Thao was brilliant from start to finish - really listened to what we wanted and guided us as to an itinerary which ticked all the boxes. Everything ran smoothly on the trip and all the supporting info... See more
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About InsideJapan Tours
Written by the company
People travel with us because we give them the chance to experience both the popular and the little-known aspects of Japanese culture, providing an insight into the diverse character of this fascinating country. Our memorable trips consistently exceed our customers’ expectations.
We're proud to be a B Corp
Contact info
Electricity House, Quay Street, BS1 4TD, Bristol, United Kingdom
- 0117 370 244
- info@insidejapantours.com
- www.insidejapantours.com
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An exceptional travel experience
An exceptional travel experience; from our first contact with Inside Japan everything slotted into place perfectly. The booking process, all pre-tour information, the transfers, the hotels, the tour leader, the activities were all first class.
Japan itself exceeded our expectations many times over - can't wait to return.
Overall a wonderful adventure
Nothing was too much trouble for the team both in Oz and abroad whilst travelling
The itinerary was really well planned, executed and captured what we had asked for. Hotels and connections all went to plan and instructions were easy to follow. Beyond the planning and booking stage the support whilst travelling was exceptional with real time responses to any issues including lost passports. Highly recommend
They make Japan easy!
We have several friends who have booked through InsideJapan and have had wonderful experiences.
In our case we wanted to go see cherry blossoms on a delayed honeymoon. (Note that cherry blossoms don't always agree with the travel dates you scheduled in advance, but we got *phenomenally* lucky.) We also wanted to enjoy the food, learn about the culture, spend plenty of time soaking in onsen... so we ended up doing a 3 week trip.
InsideJapan arranged our airport pickup, hotels, private tours and experiences in every city, train travel between destinations, set us up with IC cards and a wifi dingus upon arrival, sent us EXTREMELY comprehensive guides of "How to Japan" and what to do in every destination... they made the trip *so easy*. And the additional (relatively minor) cost of booking through them was well worth it in how much time and frustration it saved us.
Highly recommended for anyone going to Japan who doesn't:
* speak fluent Japanese
* have a Japanese phone number
* have a Japanese bank account
* make phone calls during Japanese business hours
* know about things that aren't on Instagram
The basic process is:
* Contact them and say you want to go to Japan
* Have a call with one of their agents (Juliana S was amazing) to go over when you want to go and what you're interested in
* Review the initial proposal and make adjustments as you'd like
* Pay a deposit to get advance bookings started
* Don't stress out while they make everything happen behind the scenes
* Pay for the rest a couple months before the trip
* Get to your flight in one piece
* Enjoy the trip!
Reliable, organised, delightful.
Very efficient planning/ booking. Tour and additional 4 day stopover very well managed. Accommodation v good/ high standard and super organisation and information from our tour leader. 2nd trip with IJ for me and highly likely to use again. Strongly recommended.
Inside Asia provided us with our perfect tour
Inside Asia provided us a tour that gave us the amount of independence we enjoy. We had a couple of private tours scheduled upon arrival in Tokyo and Kyoto. These helped orient us to the public transport system and provided lessons in history. It was also nice to have a food tour, which showed us how to use the online and kiosk ordering systems. The lodging was a nice blend of western oriented hotels versus Japanese style lodging. We were provided with all of the train/bus tickets at the start of the trip. The directions for transportation were written out explicitly and proceeded flawlessly. Additionally, there was a layer of comfort, knowing that we had resources in country in case of an emergency. The information packet we received provided us with suggested sightseeing for our time in various cities. Of course there were too many choices for so little time! I guess that means we need to return.
Wonderful visit to Japan
We had an awesome time in Japan. Apart from the culture, cleanliness safety and respectful people, Inside Japan organised everything for us and everything went well. There were a couple of things we needed help with but were dealt with efficiently and all the food and day tours were great, with great guides. We would definitely recommend Inside Japan as a partner for your Japan travels.
Variety of experiences
Variety of experiences, sights, food, Lodging transportation. Excellent guide. Probably need a warning for seniors that trip is very active with lots of walking.
Mixed bag
Wonderful guide, food and accommodations were average. Too many places with too little time to enjoy and see things.

Reply from InsideJapan Tours
Excellent service with “Inside Japan”…
Excellent service with “Inside Japan” every little detail was taken care of even to the side of a train you were travelling on to get the best views. We were extremely impressed and would have no hesitation in recommending this company
Steve & Anne-Marie
Wonderful firm who handled the details so we could enjoy the experience
Everything they planned worked smoothly and they had thought through all the little details and timings so we could focus on enjoying the holiday - which was amazing!
