Cultural Treasures of Japan From $4,499 $4,399*pp

There were organized and accommodating. They weren’t able to be flexible. When it was a torrential rainstorm the outdoor activity was still done.

There could have been more recommendations where to eat and shop on our own time. Hiroshima was the most memorable experience. Also, seeing My. Fuji.

Weak guide--poor command of English. Should have special local guides at each location we went to. She tried hard but very difficult to understand and provided only base information.

Poor guide, dinners sub-par mostly buffets. Would prefer lunch in better restaurants or credit. Each place we visited seemed rushed. Very little background and cultural information provided by guide.

yes as I am a Collette Specialist myself.

The trip to the Hiroshima Shrine and the beautiful cheery blossoms in the Mt. Fuji area as well as throughout the trip.

Very well organized. Everything on time , exactly like outline of tour stated.

Loved Hiroshima. Really enjoyed the cultural aspect of gold leaf experience as well as atenciling.

This was my first tour with Colette and I loved it!! So educational and relaxing. Our guide took care of our every need. We had plenty of on our own time as well as group time. The pace of the tour was perfect and I came home relaxed and ready to keep traveling in the future.

Our dinners were exceptional!! Each one was truly a cultural experience.

Your tour manager, Tomoe, was super. She was attentive, had lots of extra info to communicate to us about the sites we visited, was professional and still treated each of us in a friendly, direct manner. Your pre-trip meeting in Napa was helpful. I requested an international carrier, so it is partly my fault, but the nine hour layover in Taipei was difficult to wait through and delayed us so that we felt that we missed the first day of the tour. Also the knowledge that we flew over Tokyo and then had to backtrack adding 5 hours to our trip time was aggravating. If a flight choice involves that kind of airport wait and backtracking, perhaps you could take a moment and check with the customer to see whether the flight choice is worth the inconvenience to them.

The choice of historic sites and cultural venues was excellent, The information provided by the tour manager was helpful in understanding what we were seeing and experiencing.

Well planned. We saw maximum sights in days available.

Outstanding hotels. Great itnerary.

We enjoyed our tour of Japan! Everything was well organized and we were able to see a lot in the time we were there. The hotels are all excellent and everyone tried so hard to be accommodating. If someone didn’t understand your question, they found someone who did. The hotel food was excellent and I enjoyed most of the group meal experiences. One ir two I had to “chalk up” to a cultural experience even though I didn’t like the meal. That being said, my husband was sure he would starve in Japan and I think he gained weight, even with all the walking. One day, we walked over 6 miles which met my goal of 5 miles per day! The first night, I am used to meeting with everyone and having them introduce themselves. We did those introductions on the bus instead. I thought this was a good use of time but some would rather put a name and face together. I am not good at that anyway so count on everyone wearing their name badge. I know some people wanted more formalized ideas for our free time but I think if you did reading beforehand, that helped with ideas. I personally just needed “downtime” and appreciated sitting in the lobby watching people. Thank you to our guide and driver for making this a wonderful experience. We met several new friends that we hope to see on future travels, too.

Thought I filled this in but this was a very good experience - great guide, driver and time allotment for most excursions.

My rep Dawn Bydeweg is outstanding as well as Tyler Readon. All questions were answered promply.

The tour was outstanding and comprehensive. Highlight was the Tokyo Tower, the Kyoto Shrine with 1000 Torii Gates, Horoshima Peace Memorial.

Very good itinerary. The hotels, with the exception of one, were adequate however they catered to Japanese and even the staff, at the reception desks, had limited to no understanding of English. Time allotted to tour many of the sites could be reduced, (example -limiting the 'free time' after the tour. Most of the group would gather and sit waiting for the 1-2 hrs alloted free time to expire). Suggestions for restaurants should be provided for the lunches and evenings you're on your own as the guide in Cuba did. The guide should have informed us what we were eating on the included meals. One of the included meals was in a restaurant that consisted of 4 floors and our group was booked on the 4th floor. It had no elevator so we had to climb 4 flights of stairs. I had no problem however many of the group did find it challenging and four had to have a separate table set on the first floor as they couldn't make the climb. The guide was very knowledgeable on historical sites and general information on Japan however lacked concern about individual requests/needs of some of the passengers. There were a few who had ambulatory problems and were slower than the rest and she didn't make allowance for them. Another passenger would be sick with the twisting roads and she wouldn't allow her a seat in the front of the coach. These are concerns that any guide should take into consideration. I would highly recommend this itinerary with the hope that the hotels be upgraded to hotels who cater to English speaking people. The price increase would be nominal and appreciated by your travelers.

