Timeless Japan Reviews

We had a wonderful time from start to finish on this tour. Global Journeys made it all so easy for us with the tour booking and organising our flights - we could not fault Jemma she was excellent. The tour itself was great we saw everything we had hoped to and the tour guide Aki was so well informed and had a great sense of humour keeping everyone happy ...read more during the bus trips. The Samurai Museum was great fun and the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto and Himeji Castle near Osaka were the highlights for us but everyday was a pleasure on this tour. Weather wise it was quite hot at the start of the tour and on the last day so would probably advise anyone who doesn’t like the heat to go later in the year or in spring. Highly recommend this tour.

We enjoyed our first trip to Japan. Everyone in the group were pleasantly nice to each other. Our tour guide Akiko was knowledgeable and helpful. We saw more places that we would if we did it on our own. Our highlight of the trip was seeing the view of Mount Fuji.

We arrived in Tokyo 2 days before the start of the tour. We managed to navigate the metro system to visit some additional attractions not on the tour. Aki was our guide who was very knowledgable and was very helpful with advice. Our group comprised of 16 and we all enjoyed each other’s company. It was very hot and humid for our tour which slowed ...read more us down a bit. There was quite a lot of walking and steps to climb when visiting temples and shrines so we were quite tired at the end of each day.

The highlights of the tour were Tokyo, Takayama where we visited the thatched houses and stayed in a beautiful hotel in the Alps which had a thermal spa and beautiful scenery. Kyoto was enjoyable, Temple of the Gold Pavilion and the Adachi Museum of Art and Gardens. Hiroshima was special and very emotional and of course the bullet trains were amazing. Our tour ended in Osaka but unfortunately we did not have time for sightseeing. I would suggest adding on an extra day to spend some time in Osaka. On reflection I think November would have been a better month to travel, a bit cooler and you would see the autumn colours.

The accommodation on the most part was good, perhaps the location could have been better in some cases.
The optional tours were good, we did Mt Fuji which was covered in fog but an enjoyable day and Nara. I would suggest booking your optional tours from home in advance as we did not thinking we could book at the start of the tour as we have done on other tours, Cosmos included. In this case we were told that the tours could be booked out but luckily we were able to be included. On booking the tour it would be advisable for Cosmos to inform people of the importance of pre-booking the optional tours.

It would have been good to have some included meals so that the group could socialise. We had difficulty ordering meals due to the menus being in Japanese and staff not speaking English. We had to resort to 7 Eleven and Starbucks at times due to the communication problem. A few group dinners with our guide would have helped and taken the stress out of selecting food. We did manage to find a pub and had a hamburger and chips one night. All in all despite the challenges we had a wonderful time with lots of laughs and memories to cherish.

Our trip was organised expertly - we had a fabulous time, hotels were good, our tour guide Rumi was fantastic and had expert knowledge of all areas of Japan. She looked after us and made sure we saw all that we could in Japan. We contemplated travelling Japan on our own but I am so glad we changed to the tour - we saw far more than we could have on ...read more our own. This was the second Cosmos tour we have taken and we have found them extremely well run and we would recommend them to anyone.

In September 2018, my daughter & I took the 12 day "Journey Through Japan" Cosmos tour. Our lovely Japanese guide, Aki, was the best and just so welcoming with her knowledge and gentle sense of humour, and our coach driver was very polite and helpful. Our accommodation was excellent especially in Tokyo and as to be expected in Japan, our hotel rooms ...read more weren't huge. The daily buffet breakfasts of both Japanese and Western options were a great way to start each day.

The tour pace, sightseeing and excursions were very good with even a Shinkansen (bullet train) journey included. It was a fantastic way to experience Japan for the first time and we will definitely be returning! Special thanks to Georgie who handles our international bookings so efficiently - all of my trips have gone off so smoothly with Global Journeys!

Cosmos was very good and the price was competitive. We travelled just after Typhoon Jebi and we were amazed at the speed and work ethic of the Japanese. Global Journeys was excellent to deal with and promptly replied to my every request. I would highly recommend them and would use them to book my next holiday. Juliet was especially good.

