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Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/16 05:11
My boss is planning to make a trip to Japan in the near future and has asked me to prepare for him some ideas for his trip; places to stay, sights to see, and activities to enjoy. He's asked this of me because he knows my wife and I have been to Japan several times and wants my input.

While I have do have some broad ideas for him, our travel styles are very different. Most of our time in Japan has been in the winter, staying in cheaper accommodations, often times not having any plans but to explore, getting lost, making things up as we go along.

I know he and his wife are definitely not interested in that sort of an adventure. From our discussions on traveling I know they prefer guided tours and luxury accommodations. You could say he is a man that enjoys the finer things in life, and doesn't want to have any stress or uncertainty on his vacation.

I'm thinking to recommend he go in the spring, perhaps during cherry blossom season, start in Tokyo at a nice hotel, visit Asakusa/Sensoji, the Skytree, Imperial Palace...maybe shopping in Ginza? a night or two in Hakone staying in a nice ryokan, and perhaps a trip to Kyoto as well, but I'm at a loss for details beyond that.

I'm hoping some of you that have similar tastes (or know those that do) can help me out with some suggestions. Any guided tours you would recommend? Sights/experiences/hotels/ryokans? General or specific, anything is greatly appreciated. We're just from different worlds when it comes to travel, and I want to provide some quality suggestions for him.

Thank you!
by Higgz  

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/16 11:50
I'm not personally a guided tour person, but I am sure someone else can help you there or like if this isn't against the rules PM someone like JapanCustomTours, since you know that's their job and I am sure they would be happy to help set your boss up with a tour.

My favorite luxury hotel in Tokyo is the Tokyo Station Hotel. The concierge is great. When the NYTimes wanted to do an article on Tokyo for $1000 a day vs $100 a day, they used the Tokyo Station Hotel as their example. (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/travel/tokyo-budget-travel.html?mcu... ) Everyone I've met there speaks wonderful English and is always happy to help. If you don't want to stay there, I have a friend who stayed in the Conrad near Shimbashi/Shiodome and loved it.

In Hakone, I've just stayed at the Original Fujiya Hotel and a few other places I wouldn't even think about recommending. We did one of the cheaper rooms. I don't know if it is luxurious enough, but it's very atmospheric because a lot of it was built in the late 1800's to early 1900's. If money was no object, I would stay in the special rooms that have their own private onsen. I know a lot of people like the fancier ryokans in Gora. They can be quite luxurious and quite pricey.

Most of the hotels I've stayed at in Kyoto are cheaper. The Hana Touro has a perfect location and all rooms have a balcony. The staff are all friendly and speak great English, but I don't know if it is luxurious enough for your boss.

I think timing for sakura can be hard unless you want to chase it around the country. Look at this past year, people planned for sakura in Tokyo during the first week in April and it was past peak by the 1st!

Good luck!
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/17 07:05
rkold, thank you very much for you reply. I'll take your input into consideration. Those Tokyo hotels look very nice indeed, and I think he would like them. I don't know his budget, but I suspect those two are about right, to maybe around the high end of his budget.

by Higgz rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/17 17:42
Hi from Aomori - relaxing with a beer, three weeks into a five week tour, and reading the forum questions for some light entertainment.

1) You are right, people have very differnt travelling styles. I get quite a few people from around the world and some like those nicer things in life (I do), and others like to travel differently.
2) I also read the Tokyo on $1000/day article (it was good), and I've had gests stay there (they loved it) and it is actually cheaper than a lot of other hotels in the area (and more expensive than others).
3) I would avoid some of the places you have suggested. Asakusa is ok for a visit, but not for a stay (cheap), and Imperial Palace is good for a bus tour (bus parking), but dull. Even Hakone is a tourist trap to avoid (crowded/unpleasant) - most of my guests don't like the place (and I have stayed at the Yumoto Fujita Hotel before as research, but I wouldn't recommend it).
4) For Spring we do some set tours (small groups, only up to ten max), so that might be ok for them. we do some exclusive ones as well - depends on the requirements, but that is the niche we operate in.