Traveling throughout the Japanese Alps, the beauty of the Cherry trees (we traveled during Sakura which is the peak of the Cherry Blossom celebration) that was spectacular.

Terrible at flight planning. Many of the visits had little to offer

Hokane was beautiful Fish markets were amazing Final night celebration was wonderful

Don't understand question- do you mean service outside of Japan- transportation? If so, that was fine.

Needed Japanese guide who lives in Japan

Unfortunately, a number of changes were made to this itinerary without notice. I was informed this was because I had booked from the old brochure (with the implication that this was my fault) but my tour date was listed in this brochure so it was poor service not to be informed. Critical to this was that 33% more people were on the tour than advertised.

Tour not as advertised. Despite paying a single person supplement, I was given a single room. Fortunately, the country and its fascinating culture were sufficient to make this a truly memorable holiday experience.

Collette made sure you'll have the best vacation. The tour guide, driver, hotel accommodation were excellent.

Overall package was excellent. The cherry b;osmosis were awesome.

They were very efficient in setting up my payment installments. Paperwork and receipts were sent to me in a timely fashion.

Well organized. Only downside was not enough free time, i.e. at fish market and open air shopping area. Needed more time to eat. Hard to mix shopping and eating for me personally.

Great hotels & airport/transfer services. Helpful booking service stateside.

Just a recommendation for inclement weather in Hakone: please have a contingency plan. Felt like half the day was wasted. Have subsequently discovered many things to do there no matter the weather.

This is our third Collette Tour. We feel that it is good value for money and provides a comprehensive look at the designated areas.

We were very lucky with our timing. We saw Mt. Fuji without cloud cover; the first cherry blossoms; met a Maiko; and made eye contact with the Emperor of Japan. Our free time allowed us to meet some lovely local people.

Better local knowledge would have helped. Not mainly shopping in souvenir shops

Seeing the Emporer as he drove by

Very well organized. Excellent guide. Top notch hotels. Good variety of activities. Bus was always clean and driver talented. Only complaint is lack of air arrangement upgrades.

Because that’s what I thought of it.

My wife dealt with the US service, and she said that the local service was very good, especially the local agent, Linda Johansen - excellent.

Very organized, with a great variety of destinations, modes of travel, and first rate accomodations. I liked the different hand craft excursions.

The food/arranged group meals were poor. The hotel breakfasts were good.

Kyoto and Kanazawa, Mt Fuji were the best!

We booked directly with Collette and they handled our booking and subsequent amendments very efficiently.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip except for the fact that our transfer to the hotel in Tokyo did not materialize and we had to make our own way to the hotel. There were many highlights, seeing Mount Fuji, decorating lacquer boxes and the amazing autumn leaf colour in Kyoto. Having a free day on the last day of the trip seemed odd but our tour manager took some of us to the bamboo forest. We went by public transport and are so glad we didn't miss this amazing place.

Japan was a trip of a life time. Collette Tours provided a complete and comprehensive look at this most wonderful country. The tours were spot on and the extras such as gold leafing a lacquer box and stenciling a hankie was super fun. The arrangements were spot on - transfers on time and without issue. The hotels were well chosen, all were comfortable, clean and loaded with great amenities and for the most part well located. Kyoto hotel was lovely but not well located. Food - breakfast was plentiful but hectic each morning as all locations were group hotels with many groups all vying for food at the same time. The dinners were challenging - much of the food was meh but that was not my focus and I brought a lot of protein bars. There are 7-11s everywhere with good food - so easy to get a snack. Our guide Nobu - was a gentle, kind and very accommodating woman. She brought us safely on schedule through Japan, guiding us gently, shared customs and history at a nice pace and did her best to take care of everyones needs. She had her hands full with some cranky individuals in our group as well as one man who refused to wear his "whisper" (that totally slowed the group down as everything needed to be repeated for this one arrogant individual - absolutely rude and she was so gracious. I was extremely happy with this trip and plan to travel with Collette again in the future.

