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What our customers have to say...
The most important thing we can do to improve our service is listen to what our customers have to say, which is why you can now read their comments unedited on our website.
Upon returning from Japan all our clients are sent a review form and this is where you can see what they are saying about their experience of Japan and of our service.
Search the reviews, check the image gallery and see for yourself how our clients rate the InsideJapan experience.
How are we doing? (3 year average rating)
4.85/5 calculated from 2886 reviews submitted in the last 3 years
Sally (Australia) - Japan Unmasked, Nov 2019
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1. How would you describe your overall level of satisfaction with us as your tour operator?
I admit I did quite a bit of research before selecting and settling on InsideJapan. I have previously travelled a reasonable amount independently overseas, so I was particularly looking for a tour operator that provided flexibility and the option to go off on your own and also explore your interests in a place. Many tour operators have poor reviews if you deviate off the planned intinerary from the main group. The experience on the tour also confirmed that fleixbility is a big selling of point of InsideJapan tours. I also was drawn to the size of the groups, you are wise to keep the group numbers small, big groups easily get unwieldly, people struggle to hear the information and its harder to book larger groups into the same eating options. I was particularly admire the stance that InsideJapan took after the Fukushima disaster and offering travellers the option for a refund, noting most choose to delay their travel. That was a very brave and ethical stance to take. Sadly I have heard personal stories from friends and family with tour operators that have failed to exercise their refund policy with compassion or flexibility when exceptional circumstances hit unplanned, such as deaths in families. So keep up the ethical approach to your business.
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2. Tour Leader name and satisfaction rating
Van Milton provided a professional and enjoyable tour experience. He communicated with confidence and clarity in the morning briefings, he had passion and great historical knowledge of the places that we visited and showed great patience in repeating information several times to those on tour. He was also very flexible and had plenty of options if people wanted to explore different interests and gave clear and concise directions on how to travel to those places and return to our accommodation. Being a group of solo travelers, group dynmaics can play a big part of the success of the experience, given the time spent with people while travelling. Van successfully promoted a good culture in the group that was positive and tolerant and soon had group members acting friendly towards one another, throughout the tour experience. There was an interesting group dynamic across the group of 10 travellers and the group split into two factions, this was handled well by Van and he catered well to both groups without anyone feeling that they were not getting the attention or information they needed. Later in the tour the older faction often chose to opt out of some activities as they were feeling fatigued, with was handled with kindness and the option to re-join with the group later in the day with clear instructions and meeting times. There were a few bumps along the way which is only to be expected with travel, such as lost bags, lost people and a fall by one traveller down a hole, these were handled remarkably well by Van and he responded to these issues with poise, a sense of calm and quickly resolved them with minimal fuss, which is not easy. Well done.
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3. Consultant name and satisfaction rating:
Malcolm House was a fantastic consultant, he was friendly, provided excellent information about what to expect, the requirements and conditions after the initial deposit and was also prompt and responsive to any queies pre-trip that I had, in particular arranging the wifi device which was handily waiting for me at the hotel on the first night in Tokyo.
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4. How would you rate your package in terms of value for money?
Excellent
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5. How would you rate the accommodation against your expectations?
The essential travel option was perfect for me, I want to be out there and exploring the place that I am staying in, not hanging out in the place, where hopefully I return at the end of the day to sleep and rest up for the next day. All accommodation was clean, comfortable and in excellent locations close to transport options. It was exactly what I expected for the money. I really enjoyed the traditional inns and the onsen facilities, if I could make a suggestion I would perhaps offer a tour with nearly all traditional inns, it offers insight into Japanese hospitality and culture in way a western Japanese hotels dont. But I get that may be too much for others and if you end up sharing with person you dont like on a solo tour, it could be a long experience )
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6. Please give us your comments on the transport included in your package.
I absolutely love travel by trains, so the use of the bullet trains and local metro trains suited to me to a tee. For all the travel that was done on the JapanRail pass they were good value for the miles undertaken on the tour. I am not great traveller on buses and can suffer from motion sickness if in hot cramped conditions and I dont have visiblity of the road. But I was well looked after by Van and was able to sit at the front of the bus, which made a big difference to me for the three times we journeyed by bus.
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7. Please tell us your thoughts on the meals included during your tour.
Food on the tour was excellent and real higlight of the trip, the food was well varied across the Japanese food spectrum, which meant if someone could not or did not like a particular food, there would be something different at the next meal. I must say I was suprised at the reasonable cost for very tasty food. I could not have had such meals for that money in Australia. The food highlights of the trip are a hard one to call but if I have to pick my favourites - Mackel on ice in Hiroshmia, Mushroom soba noodles in Ngagno, okonomiyaki pancake in Hiroshima and sushi first night at the Takayama Inn.
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8. How do you rate the usefulness and standard of information in the Info-Pack?
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9. Would you consider travelling to Japan again?
Yes
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10. Would you travel again with InsideJapan Tours?
Yes
I am planning a return trip to Japan later in 2020. I found Japan to be very safe place to visit (safe than the cuty I live in), a rich and varied history and culture, that I would like to explore in more detail. I did not get the time to get into the language before my travel in 2019, so if I retun that would definetely be a focus of mine. I defintely will keep InsideJapan in mind, not sure if I'd do a tour again, or self-guided intierary or a combination of the two.
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