I would be happy to respond to a private message - our website isn't hard to find (add a ".co.nz" to the username).
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/17 22:14
Oh, I'm so glad you found this thread JapanCustomTours, since one of your tours would probably be what OP's boss is after since they sound small and personalized.

My MiL has on occasion sent me links to tours of Japan. Most claim to be a certain level of luxurious. Some are... some don't really seem to be to me. I remember one involved a lot of long bus trips which does not sound all that luxurious to me. I can't remember the tour, I just remember you bus from Takayama to Odawara and they try to talk about it being scenic, but to me it sounds unpleasant.

For Hakone... The Yumoto is one of the places I've stayed I can not recommend. The room was small, poorly designed, insanely hot, and just not what I was hoping for at all. The Yumoto has better onsen than the original Fujiya unless you are staying in that private wing that is beyond my budget. And the Yumoto is great if you arrive in Hakone at 22:00 since it's super close to the station. The original Fujiya is just more interesting as a physical building. It's not that we don't have plenty of old homes where I live. There are tons of houses from the 1700's. But it's just so old fashioned. I can definitely see skipping Hakone, though during hydrangea season, it really is quite beautiful, but not everyone is super into hydrangea.

And JapanCustomTours is right, as luxury hotels in Tokyo go, the Tokyo Station Hotel is not anywhere close to the most expensive, though if you wanted to spurge on a suite or a maisonette I am sure those are fabulous. The "cheapest" luxury hotel I know of in Tokyo is probably the Chizanso. I've seen it as low as $250 US Dollars. It's supposed to be quite nice, but the location is sort of weird, though the garden is claimed to be lovely, especially during the Summer. The Tokyo Station Hotel wins for me when I want to splurge because it is still in my budget, the service is top notch, I like the greet service, I like the breakfast, the beds are comfortable, and I love the location. While not luxurious things, the staff at the Tokyo Station have happily helped me secure reservations to the Pokemon Cafe and the Ghibli Museum. They also do a great job of making my daughter feel special.

I've not stayed there, but going just by a map and pictures, the Hana Touro in Kyoto seems nicer and in a better location than the Westin.

Based on JG, the "in" spot to go is Naoshima and a stay at Benesse House. I've not done it yet, I want to make sure my daughter enjoys modern art enough to want to spend the time to get there.
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/17 23:05
I used to be in the travel industry, and for less "adventurous" people like your boss or my parents, as opposed to adventurous people like you and me, I simply recommend them to visit a nice travel agency along the lines of JTB and let them do the planning and arranging. There's nothing better than updated professionals.

And then, once they've narrowed it down to 2 or 3 options, you can come back here to ask the differences between the options, whether they are hotels or itineraries or airlines. By the way, if they're flying long distance, surely, they would want to choose first class flight tickets, because they would be able to lie down flat.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/18 04:56
We tend to spend more on accomodation than some might. But isnt so much luxury that we look for, but an experience. As an example, the Hyatt Regency in Kyoto is quite luxurious but to my mind not particularly Japanese so personally I'd rather stay at the Brighton (though the area isnt that nice) or the Westin Miyako (which has some great rooms, and is in an awesome area with a nice walk to the top of the hill). But the Hyatt usually wins because of location and the breakfasts there.

Our favorites are the "classic hotels". There are several of them, built around 1900. The most modern is Tokyo Station Hotel, then there is Nara Hotel at Nara (the old wing) and Hotel Kanaya at Nikko.

For ryokan personally I wouldnt go "all out" for a first trip as it can take some getting used to. My favorite for "first timers" is Tsuruya Ryokan at Karuizawa, which I think makes it really easy for people who have never stayed at one before.
by Lazy Pious (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/18 07:26
Some interesting comments - and some of the hotels mentioned in the previous couple of comments might be "luxury", but really fail on service (and pretty bad rooms too) and were so terrible I would never use them again (unless I was really stuck for places to stay). But that is why working with people to make sure they get what they want is so important, and knowing the differnt options and places (ones to go to, and others to avoid). Also travelling all the time across the country and getting constant feedback from guests about all aspects of travel is very important. While visiting as a tourist you look for certain things, and planning your own trips and things to do/places to go with yourself in mind. Doing all that for someone else is quite different.

