My trip to Tokyo, Japan in September of 2018 was for me, both life-changing and life affirming. I've wanted to visit since I was a child and had an opportunity to do so after college graduation. Due to increasingly severe health problems, I was forced to forego my dreams of travel and spend a decade in and out of hospitals and doctor's offices. When I was finally healthy enough and financially secure enough to make this dream come true, I needed someone who could have my back. I was not only visiting Japan for the first time, but this was to be my first time travelling outside the US. There was also the issue of the Japanese language, in which I'm not proficient. With help from InsideJapan, I spent a week in Tokyo doing a mostly self-guided experience. (But I never felt alone or like I didn't have back-up; should something arise.) I spent a day wondering Harajuku and Shibuya with a guide, and then using the tools provided, made my own way to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, the art museums of Roppongi Hills, Tokyo DisneySea in Urayasu, had a kimono dressing with my hair done and a professional photographer at a cultural center in Yanaka, wondered Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum, and was wowed by the digital artwork at teamLab: Borderless in Odaiba. Shakira was the perfect consultant, helping me to restructure the abandoned plans from a decade ago and turn them into something that gave me all the experiences that I wished for while still coming in under budget. She answered my many questions, helped to customize my experience in ways that I wouldn't be able to on my own, and assured me of on the ground support once in Tokyo, should I need it. She also addressed a big concern, which is my shellfish allergy and made sure that my hotel was aware and that I was prepared when going out to eat so that I wouldn't have an episode. Brian was my first day Insider, who took me around Shibuya and Harajuku, showed me how to purify myself at Meiji-Jingu, took some wonderful photos, navigated our way to the many shops and art experiences that I had listed, and gave me a train map and taught me to use it!I'm eternally thankful to him because the things he showed me that first day allowed me enough independence to go the rest of the week on my own. I'm extremely pleased and thankful to InsideJapan! I was even bragging about them to other English speaking tourists who had gone entirely on their own and found more chaos and hurdles than I had because they didn't have someone on the ground, who knew the lay of the land. If I was obsessed with Japan the dream before, I'm enamored with Japan the reality. I hope to return in the next few years, explore outside of Tokyo and I will of course, seek out InsideJapan.

Just arrived back from IJT 'Japan Unmasked'.Terrific holiday.Great organisation.Really got a feel for Japanese culture,both traditional and modern. Using public transport kept the cost down.Did not prove to be an issue. Accommodation varied from western style hotels to Buddhist temple lodging and typical family run establishments. Got to cycle through rice fields;help with the rice harvest and watch the Buddhist morning prayer at sunrise. Holiday balanced organised events and free time. No need for a guide book.IJT provided detailed info on all the places we visited. With only 14 in the group,ranging from 25 to 70 :and a mix of Canadians,New Zealanders,American and British, it proved to be a very interesting combination and added to the whole experience. Our guide,Robert, couldn't have been more helpful.Really enthusiastic and knowledgeable.Can't praise him enough. Because we were due to depart just as the Typhoon was about to hit Japan, he kept us up todate with weather warnings and checked all our flight data.We all felt looked after. We have no reservations in recommending IJT as the company of choice when looking to explore Japan.The whole experience felt personal and thoughtfully crafted.Not your usual package. If you want a different style of holiday, without losing the security of travelling with a guide and small group.This could very well be for you.

We chose to have IJT arrange a self guided itinerary for our first trip to Japan. We were so happy with the entire experience, they arranged tickets for train and bus travel from each location, arranged all our varied accommodations, personal guide for a day in Tokyo and a variety of activities suited to our preferences, all of which were outstanding. We had a fabulous trip and have told all our friends and colleagues, whom are interested in travels to Japan but didn’t really know where to start making arrangements, to contact IJT. The service from our consultant Sheila in arranging the trip, and the support from IJT ground staff in Japan when we hit little snags during our 20 night stay, was amazing. They have thought of everything to prepare you for an exceptional holiday, providing all those details and advice to ensure you have the knowledge and tips to make your holiday a fun and fulfilling experience. We will certainly have them make all our arrangements for our next trip, as we couldn’t have selected better places to stay. Their selections of traditional ryokans and hotels were perfect. The entire holiday was very good value for the cost, and having IJT do all the organising saves an immense amount of time, effort and stress. We were able to truly relax and enjoy immersing ourselves in this fascinating culture and country.

