Explore Japan Tour: 12-day Small Group

Although I am an experienced traveler, I recommend that anyone going to Japan for the first time do so with guidance, and Shawn and Becki are excellent guides! They are vastly knowledgeable about Japan, as well as fluent in Japanese. They have mastered the ins-and-outs of travel in Japan as well as the local customs. You can stick close by them if that is what you prefer, but they encourage you to explore, using WhatsApp to make sure you don’t get lost. They have carefully chosen Japanese destinations that will allow you to experience its culture, history, and food. The hotels we stayed in were all first-rate. Shawn and Becki’s network of contacts made it possible for us to have some very special experiences. Our group got to take a class in ink-brush painting, do a meditation with a zen master, and chat with a geisha-in-training. I should add that what a group does depends on the expressed wishes of the group members. Japan is a wonderfully strange place. Travel with Shawn and Becki, and you will get to experience both its mysteries and its magic.

Japan and More is a wonderful way for the first-time visitor to Japan to experience the country! There's no way a first-time visitor would be able to navigate the country like Becki and Shawn do! They've planned things to maximize every minute of every day without overwhelming people on their tour. The small group gets to experience things travelers on a "bus tour" couldn't. We had a private art class with a Sumi-e artist, Zen meditation with a Buddhist monk, traditional tea ceremony, dinner with Giesha entertainment--and so much more. We stayed in a traditional Japanese ryokan inn, soaked in hot mineral baths, visited shrines, temples, and museums. The 12-day tour allows time to travel to Hiroshima too--an emotional experience. And we got to see the beautiful spring cherry blossoms! This is a trip of a lifetime, and Becki and Shawn are the perfect hosts--knowledgeable, friendly, and always available to help, answer questions, and give background information on the places we visited. We made fast friends with them and the others in the group. We were sad to leave!

Suggest a name change to "Japan and much more". A kaleidoscope of Japanese culture. Whisked along on a magic carpet courtesy of Shawn and Becki. 4 star hotels strategically placed to minimise walking to the next train station. Green car bullet train reserve seats, exotic temples, wonderful meals whether fine dining or a locals noodle house. Experiences as varied as Zen meditation to Karaoke with charcoal painting classes and an evening with a Maiko (a trainee Geisha) in-between. We were away for 2 weeks but felt like a months worth of experiences. Is it expensive - yes but actually excellent value for money. Highly recommended.