We decided to arrive a few days before our tour started to get the feel of Tokyo and we did this by exploring the city on the subway. Our tour started with meeting our fellow travellers in the lobby of the hotel and our tour guide introduced herself. She was very knowledgeable but that was no surprise as she would have been well over retirement age ...read more in Australia.

Length was long enough, the hotels good but of course small rooms but that is Japan for you. We did not leave after our tour to go home and added more time in Fukuoka to see one of our homestay students from years ago which was a lovely experience.

This was not our first on the go trip with Cosmos but it was the first that failed to provide a reasonable amount of free time to allow us to do our own exploring. There were some days that we were so time poor that we had to pre-purchase our lunch and eat it on the coach. Sure that gave us time to see the many sights included in this tour but it did ...read more not give us time to get out and mix with the locals and experience their daily lives.

In Osaka the hotel was so crowded that they could not get us into either breakfast room to serve breakfast in time for us to be ready to leave at the appointed hour that morning. We missed out on breakfast and the small gift from the hotel by way of compensation did not satisfy our appetite and was worth a fraction of the cost of the missed meal. There was no organised rotation of seats in the coach and so we had 3 fellow travelers who dominated and selfishly occupied the same seats the whole time.

Our Tour Guide was fantastic, helpful, happy and a wealth of information. She often provided information on the Japanese way of life that we didn’t expect to hear but was very enlightening! All the hotels were great, especially the Kyoto hotel which was stunning.

We saw some autumn colour in the mountains but overall it was a few weeks early for ...read more the mass of colour. It seems the seasons are getting later but we were very lucky to have a sunny, clear day to sail on Lake Ashi and had a clear view of Mt Fuji with just a little snow on the top.

Highlights were the Japanese Alps, Shirakawa, the Adachi Museum of Art gardens, Miyajima Island, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Hakone. We loved everything about Japan and feel very lucky to have seen and done so much. We couldn’t fault the whole tour, the scenery, the food, the Shinkansen, the shrines, castles, gardens and temples. We especially loved the Japanese people, their culture of honesty, courtesy, cleanliness and respect. Inspiring. We will definitely recommend this tour to others.

The 10 Day Classic Japan: Golden Route tour was very good. I would thoroughly recommend the Hiroshima Extension. I felt this part of the trip was a wonderful experience in such a beautiful city. This tour was very slow-paced. We were given plenty of spare time to wander in all places which was interesting. The hotels were excellent in Tokyo, Hakone ...read more and Kyoto and the breakfasts also. Unfortunately a very poor quality of hotel and breakfast in Hiroshima.

The travel by bullet trains was amazing, comfortable and fast. The only negative was that we were told we could only take hand luggage on the train, so we had to pack clothes and toiletries to take while our bags were transported by road. This was inconvenient and most people would have liked prior warning.

There were too many temples and related items to visit. Am sure Japan could come up with some other places of interest for tourists. A beautiful, clean and safe country indeed.

We thought the trip was well managed though it would have been nicer to be allowed more time in some places and also to have avoided some of the massive crowds at the more well known sites. There were other options that would have been equally as impressive to visit without having to fight the crowds at the World Heritage Sites. Also, to have more ...read more time available with not such a hectic schedule.

The trip was fantastic. Great value for money. Cherry blossom season was memorable. I would recommend it to anyone. Tour guide was very knowledgeable.

I was really happy with this Cosmos tour of Japan. The trip was well organised and the tour director (Ms Rumi Yamaguchi) excellent. We experienced spectacular scenery, arts, history, technology and culture. The Japanese are very welcoming and helpful. I particularly enjoyed the snow top Nikko Mountains, Shirakawa (Gifu village) thatched roof houses, ...read more water colour paintings at the Adachi museum of Arts, an exhilarating ride on the bullet train and the novelty of the bowing deers at Nara. All in all a great experience with a great guide! Highly recommended.

