South Korea's Cherry Blossom Holidays

We had a fantastic time - we arrived in Tokyo after spending 3 days in Hong Kong and met up with the group. The meal at the Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel that evening was horrible - the chicken legs were undercooked and several people had to send their food back to the kitchen. However, after that meal everything was fantastic. Our guide was Hiro who was excellent. We saw some amazing things and Hiro was so informative and told us about so many things. Mount Fuji and Hiroshima were particularly memorable although everywhere we went to was worth visiting. We all had lanyards with cards with our names on and on the back was a message in Japanese for us to show someone in the event we got lost - which proved invaluable during a couple of incidents when we had free time and a couple of people asked someone to contact Hiro - who went to find them. Having said that, Hiro was always checking we were all there! The coaches taking us from A to B were comfortable, so were the bullet trains. We were all issued with “whispers” with headphones so we could hear what Hiro was telling us. We specifically chose to go on this trip during the cherry blossom season - I was expecting pinker and more blossom and so, if I were to go again, I wouldn’t choose to go at the same time as the blossom as it attracts crowds of people and I don’t think it’s worth visiting when there are extra people there. Making the soba noodles was fun as well as making an origami crane - and we enjoyed the tea ceremony. The food was amazing and a real mixture - forks were always available for people who struggled with chopsticks. Some of the food we cooked ourselves. I’m not sure the Japanese had grasped some of the dietary requirements but my only request was that I didn’t have anything too spicy and the food I was served with was perfect for me. There were a lot of steps but, the brochure did warn that there were a lot of steps so I was expecting this. There was a lot of walking but, again, the brochure did warn about this and the itinerary tells you how long to expect to be on your feet. There were 26 people in our group ages ranging from 40s to 80s - we all got on really well. Now, back at home, I’ve got the task of choosing the best photos from the ones my husband and I took to have a book printed to take and show all our friends!

I loved the range of activities, historical sites, beautiful gardens, natural landscapes that the tour provided. it was full on - with bullet trains, coach travel, hotel changes and food on the go but I really appreciated the easy access to sites, a good atmosphere in the group and the wide range of experiences provided.
and to go in cherry blossom season ( sakura) was an added bonus. my highlights were Kanazawa for the kenrokuen gardens, Matsumoto Castle ( amazing) and Nara , which was an amazingly stylish town with the Great Buddha Temple.

Sixteen days of exciting cultural experiences and exploring some of the most impressive natural beauty that Japan has to offer, including the magnificent Mt Fuji. It was cherry blossom season and, where they were out in full bloom, the views were breathtaking. Our guide was congenital and caring. Very calm. He shared historical information as well as educating us on the current customs of Japan. It was both fascinating and fun!

We had a wonderful time in Japan where everything was taken care off and were especially lucky to have the fabulous guide Kay who made it even more special. We had one day of surprise snow followed by sunny warm weather what an experience. Got to see some cherry blossom on our travels. First time joining a group but what a fab group they were. Very happy.

Wonderful timing with cherry blossom time in full bloom and no clouds around Mount Fuji. The mixture of venues and experiences in the tour wasn’t bad either.

We have just returned from an excellent trip, Japan Uncovered. Blessed by outstanding weather, and in cherry blossom season this trip covered all the major sites that we most wanted to see in Japan. Our guide, Mina, was fabulous. Patient, knowledgeable and with a great sense of humour. Her English was excellent. Our group of 27 included English, Irish and Australian participants. A few of us had food requests and allergies which Mina took time to understand and to ensure that the restaurants were aware of.
Before embarking on a trip such as this though, I would urge people to do their homework. This is a trip designed to cover as many peoples interests as possible. Therefore, there will be occasions when you like certain activities more than others. This is not a personalised trip. This also applies to the food. Sometimes you will eat at fairly high end restaurants and sometimes the equivalent of a cafe. The food is predominantly Japanese because that is what people eat in Japan! I am not a huge fan of Japanese food but I tried everything and I was never hungry. The days are long and there is often quite a bit of walking. So when it is stated that a good level of fitness is required, that is what they mean. On the first day we walked over 20,000 steps as well as travelling by coach and boat; and recovering from jet lag. English is not widely spoken but with a smile and a sense of humour most things can be communicated. We were happy with all of the hotels that we stayed in but Japanese hotel rooms tend to be small and rather warm. There often isn’t a bar to relax in, in the evenings but the vending machines are excellent.
We will definitely be keeping our eyes peeled for other Wendy Wu tours but I think that this one will be hard to beat both in terms of cost and the amount of Japan that we were able to see. Just a couple of thousand photos to go through now.

Wow! Fabulous tour with the perfect guide! A great itinerary and we were blessed with great weather and the best of the cherry blossom but it was our guide, Kiki, who made the tour perfect with her knowledge, insights and the care she showed our group. Thank you all!

All the major sites I wanted to visit were covered, the cherry blossom was at its best and breath-taking, our guide, Take, was brilliant and, as ever with Wendy Wu, the organisation and attention to detail were exceptional. With all meals and entries costs included, as well as hotels, guide, international travel, additional experiences, coach and driver, train and boat trips, my only expenditure was on gifts and the occasional ice cream! The programme was busy and interesting, with no time wasted but enough unscheduled time to keep up with diary writing, camera charging and sleep! My 6th Wendy Wu tour with two more already booked. You are the best! Many thanks.

We had a fabulous time, and we were really lucky to catch the cherry blossom at its peak in Kanazawa. Very informative and well organised guide, and generally well paced itinerary.

This is a fantastic tour itinerary for the first timer to Japan. All meals are included and our tour guide Miko was fantastic. Best one ever.
This was our 4th Wendy Wu tour and we just love the attention to detail on these holidays. This Japan holiday was booked in 2019 but due to Covid only went ahead this year. Worth waiting for. The cherry blossom was exceptional.