The tour and guide were overall were very good. However we found the tour overall tiring. This was due to travelling/visiting sites during day and then early evening dinners, with little break or rest time in between. When arriving at the next hotel, usually about 4.00, then early dinners were frequently 7.00 ish. Single night hotel stays were the hardest, as little time to relax, unpack before going off again with an 8.00 start the next day. Most hotels, whilst being well located centrally, either didn't have bars and when having hotel dinners, finished at 8.00. After a long day, getting out into the area for a group drink, was not really possible, although many of our group wanted to venture out. It maybe our age, but most were late 60's/ early 70's. It appears Japan have an early evening meal culture, and where we did venture out, most city centres seem to be closed by 9.00. Hotels varied widely in room size and facilites. A significant number we would rate as 3* with small rooms. No space to lay out large suitcases easily. I would have liked another day in Tokyo as being such a large city there was probably more to see and experience, but to complex to navigate around alone. A lot of the sights we visited were very busy. The Hiroshima museum, Golden temple and Torres Gates being examples, which detracted from what was being seen. I would recommend getting to the start hotel, a few days earlier to acclimatise and get over jet lag, when coming in from the Uk. Our Air China flights were excellent and worth considering over the Middle east carriers, as the flight home from Shanghai is 12 hours non stop, rather that a break half way through, allowing uninterrupted sleep if you can do it. Although connections didn't always line up, giving long gaps between flights in the middle of the night, with associated time differences in Shanghai.
