Japan Travel Agents & Reviews

Four fellow travelers and I recently completed a customized fall tour in Japan. While there, we traveled from Tokyo to the Fuji, Kyoto, and Kanazawa areas. This was one of several tours organized for me by Zicasso agents. Although they have all been excellent, our agent was the most accommodating in terms of service and special requests. 

The Ryokan accommodation she booked for us on Lake Kawaguchiko was out-of-this-world, with a magnificent view of Mount Fuji from our balcony. 

She allowed us to leave her tour temporarily to pursue a special interest. She provided us with excellent guides in each region and arranged for them to deliver our group, which was somewhat overwhelmed by the Japanese train system, right to the door of the railway cars and have someone meet us when stepping off at the next location. She organized short-notice requests in terms of ground transport without missing a beat.

Her efficiency and response time while planning the trip were incredible, especially since I was on Canadian time and she on British. I would highly recommend her for her great skill in customizing Zicasso tours to meet your wishes and special needs.

Overall, we had a great time. First, I want to thank our Zicasso travel consultant, who helped us plan an itinerary that met all of our needs. She was very prompt and incorporated our feedback.

Overall, Zicasso’s travel company did a pretty good job of planning the trip. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. The spacing of the events on the itinerary was well-balanced, with a good mix of activities and free time!

The South Korea portion of our trip was flawless, with excellent guides and events planned for each day. Our local tour guides knew to change the itinerary when they noticed there was a chance to optimize timing for certain events to avoid crowds or that we were doing too many activities that were similar, which was excellent!

One point of feedback: Key transfers were missed (eg, We were expected to find our own way out of Hakone to get to the train station to Tokyo, only to find out the night before that taxis were refusing to come out to our hotel for fares because it was too far, and the hotel didn’t offer any good solutions. We were very lucky that our wonderful tour guide for Hakone offered to drive us at the last minute, otherwise we would’ve missed the train and our subsequent booked teamLab Planets and food tour in Tokyo.)

From our arrival to our departure, everything was fantastic! When we travel within the States, we do our own research and planning. However, we knew nothing about Japan (our daughter pushed for this trip). We decided to go “old school”, with a travel agent. We found ours through Zicasso.

The travel agents were great to work with and very responsive to emails. The itinerary was great and having guides for most of our excursions made everything so much more enriching. Especially when it came time for lunch. They know the best places!

We were a little worried about being there over the holidays, but we had no issues, with the exception of the crowds around Hakone for the Ekiden relay race.

Our guide created a slightly modified plan for our day trip in Hakone National Park to avoid road closures so we didn’t miss a thing. It was also a little stressful making sure we could make it back to Tokyo for our return flight with road closures and taxi/bus availability, but everything worked out perfectly with Japan’s wonderful train system.

We would definitely work with Zicasso's travel partner again.

The communication between our family and Zicasso’s travel agency was exceptional. We felt confident and comfortable traveling to a country we’d never been to before due to their efficient, detailed, and timely responses. At one point, just before we left, we sent a list of restaurant reservations we made on our own, outside our itinerary. Our agent checked our flights in relation to the time of our reservation and the distance from the hotel to the restaurant, letting us know that based on recent flight delays, we may not make our dinner reservation and would be charged a 100% cancellation fee by the restaurant. We thought this deep analysis into our plans and the “heads up” were a great example of the level of detail that went into our trip planning.

Each excursion was thoughtfully planned and valuable/memorable. We would not have missed a single one, with the exception of one tour at the very end of our trip when our guide was not as strong as the others had been.

We liked that we started with Tokyo and then traveled the country from that starting point because we liked the other cities much more. Because we started in Tokyo, we didn’t really know any differently.

Though it was low season in Japan, I would not travel there again in the summer months. It was just too hot and humid for me. Our other family members did not mind the heat as much as I did.

We would use our travel company’s services again and recommend them to our friends and family without hesitation.

I communicated with Zicasso’s travel agent pre-pandemic as we originally planned the Japan trip for summer 2020. After a long time, I reached out to Zicasso again and the local travel agents were booked. The only one available was none other than the agent I had contacted initially. I knew it would be easier as we had a sample travel itinerary from 2020. I just had to notify him that we were now traveling with my dad and stepmom. He easily accepted the challenge and I am happy I chose him again. He was attentive and conscientious about our needs and wants. He was flexible and did not mind my multiple questions throughout the process, even up to the last minute. He promised we would be taken care of each step of the way and, yes, he did deliver. The payment process was very easy. Everything regarding what to expect was laid out in the plan.

Our guide from NRT airport to Tokyo Shibuya waited for us despite the long immigration queue. It took over an hour to clear customs and immigration. I was nervous as the train departure time was approaching. The guide didn’t leave. She patiently waited for us and got us on the train, with resting time to spare. The taxi ride to the hotel and the stay were excellent and efficient.

On the way to the Shibuya station and the Kyoto bullet train, our guide waited for us to cross the Shibuya crossing for the very first time. She showed us where to buy snacks and food for the trip, and let us choose ekiben.

Our travel agent met us at Kyoto station. It was great to meet him. We did not even have to look, he was right outside the train door and even recognized us. He gave us an excellent history of the places we visited.

Our guide for the Arashiyama area gave us enough time to go to each spot. She even climbed with us to the monkey park and generously bought the peanuts for my daughter to feed the monkeys.

Our guide for Osaka and Nara saved us money on train rides. He was efficient and fun. He gave excellent recommendations for food and sake, and where to buy tea and a calligraphy paintbrush handcrafted in Japan. He took us to experience traditional sushi. My dad liked it very much!

The guide who picked us up from Tokyo station showed us the Meiji shrine, Harajuku, Ginza, and where to have ramen close to the hotel. She was flexible, showed us plenty of food options, accommodated what we wanted to do, and moved around the tour schedule. She was also our guide for the Tsukiji market, sushi making, Asakusa, and the Tokyo Skytree. She was always offering to help.

Another guide took us from the hotel to the airport and helped us to check in. I had trouble with my check-in luggage, but since she was there, it was fixed without a hassle. She did not leave us until all were cleared and ready to get to the security line.

All the guides were excellent, patient, flexible, and accommodating. Throughout the tours, they all asked if there was anything else we would like to do, see, eat, or buy. They were all very attentive to our needs, always offering to help my dad and stepmom, especially with the transfers from hotels to stations and back. They are both over 65. The great thing is that they are both active and kept up with us with ease.

Zicasso’s travel agent and his team were outstanding. Thank you for being so patient and accommodating with our requests. It was a pleasure working with someone who was so knowledgeable and professional. The accommodations you chose were perfect and exactly what we were looking for. The detail given to us in the itinerary was impeccable.

Zicasso’s travel agency crafted a 12-day tour of Japan for my rising college sophomore nephew and me. It was his first trip and his choice to go to Japan, and my fourth visit. The agency was incredibly attentive to our interests, including getting tickets to the Osaka soccer team. We enjoyed each of the guides we had in many cities and all of the great transportation they found to satisfy my nephew's interest in urban planning and urban transportation. I highly recommend their services.

They were knowledgeable and full of suggestions, including a bookstore that focused on architecture in Japan. We were fortunate to have chosen this company to plan our trip. All of the train tickets, plane tickets, hotel, and dinner reservations were absolutely in order and we never had to call the home base while we were there to check on anything.