Just a comment of going to a travel agent, if you are visiting someone locally (not in Japan), chances are they will may no idea about what they are recommending, or will puch a narrow range of options. I've seen some really awlful advice repeated to me in person, and in forums (and one of the funniest items was a list of do's and dont's for Japan handed out by a cruise ship), so be careful going down that route. There are some good individual agents out there, but I think too many will serve up a generic (and potentially dull) plan.
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/18 07:48
I'd like to add The Peninsular to my idea of luxury. I stayed there for a treat 10 days ago, and they even upgraded my daughter and I to a suite... it was luxurious.

The Four Seasons at Marunouchi is another hotel with excellent service and very convenient.
by LoveJapan (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/18 08:41
I looked at the The Four Seasons last year for a group as they said that was the kind of place they liked. Insead I suggested the Tokyo Station and it was less than half the price.
On the TA forums there are some good discussions about high-end hotels (particularly in Tokyo), but it is still a case that getting value for money is important. I know a few really special places around the country that are worth every yen of their rather expensive room rates, and I also know some places are just trading on a brand or not really trying for what they offer.
Also remember that many properties have basic and small rooms, so comparing a suite to a small double is not a sensible way of looking at things. I see this at some of the places I stay where I book the best rooms available and other tours I come across complain about the terrible rooms - they went cheap, not quality.
Anyway - off to Hokkaido now, more trains, hotels, great food and sightseeing..
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/18 12:36
In the case of the Tokyo Station Hotel, last trip I stayed in one of the cheapest rooms and in 2016 I got a free upgrade to one of the suites. The cheaper room was smaller and was not as awe inspiring as the suite but it was still really nice and the bed was super comfy. I was also still given wonderful service by the concierge and not treated like I was staying in one of the cheaper rooms. This trip I'm still in one of the cheaper rooms, but not quite as cheap as last time.

I've read reviews where people also talk about the Andaz and the Shangri-La. I know the Park Hyatt was in Lost in Translation. But I admit, after having two good experiences at the Tokyo Station Hotel they've won my loyalty for my splurge nights in Tokyo and I can not recommend it enough.
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/18 13:43
I've stayed at the Park Hyatt (Regency now) for about a week. The food in the restaurants is awesome but the rooms arent anything to write home about and the area is dreary. The park across the way is nice enough though especially during plum blossom time, and even the homeless people who live in it are very nice.

At Tokyo Station Hotel we have stayed in the rotunda rooms. They are smallish but nice with awesome bathrooms. It is a long way to walk though, a couple of hundred metres just to the lifts, and you really work up an appetite if you are going to the restaurants and bar at the other end. But we like it for the breakfasts (best ever!) and the ambiance, with the old photos and information throughout the place. The area it is in is pretty uninteresting, but because we only stay in Tokyo the night we arrive that doesnt bother us.
by Lazy Pious (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/18 20:02
Wow, thanks everybody for the replies, very helpful! I'll put the advice to good use.
by Higgz rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/6/25 23:07
Regarding the guided tour, you may check the website below:
https://triplelights.com/
by Hirohiroboy rate this post as useful

Re: Guided tours, luxurious accommodations 2018/8/30 21:18
In addition to all of the nice hotels mentioned, I would suggest to book a personal driver for Kyoto in order to avoid the packed busses and traffic jams on those routes - a TRUE luxury. I consider Kyoto a must-see for a polished first-timer to Japan for it's cultural importance.

A lot of the luxury shops on Ginza and Omote-sando are actually western brands and not particularly special in terms of japan-only exclusivity. I'd rather spend my time on discovering some art (niche museums, private tours), craft (session or studio visit for lacquerware, glass or pottery) or doing a tasting especially if spending time away from the job is the problem and not spending money.

There is also now at least one 5* sightseeing train with more planned by the JR regional companies in the fashion of the Oriental Express/Blue Train, but those might be hard to reserve.
by Mary (guest) rate this post as useful

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