My husband and I have used InsideJapan tours 3 times in the past 5 years to visit Japan. Our first trip was the Anime & Manga small group tour (lead by Will) and the other trips were self guided vacations. Each and every time the staff has been incredibly helpful in helping us book our hotel rooms, our transportation to and from the airport as well as between cities and major destinations, getting us JR Pass vouchers, manaca cards, and tickets to museums like TeamLab Borderless. They also send us a guidebook right before our trip with the names of all hotels, suggested train routes, and just about everything we need to keep from getting lost! Not only do they take care of all the logistics, but we have also received great recommendations on cities and experiences. On our last trip, Amy found a great Kobe beef restaurant for us in Kyoto and helped me take my family's wishlist and turn it into a working itinerary. She also helped us stay within our budget! I pretty much recommend this company to everyone who tells me they are interested in traveling to Japan.

I can't believe I never wrote a review of this company! I had an amazing self-guided tour of Japan years ago. I couldn't believe all of the activities and planning the trip included for such a great price. The booking agents were so helpful and kind. I even just recently contacted them about taking another trip through them and their sister company InsideAsia and Sally Edwards who I spoke with was extremely nice and helpful! Everything about the trip I took to Japan was planned and all I had to do was follow instructions.

Just returned from 4 weeks on the Full English rugby tour of Japan. A fantastic experience. The whole trip was incredible and Inside Japan's attention to detail was fantastic. Accompanying booklets on each destination were invaluable and their recommendations at each place for activities eating etc were spot on. Travel arrangements and their directions were faultless. Loved the 21 day Japan Rail pass. A brilliant company who we would 100% recommend. Excellent value for money too.

We were treated to a private guided tour of Kyoto by Van. He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the sites we visited and Kyoto generally. He was also flexible as the day unfolded, with a few challenges thrown his way thanks to the new year holiday hours. Vans insights into the temples, shrines and areas we visited were illuminating and brought each destination to life for us. Amazing day, thank you Van!

After failing to get a response for request for information through web contact form, I had to call them A few days later, to see if my message had been received. The following day I had a phone discussion about proposed holiday plan and was assured that an itinerary will be sent to me within a week. Never heard from them again. Very disappointing from a company that seems to have rave online reviews.

The best tour company I've ever travelled with. Their guides are amazing and so knowledgeable. They take you off the beaten track and tithe best restaurants making the whole experience a trip of a lifetime. They really live up to their name and get you right to the heart of the country. They only take small groups so you don't feel hearded about.

Very helpful and professional staff. They helped me organise an excellent holiday to Japan (as a solo traveller) and provided me with very useful guides. You can go for pre arranged packages, guided tours and solo tours. They'll sort you out with anything you may need for an enjoyable trip to Japan.

InsideJapan was amazing to work with! Amy designed us an amazing trip for us and stayed within our budget. We were kept updated throughout COVID. Unfortunately we were not able to go on our trip. We were treated very fairly by InsideJapan. We will definitely be using them when Japan reopens!

I have wanted to leave this acclamation of Inside Japan Tours since Nov 19 when we got back from Japan. The team were great, so much good advice. We hired three guides, they booked all our tickets and we travelled for 15 days hassle free. We want to go back and will use them again.

The most amazing trip organiser! We've just returned from the most incredible trip around Japan organised by Steven mccready and the inside Japan team. Truly the best trip and so incredibly well organised around our family and all our dreams. Absolutely the trip of a lifetime.

Had a guided sightseeing tour of Tokyo with Silvia. Can not recommend her enough. It was a truly amazing day, saw and did so many things we would not have known about if we did not have Silvia with us. Silvia is a wonderful, patient, extremely happy lady. Thank you

Great company, who planned and booked our whole self-guided trip around Japan. Our helpful, smart agent was in the USA, as we are. She understood what we wanted and delivered 100%. Highly recommended!

Fabulous service both before and during travel to Japan, a great holiday experience and we felt supported yet free to enjoy our holiday in our way. Top notch

Gorgeous setting. Lovely staff, super food. Beautiful and comfortable building with fin de siecle charm. A little jaded in places but adds to the atmosphere.

Ordered JR railpass from website and received in 2 working days with sufficient information on what to do next. Great service!

Great company, staff and excellent service... especially in the rail pass department.

Very helpful throughout process highly recommend. Ben in particular has been great!

I've used this travel service before and they are outstanding!

These guys are the best for Japanese holidays. Ask for Simona

Call ahead and buy the Japan Rail pass here.

Best independent tour operator for Japan

still in bristol but nicer