Lifetime memories
V well organised. Nothing was too much trouble. Seamless from start to finish. Every day was different and exciting. The tour guide serge had lived in Japan over 30 years, full of personality and it felt like travelling with a friend as he got to know us all. He catered for all of us and was v flexible too. Fantastic trip. Hope to use Inside Japan again
Perfect!
Everything about our trip was seamless, easy and wonderful. The hotels were perfect, the train info and ticketing were clear and easy to use, and I'd use Inside Japan again in a heartbeat!
Liked the logistics and the ability to…
Liked the logistics and the ability to have directions to locations. Hotels were okay, not great- some were really far from any activities and we had to take taxis a lot. We asked for 5 star and most were not. Also did not enjoy only being given the opportunity to book hotels where inside Japan had contracts. Guides were either really good or really bad… some could hardly speak English. The book and equipment provided were really nice and very helpful.
This company covered areas that others…
This company covered areas that others don't - specifically the Ryokan experience. I hope they are not going to change this authentic cultural experience in their travel programme.
An absolutely fabulous trip from the start…
An absolutely fabulous trip from start to finish with super efficient communication throughout, organised and brilliant booking, tickets, hotels, wifi device and first class recommendations and organisation for our trip.
Inside Japan Tours were super efficient, very knowledgeable and friendly, always there is discuss and adjust anything as we went along mutually organising and agreeing on a wonderful itinerary.
Excellent Planning and Execution!
From start to finish- organizing to execution, it was an excellent trip! Mark did a great job helping us with the itinerary, lots of great suggestions about what to include and where to visit, and everything worked seamlessly. The ticket package, wireless device, and instructions all were waiting at our first hotel as promised, and we had no issues at all during the stay. The guide books that are available from Inside Japan on the different places are essential reading, and we were constantly dipping into them during the stay. The guides that we had for Tokyo and Kyoto were very knowledgeable and showed us lots of great places - and were really flexible with what we could see. Overall this was a fantastic trip, and we would absolutely recommend InsideJapan to others planning a trip.
An Amazing First Visit to Japan with InsideJapan
Last week, I returned from a two-week guided tour of Japan put on by InsideJapan, and it was truly an amazing experience. The tour took me and 10 other travelers across several unforgettable places, including Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hakone, Nara, and Miyajima Island. The hotel accommodations throughout the trip were top notch.
Each day was jam-packed with things to see and experience, from temples, shrines, gardens, and castles to incredible meals, tea ceremonies, and many other cultural experiences. We also got to interact with locals in ways I never would have expected or been able to arrange on my own, such as joking around with students and feeding/petting the deer in Nara. And of course, we got to taste so much of Japan’s delicious food, which was probably my favorite part of the whole trip, especially the okonomiyaki. Thank goodness we did so much walking.
That said, any review of this trip would be woefully incomplete if I did not mention our tour leader, Hanan. She is extremely knowledgeable about Japan’s culture and history, but what really stood out was how much passion she brought to everything we saw. As she guided us through Japan’s shrines, temples, gardens, castles, and other historical landmarks, she made these places come alive in a way I never would have managed on my own.
She also helped us navigate Japan’s restaurants and day-to-day experiences like a true insider, knowing great places to eat and visit, and helping us understand how to approach situations that might otherwise have felt intimidating or confusing because of the language barrier. Hanan and InsideJapan were also very thoughtful and helpful in accommodating several people’s special dietary needs, and very efficient in organizing all of the trains, taxis, ferries, and other logistics that helped us see so much of Japan.
This was a truly memorable first visit to Japan, and I came away with a much deeper appreciation for Japan than I would have had traveling by myself. I would highly recommend InsideJapan to anyone considering a guided tour of Japan, and I feel very lucky that Hanan was the person leading our group.
Excellent and easily even better
Our planner stuck to meeting our objectives, granting priority to gardens, learning about religion and cultural history. No mishaps ever. The guides were superb, fun and most knowledgeable.
Some little improvements could make the experience even better. For instance, the food tour in Osaka was substandard and the proposed schedule should have allotted an extra day there. Our Takayama visit was just one day before the major annual festival where they have the floats parading around town and we wish we had been able to stan an extra day. The background reading materials on each city were unoriginal and not tailored to our interests. And the day in Naoshima could have been enjoyed at its fullest if we had received more information on all the museums available for us to visit.
This was our first international family…
This was our first international family holiday and Jayesh made the whole trip seamless with quite a few fantastic surprises along the way, notably (for me at least) was our stay at the Grand Nikko on Awaji Island!
Every connection was spot on an we only made one small timetable change for a Shinkansen trip and the 24hr help line was flawless! Great service!
5 ⭐️ When asked about our trip I will always mention Jayesh from Inside Japan and will recommend your services!
Thank you for making this holiday a lifetime experience!
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