Most memorable moments were incredible views of Mt Fuji and my ride on the Shinkansen - both checked off on my bucket list.

Well organised; good hotels; interesting itinerary; and great guide.

Great value for money. Two memorable experiences - sunset over Mount Fuji and trip to Hiroshima.

Really great schedule and locations and activities

Mountain drive was thrilling. Winding road around massive mountains on cliffs that overlook a wide green fast flowing river and through long tunnels. Beautiful majestic scenery. Not to lessen each and every venue! It was a great schedule! Would have done 5 stars if the Whispernet audio system wasn’t junk. Poor system!

Yoshiko was very accommodating. Even with a Typhoon, we had an excellent tour.

No favorite spot, but a fabulous overview of someplace I had never visited before.

Very good trip and incredibly efficient in handling the change in our flights home when the airport in Osaka was closed (flooding from the typhoon)

Too many to give only one: • the Hiroshima experience • interesting meals • Gould leaf experience • adjusting the schedule during the typhoon .... and much more

A trip of a lifetime...great tour, wonderful location and excellent accommodations.

Great value, covered almost everything

We have never used Collette before but were very impressed with the service when we phoned several times with questions about the trip. The phone was always answered promptly and courteously. The trip documentation was very comprehensive.

Very well organised trip with lots of memorable experiences. We particularly liked the fact that Collette had organised classes in traditional crafts such as gold leaf painting, stencilling and watching a tea ceremony. Favourite experience was having our photos taken in front of a perfect view of Mount Fuji.

Hotels, activities and pace level were perfect

Hot spa baths Making bento boxes Samurai village

We had a wonderful trip with Collette. Our guide was fantastic -- she bent over backwards to provide everyone with what they needed on the trip. Unfortunately, it was a little hard to understand her in the beginning, but was fine for most of the trip.

My favorite memorable experience was making our lacquer boxes.

Everything was very well organized and the trip experience was great.

The tour was very well planned and very inclusive of what we wanted to see in Japan.

Friendly, professional service. Very efficient and helpful.

This was a great holiday which covered a wide range of experiences. The trip was well organised and the guide was excellent. Had quite a wait at the airport on arrival though and a very early departure time on leaving - 2am when we couldn't check in at the airport until 05:40 so had a couple of hours wait. The holiday was worth it though.

My trip to Japan with Collette was wonderful! I had anxiously awaited for the announcement of the new tour to Japan, Cultural Treasures of Japan and booked my trip as soon as possible. For this trip I was traveling alone and did not hesitate as I always feel safe on the tours and with the hotels. Our tour guide was exceptional, in fact she was the best guide I have ever had on any tour! She provided some excellent sights, insights into cultural and historical information, delicious eateries, and much more. It is hard to condense 13 wonderful days in a few sentences!

The tour was wonderful and I would rate it a 5; however, when traveling alone it is the additional fee that is added to the cost that is not appreciated. I could take another tour if it didn’t cost so much to travel alone. The only problem about accommodations refers to the one night stay at Hakone which a number of us expressed the desire to stay an extra night at the same hotel. (I would not want to loose another other days though.). A couple of travelers complained about the hotel in Takayama, I’m sure it was the best available in the area. I did like the cultural activities we did—the gold-leaf bento box and painted handkerchief. ******* is an excellent tour guide!! She is so knowledgeable, caring, and compassionate.

This is our second time using Collette ( Southern Africa as well) . Bothe times we had excellent tour managers and our trips were very well managed making our holiday wonderful.

Every part of our tour was excellent but if I had to narrow down a couple of favourites it would have been Mt Fuji and the Goodbye dinner with the Entertainment of the Mika ( Geisha ) girl.

