be able to see any of the interesting sites and the only ones I was able to see are the ones I scheduled on my own outside of the package. The only highlight I really enjoyed was the Shibuya food tour. If you want to go to Japan on budget I don't recommend this tour. You can do all the same bookings of this tour on your own and really save money and keep your budget.
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  Vio Travel commented on this review

  Thank you for sharing your experience. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you encountered with the tour package. This package was designed as a basic option at a low price point, intended as an entry-level, low-cost package with minimal... Show more
  Trip date: June 2024
• VR

  Vanessa

  · June 21st, 2024
  I was generally satisfied with this tour experience but there were some key issues that I feel are important to detail for future travelers to consider. The biggest problem was that I identified the airline that I was arriving in Japan (Haneda) and that was crucial for transportation purposes. The tour agency booked my transportation from Narita airport which is an hour away from Haneda so I could not use my vouchers. That mistake cost me an additional $95 and was stressful as an introduction into a new country. I understand that travelling isn't always perfect and predictable but this continued to be the theme with navigating the various transportation needs throughout this tour. For example we had to take 2 bullet trains between the 3 cities and the vouchers were mostly accurate but we did not know that we had to scan the QR code upon entry to the next station. We were not visiting the most friendly country to foreigners but we mostly were able to find assistance from employees at the station. I did book this tour on a budget but I did not realize that the tours they booked for us in the 3 cities were just city rides around landmarks so it wasn't always the most convenient to navigate amongst preferred sites. Also the last city tour bus was not a hop on hop off bus so you were limited to time and location restraints. We did A LOT of walking which was to be expected as we attempted to limit our Ubers. Mostly out hotels were within 30 minutes or so of walking distance to landmarks which was nice. The hotels were small but this was to be expected in our research of Japan, however the last hotel was very dirty. There were hairballs everywhere, a used mascara brush on the floor and the worst - a used condom wrapper under the bed. I would like to end this on a positive, the agency booked a food tour with Arigato Tours in Tokyo and it was AMAZING for the food choices, historical information and the Tour Guide Jane was personable and flexible!
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  Trip date: June 2024