Japan Travel Agents & Reviews

We had a good trip overall and enjoyed all of the hotels our travel agent selected. Some of the guides, however, were not excellent. We were also surprised when the bullet train tickets delivered to our hotel were for the wrong destination. I'm so glad I checked this before we left Tokyo; the local agent was able to replace the tickets promptly, albeit not with first-class tickets. I had the unique experience of working with two Zicasso Japan specialists--this one for 12 days family time on Honshu and another for rural/nature exploring on Hokkaido. I therefore have a basis for comparison, and I can say that this agency was less careful or attentive to many details. Another example is that we did not receive a finalized itinerary with guide details before we left for Japan. That came only after I let the agency know about the train ticket problem. Also, our itinerary did not have any information in the Japanese language. This led to repeated problems with taxi drivers who didn't know where the (newish) hotel in Kyoto was. We needed that information in Japanese to facilitate transfers to and from the train station, etc. Seems like a significant oversight.

This was a five-night trip focused on nature, wildlife, rural, and agricultural places in northeastern Hokkaido. I enjoyed it very much. Zicasso's trip planner found a very good (female) guide to accompany me (traveling solo for this part of my time in Japan) through the region and I always felt safe. My trip planner was attentive to details. She was in touch with my local guide periodically. 

This part of Japan is exquisitely beautiful and I hope to return to take in still more wildlife and agricultural/rural areas. I loved all of the places we visited. My favorites were Bihoro Pass and Lake Kussharo, the village of Tsurui (near Kushiro) and the wildlife observation area at Onnenai, Lake Mashū, Shiretoko, the drive from Shiretoko to Memanbetsu Airport, and the drive from Lake Akan to Shiretoko.

After returning home from a month-long trip to Asia, I am still wowed by the service provided by the travel agency and our guides in Vietnam. Since this was our first visit to the country, I reached out to the agency for itinerary recommendations, and thankfully, I was connected with Albee. She was incredibly responsive before and during our trip, and she paired us with such knowledgeable and hospitable guides.

Our first guide during the trip hosted us in Hanoi and SaPa. We opted to stay a bit more off the beaten path at an ecolodge which we can highly recommend, which is about 30 minutes away from the SaPa village center. We let our guide know we were interested in learning more about the local culture and exploring the countryside, and wow, he delivered! 

We went on the most memorable hike through the rice terraces and stopped to chat with several villagers along the way. He knew everyone. On top of that, he taught us about local flora and customs while on the hike and then the bike ride. We are already looking forward to returning to the North and further exploring the Vietnam/China border, but only if we can do it with him! The mountains were truly the highlight of our trip, and it wouldn't have been possible without him as our guide. If you are lucky enough to add SaPa to your itinerary, do yourself a favor and request him.

Our guide in Saigon, which was the last leg of our Vietnam trip, was so accommodating to our changing needs. After a couple of weeks of travel, we arrived in Saigon wanting a more relaxing pace. She seamlessly made alternate arrangements for us that were a perfect end to the trip. The most hospitable moment from our entire trip to Asia came when we expressed an interest in visiting a local family. She immediately suggested that she and her family host us for lunch at their home in the Mekong Delta the next afternoon. This was such an unexpected yet memorable end to our time in Vietnam. Our guide’s and her family's hospitality were unmatched, and we were so fortunate to have her as our guide.

Zicasso's travel agent and his team put together an amazing two-week trip throughout Japan for our family of five. Every detail was thought of. The activities were so well-planned and unique with a private experience. We never felt like the places were gimmicky or touristy. Getting us tickets to the sought-after sumo tournament in Tokyo was a true highlight! Our agent made it happen. An Osaka futbol game was a memorable afternoon. Our agent made it so easy with all of the various transportation details to smoothly get around Japan. We are grateful for all the meticulous planning to make this a truly memorable trip for our family!

We had a great trip to Japan with this Zicasso travel company. We booked pretty late, so there wasn’t great flexibility in creating the itinerary, but the locations and activities chosen were excellent. The guides were professional and organized, and the transfers and other arrangements were pretty flawless.

We could have used more downtime/fewer guided hours on a long, two-week trip. Despite the internet hype, Japan is not hard to navigate, especially once you’re in country and can ask for help from your hotels. We didn’t need as much handholding (a person at the airport, a person to take us to the train station, etc). The experiences were excellent, though perhaps pricier than necessary.

All in all, it was a great trip that required little thinking on our part.

Our trip was seamless from start to finish. We were thoroughly impressed by the expertise and attentiveness of our local guides—their knowledge, perfectly timed tours, and the thoughtfully planned itinerary by the Zicasso trip planner made for an exceptional experience.