I would give this 4 and a half stars out of 5, due to a switch of hotel in Kanazawa. Our "switch" hotel was terrible and way below Collette's standards! Other than that, the tour was simply fantastic with a brilliant guide in Kazumi, and the coaches were very clean with very competent drivers.

A really great tour and how fortunate to see Mt. Fuji in all its glory! The "Geisha" show at our farewell dinner capped of a very memorable experience.

The guide was great. The itinerary was comprehensive. The meals were superior. The hotels with one exception were fantastic. ( This Hotel was used because there was a marathon and other hotels were sold out)

Seeing Mt Fiji was fabulous.

The value was high for our tour in 2017 - note that the tours went up 40% going into 2018. The selection of the cities made us feel that we understood Japan better and our two tour guides were so well informed and articulate and caring!

Hiroshima was a must - tinged with heartbreak and yet hope for peace!

When I had return transportation issues from Japan, Even our tour guide could not reach Collette. The tour guide for the first half of the trip also very nice had to read every piece of information she didn’t know much about what she was telling us second half the tour guide was wonderful very interested and interesting. Even though this wasn’t a non-smoking tour, the bus driver smoke which meant the bus smelled of smoke all the time. I did not say in the brochure and I looked when I came home that the tour had so much walking we walked between three and 5 miles a day and most of it Was up hill and there was lots of stair climbing

Making the bento boxes and the bullet train to Hiroshima.

Our trip started off on a very disappointing note when we realized that my wife had seperate seats on key parts on the trip. The return leg of the trip from San Francisco to Houston my wife didn't even have an assigned seat. I had to work with united airlines on the spot to fix these big errors...for the premium price we paid I could have scheduled much better myself. The call in service was polite but not much help. I asked to chat with a colllette rep and never got a callback (besides the call in person). The trip was nice but the tour guide was incomprehensible for most of the trip and came in very late the critical first night. The tour guide was nice but she forgot our listening devices the first 2 days and most of the group couldn't hear much of what she said. The meals were unique and good but one particular meal in Kanazawa was so small that most of the group had to go out to eat afterwards. The hotel in Hida (plaza hotel)was very dirty (mold in the restrooms and room was dirty and public bath had algae growth). We have booked with Collette for many years on large trips and this is not the service or value we are used to. I am not sure if we will book again.

See the feedback in the first section.

We loved Japan, the people and the food. Our tour leader was knowledgeable, gracious & accommodating in spite of the impossible position in which Collette had placed her (details below). The tour itinerary could be tweaked, particularly by: employing local guides at many site visits to provide specialized background & context; by arriving earlier in Hakone so we could have enjoyed the beautiful gardens and hotel spas services (we arrived very late & left early next morning); eliminate non-important stops on trip to Takayama as we arrived so late we could not get to hotel to change/shower (after about almost 11 hours on the bus) prior to what was suppose to be a special dinner; spend an extra day in Hiroshima (recommend spending night on Miyajima Island). In particular, would strongly suggest a change to the last night of the tour. Enjoyed meeting the geisha, but the very bad food & atmosphere of the last night ended the tour on a negative experience. This was our 3rd tour with Collette & was definitely an unexpected experience. Unbeknownst to us, & 4 other couples who booked individually, Collette booked 12 people as a separate majority group within the main tour. This majority group had been promised their special needs (vegetarian) would be met. They bullied the tour leader and the balance of people on the tour. This attitude & expectation of being catered to over & above needs of other tour members had a huge impact on the entire group. We had to sacrifice the company of our tour leader at meals so she could cater to this 'majority group' by finding Indian restaurants for every meal (remember, this was sold as Cultural Tour of Japan with focus on Japanese cuisine). When we booked, we were not advised we would be treated as 'people needed to fill seats' (this is a quote from one of the majority group.) As mentioned, this was our 3rd tour with Collette. We feel that Collette was not transparent with us by not mentioning that one majority booking of friends - with special dietary requests would dictate& sacrifice the itinerary & food experience for the balance of tour members. This experience has had a hugely negative impact to our perception of Collette going forward. Unfortunately we are now hesitant about considering Collette for future bookings. Regards, Mary Murphy & Paul Seymour

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I sent the survey in last week. You should have received it by now.

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