Explore Japan: Tokyo Towers, Torii Gates & Samurais

Traveler Reviews

• M

  Markus

  July 13th, 2024
  4.0
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  All in all, a really great experience and a trip to remember. If I could make a few points for improvement: 1. as...
  All in all, a really great experience and a trip to remember. If I could make a few points for improvement: 1. as the trip was made on the Shinkansen trains, hotels near the station would just be more convenient. Some of the hotels were really far away (sometimes almost 6km as in Osaka). This means either unnecessary dragging of luggage (which is cumbersome and time-consuming given the temperatures and routes) or high cab costs or, again, cumbersome, arduous use of local public transport. I have seen really nice hotels near the station and that would have really enhanced the trip. Especially because at the beginning you are not yet familiar with the customs of local public transport. 2. if you are traveling as a young couple (and we explicitly asked for this), then a double bed would of course be nicer on vacation than two single beds. Even when we asked, this wish could not be fulfilled in some hotels despite "24-hour travel assistance". If I were to book the hotels myself, I could pay attention to this, but unfortunately not with this package tour. 3. the costs of the Suica top-up have still not been reimbursed (after almost 3 weeks). It's not a shame, but this is simply a bank transfer, how long can it take? 4. the booking was a bit bumpy, first the wrong price was confirmed to us, then a transfer of the correct amount was requested (although the website said that the amount would be debited from the credit card). Everything was sorted out, but you have enough other things to do with travel planning. Just yesterday (3 days after our return) we received 2 more emails stating that the payment had been received (we had already received this email before the start of the trip) and wishing us a pleasant trip. The documents "will arrive 1-2 weeks before departure". Please what? The trip is already behind us. It all tarnishes the professionalism a little and shouldn't really happen like this. 5 Finally, I would like to point out that I assume no one from the travel company has ever taken this trip themselves. If they had, they would have realized that it would have been better to visit Koyto and Osaka one after the other. So we basically drove past Osaka, to Hiroshima and then back to Osaka. In our opinion, this could have been better planned if we had traveled the route in a different order. In the end, we were pleased that the sim cards were included, which were very often helpful and useful. We particularly liked the Reysol Hotel in Kyoto, it was an absolute recommendation. Great rooms, very modern. The Knot Hiroshima had a great location (right next to the Peace Park) and a nice roof terrace, albeit with very small rooms. Likewise the Joytel in Osaka, very small rooms and a wild location in the Shinsekai gaming district, relatively far from the city center. The Square Kanazawa was well located and also quite nice rooms in terms of facilities and size. Moreover, the possibility of onsen on the rooftop was really great.Show more
  Traveled in June 2024
  

  Reply from: journaway DACH

  Dear Markus, Thank you very much for your detailed feedback and for taking the time to share your experiences with us so openly. We are very pleased to hear that the trip was a great and memorable experience for you overall - especially the positive impressions of the hotels in Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka and Kanazawa, as well as the use of the SIM cards, seem to have really enriched your trip. It is feedback like this that shows us where we are already doing a lot of things right - and where there is still room for improvement. At the same time, we take your points of criticism very seriously. The location of the hotels - especially with regard to Shinkansen connections - is an absolutely justified point. We understand how exhausting it can be to walk long distances to the hotel with luggage, especially in high temperatures and in an unfamiliar environment. Your comment about the bed configuration in the hotels is also understandable - but unfortunately we cannot influence the bed distribution on site. As far as the Suica refund and the bumpy booking process are concerned, this should not happen. We are taking a close look internally at why this delay and contradictory emails occurred - something like this not only looks unprofessional, but is of course also annoying for you as a customer. And yes - your comment about the routing is also understandable. A more logical route planning (e.g. Osaka and Kyoto one after the other) would have saved travel time and made the process more relaxed. We will take this point into account when optimizing our tour planning. Thank you for your praise of individual accommodations - such tips are very helpful for future guests as well as for us. We very much hope that, despite the points mentioned, you will have many wonderful memories - and perhaps we will be able to welcome you again on a future trip and show that we take your feedback seriously. Kind regards, Renska from journaway

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