Hi. I was never a fan of group tours - till I turned over 60. Used them a bit in Vietnam and was happy they would let you do just a few more difficult things with them ( like staying in a funky old hotel first night and flying from Hanoi to Hue instead of days on a bad bus) but no pressure to do more . In Cuba it was great - 9 people max - and the co. knew the best places tourists never see and arranged for us to live in local people's houses all the way.
Can some one recommend a tour co. that helps with travel and staying while in Japan? - definitely no big hotels and big busses and following the guide with a flag! Thinking of 3 weeks or so.
Thank you
Tom
tomkat
1
kira
If you want a fun tour with bilingual speakers I'm biased in recommending a friend I did my degree with - Simon Doherty Inside Japan Tours
Kira
2
gaijinjoe
Cannot vouch for these people but a lot of JR literature plugs this group.
Sunrie
A word though. I have looked at the tours and they are pretty basic and you could do the things they do easily. You just would not have a guide.
3
njarratt
I visited Japan last Nov with Inside Japan Tours, as mentioned above. They were great. It was the first time we had taken a 'group' tour and we were worried, but it turned out to be as flexible as we wanted. Small group - 12 max - and each day you had the option of either going along with what the tour buddy suggested, or going off and doing your own thing (which we tended to do a lot). Group meals were few - and even then you could do your own thing (other than the ones that were pre-paid).
It was so good, I sent my mother off with them a month ago on her own, and she had a great time. Betsy in particular is an excellent guide (she is based in Japan).
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
trusted partner
trusted partner