Hi Sue.
Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. It is Mary-Ellen and It was my job to contact you about our trip.
I didn’t think that John would give enough superlatives.
Yes. We had an amazing time. You did an outstanding job on giving us an itinerary that met all our requests.
The timing from us was co-incidental but it was brilliant. The blossoms were magnificent. We hit peak blossom in Tokyo. And scored the fantastic Spring Festival in Takayama.
The hotels were a fabulous mix of luxury and interest from the old Kananaya Hotel in Nikko to the awesome Benesse House. The hotels in Hakone, Takayama and Kurashiki are all worthy of special mention. Did not wish to leave Gora Hanougi.
You put us in excellent locations, close to the points of our interest. Kurashiki was delightful and allowed us to visit the fabulous garden in Okayama. It was a lovely wind down as well.
We ate in a wide range of places from street food to high end at Hakone – that was fabulous.
We saw magnificent gardens, palaces, shrines of all size. We visited art galleries and museums and we walked and walked and walked.
You did an amazing tour for us. We loved the trains and the sometimes comical interactions to ascertain platforms and times. We missed a couple of connections but our longest wait was an hour. That is Japan. Absolutely fell in love with Japan. The cleanliness, the order and the courtesy. The Japanese must think we are gorillas by comparison.
So to finish. Many many thanks. We highly recommend the itinerary you put together for us and will are guaranteed to ask you to plan our next trip. (Not for a couple of years though!)
Very best wishes
Mary-Ellen and John