Reviews

Well organised very good tour. Excellent transport arrangements and tour guides. Hotels and food very good. Good choice of sites to visit. Just could have had a little more free/relaxing time

We had a brilliant time filled with so many experiences- it fulfilled my lifetime dream to visit Japan and see the ancient sites whilst experiencing modern Japan too. Our guide, Kaori was great fun and very informative. Whilst it was a whistle stop tour with a lot of travelling included, we had a good balance of time spent at attractions, having experiences and eating out at restaurants, sampling local cuisine. Being vegetarian we were very well looked after wherever we ate. We enjoyed shopping in quality outlets to buy lovely souvenirs. Our colleagues were great company and the group gelled really well. We had some free time at the end of the tour to enjoy Osaka and our transfer was easily managed too. The only shame was that on arrival we had to wait a further 2 hours at the airport before the next transfer bus which meant that we missed our dinner and nothing was provided for us on that first night. Luckily we could pick up some snacks from the convenience store. We were issued a refund but that wasn’t much of a welcome after such a long journey. Given that Wendy Wu arranged the flights they must have known this would happen so this was disappointing but didn’t spoil our overall experience. We had a great time in Japan!

It was amazing. Our courier Akiko was so helpful , nothing was too much trouble.

The actual tour was excellent and better than expected. The inclusive meals were varied and gave me a true taste of Japan.
The tour guide, Akiko, was knowledgeable and helpful throughout.
My only point of concern was the flight times. The first day I arrived at the hotel too late for dinner. This was quickly covered by giving me a refund for the meal. However, the last ‘day’ myself and another woman on the tour had to leave the hotel at 3am with no breakfast. Therefore, my advice would be to check the flights available and specify your wishes.

An excellent tour but very ‘full on’!
A good overview of Japan with very good guides, very knowledgeable and helpful ladies. However the last day was too much as after a long day, arriving at a hotel at 6.45 pm, out at 7pm to catch a train to a restaurant and up at 4am for a 5am airport pickup left us needing another holiday! We saw all the sites we wanted to see, met the people, who were lovely and ate the food! Would recommend!

The pros
Excellent variety of places visited in Japan and the hotels were all of a high quality with the exception of the last one prior to flying home. This was very basic.
Restaurants used for lunch and evening meals were excellent and the range of Japanese food chosen was good. The tea ceremony, origami and noodle making
sessions were all great fun and enjoyed by all.
Our second guide Nana, was absolutely excellent and would be a good role model to follow for the others. We were very sad to lose her when she passed us on to the next guide.
The cons
However, we were disappointed that we had three different tour guides in 10 days and their ability to communicate in English was very different. The first guide neglected to pass on the microphone attached to our headsets which meant after the first 3 days we could no longer use headsets for commentary wherever we went which was a limit to the knowledge we could take in.
We also missed out on the included breakfast prior to our early flight home and when queried, the guide said we didn’t get this refunded even though we had paid for it and was on our itinerary.
Overall though we had a fantastic time but felt Wendy Wu had let us down with the succession and limitations of the guides given to us.
We would definitely recommend the tour but it was definitely not as slick and well organised by the two inexperienced guides . We had expected a different level of organisation after a previous Wendy Wu tour we had taken to Egypt in October 2023.

Lady on the phone was lovely, listened to my requests and adjusted flights etc to suit me better. just one error in that flights for my 3 day add on we're not included. however after pointing this out the error was immediately amended.

Holiday was as advertised but our second guide was not very knowledgeable about the historical facts so we had little detail about the places we went to.

Calling and speaking to an advisor was easy. I was given all the information I needed to help me make a decision about booking a holiday. When I rang back a week later I was able to speak the same advisor and he made my booking. Thank you, I look forward to a good holiday.

Helpful and knowledgable staff

Very polite and helpful service on telephone.

Well informed, friendly. Answered questions fully, useful suggestions, gave me confidence that I had chosen the right company for my holiday.

Travel advisor talked me through my options and highlighted the half price offer on single room for my option of dates in 2025.

My first experience with WendyWu has been excellent. The phone was answered promptly, Steve was able to answer all my queries and when I needed time to think he gave me a reference number so on my follow-up call I was redirected to him. The booking process was easy and confirmation of my booking was sent almost immediately. I am looking forward to my trip next year and have confidence that it will meet my expectations. If I have any queries in the meantime I am sure that I will receive the same service.

1. Excellent admin.
2. Excellent itinerary planning.
3. Good arrival and departure management.
4. Quite outstanding tour guide (Keiko)
5. Very good hotels.
6. Flawless coach arrangements.
7. Great intro to Japanese arts, crafts and culture.