What an eye opener. The history, infrastructure and scenery. The people are very courteous, helpful and friendly, their public security is great. I can't recall the last time I when felt so secure. We walked the streets at night and felt quite at ease. In the bigger cities there was a strong presents of police. No graffiti and every where was clean ...read more and tidy. Our only draw backs were ordering meals and a minor issue single beds. Not all had menus in English. This was particularly hard when dealing with a food allergy. Despite a written Japanese notice restaurant staff were reluctant to clear the food content. This was not an issue when the guide was with us as she pushed the issue for us. Most accommodation is single beds with very few double beds available at establishments. Would I recommended this tour a big yes. Would I recommend Global Journeys, once again a big yes. The ladies at Global Journeys were very reactive to my request and pricing was good.

It's just a perfect trip because its only 18 of us in the coach and we are all Aussies. The choices of hotels are good, only one or two are not (rooms too small to move around with big suitcase) I learned a lot from this tour. Although some parts we thought are just a waste of time and "energy". My sister is convincing me to do it again with her, ...read more which I might. Global Journeys help was great.

Our journey through Japan was a great adventure. We criss-crossed the country in the comfortable coach as our guide talked to us about Japan. Tokyo is a massive, vibrant city with shops and restaurants on at least three different levels - the underground, the ground level and the upper storey level! One of the highlights of the trip for my husband and ...read more I was the Gasso-Zukuri style thatched roofed houses at Shirakawa. It was a beautiful scenic place with wonderful views of the mountains.

As we travelled about we couldn't help but be amazed by the stunning scenery of the forested mountains and the verdant valleys. Apparently, there are ten thousand tunnels in Japan, so they are true experts in the skill of tunneling! Also, the infra-structure is way ahead of Australia with most roads built on pillars well above the ground. Another highlight was to visit the Pearl-diving at MikimotoPerl Island and to learn the process of pearl cultivation. Another wonderful place was the Floating Tori Gate and Itsikuskima Shrine.

Hiroshima was a somber experience as we walked through the Peace Park and went into the Museum. On the last day we had a great, full day as we went on the boat at Lake Ashi and the aerial car was a memorable experience as we were packed into the cable car! At the top were the most spectacular views and we had so many breathtaking views of Mount Fuji. Our mix of fellow travellers was good and the number of twenty was spot-on as it allows you to get to know most other people. It was good accommodation throughout and the rooms were extremely clean and tidy.the breakfasts were excellent and one of the highlights of the day!!! It was a great time of year to travel as the weather was kind and warm mostly, with just the one rainy day. Our guide was informative and friendly. It would have been nice to have welcome dinner to meet our fellow travellers and one or two dinners just to get together as a group. However, it was most enjoyable and We will continue to book with you as you make it so easy for us. We are already looking forward to our tour of Spain this September! So, we thank you again for a great holiday!

There is a lot of ground covered on this tour with several long days on the coach. However there were only 12 of us on the tour which made it much easier for disembarking the coach and getting everyone back on board. We could have done with an extra night in Osaka as we arrived fairly late in the afternoon and left first thing the next day so not a ...read more lot of time to see Osaka. The Guide (Aki) was great, very informative and knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble. The cherry blossom was still in bloom in Tokyo which was lovely and we were fortunate to have only a couple of wet days throughout the trip. Most of the days were sunny and warm. Plenty of shrines and temples on the itinerary, so lots of walking and stairs to climb at certain places.The bullet train was different and a great inclusion on the tour. Optional Excursions were very limited and expensive. Overall a good tour and excellent value for money. Would recommend as an introduction to Japan.

A fast paced holiday criss-crossing Japan, expect to spend hours on the bus however bus was comfortable and scenery magnificent. Expect traffic delays however they do their best to work around them. Hotel rooms are on the small side however they are fully equipped and the staff are always pleasant and very helpful. Breakfasts were all excellent with ...read more one exception when it was adequate. Tour guide was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Tour could have been a few days longer to spend a further night in some places as there was so much to see and do. A fantastic mix of people on this tour although it was a smaller group. Overall a excellent holiday.

Japan was more impressive than we expected. The tour was very good and comfortable with only 20 on the coach. Maybe the only negative was that some days were a bit full on and the tour could be a few days longer to offset this.

It was very knowledgeable experience to the culture and the real life of Japan. I would suggest to take with you a reusable bag to reduce the usage of the plastics bags.