Travel to other countries from Japan

Hello,

I live in Japan now, and I want to travel to other Asian countries, like China or S. Korea. I know of some good travel agencies for flight tickets (No 1 Travel, for example), but are there any websites for packaged tours FROM Japan?

I know there are several JTBs. Does anyone have any experience purchasing packages from them? I heard they offer great packages when joining a tour.

I only speak English, but wouldn't mind joining a Japanese tour if the price was right.

Travel agencies like JTB or HIS sell both: (1) packages in terms of flights and hotel accommodation only, and (2) tour packages flight, accommodation, AND a local guide to take you around throughout the itinerary as well.

If you don't speak Japanese, it would make better sense if you bought type (1) package from Japan, and once you get there, from the local hotel concierge book a tour for English speakers (for example from Beijing to the Great Wall, etc.), or rely on Lonely Plant or other English language guidebooks to book a local English language tour in advance (before leaving Japan, I mean). The group tours really stick together and listen to the guide together, so it might be difficult if you don't understand Japanese at all...

To Seoul, Korea, I would just take a guidebook and travel at your own pace using (1) type of package :)

Thanks, I totally forgot about HIS. It sounds like a group tour isn't really in the books for me, so I'll start looking for flight/hotel accommodations. Thanks for your answer.