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Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers  

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6 Reviews

5 out of 5

Reviews

Japan without the crowds

Maybe you have been to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and come home loving Japan but feeling you have missed the natural beauty and any sense of the real Japan away from tourist attractions. Or maybe, you have always wanted to visit but don’t like crowds and regimented itineraries. If so, this trip is for you.
We explored a quieter area of Japan at ground level, on buses, trams, local and fast trains, ferry and yes, on foot and by bicycle. Some days were challenging, so it’s definitely for those who love an active life. But other days were fascinating, charming and awe-inspiring as we walked in the footsteps of princesses and warriors (wear socks!) and saw Mother Nature’s raw volcanic power up close (bring sturdy shoes).
There’s a lot of travelling on this trip, but the landscapes are so lovely I finally understood the old maxim – better to travel than to arrive.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking around Setoda town on Ikuchi island looking at deserted temple sites and watching the sun going down over the Inland Sea we had cycled across earlier in the day. The perfect end to a fun day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ayako was a super ambassador for Japan, as well as a really well organised tour leader. She went out of her way to help us with dinner and activity recommendations so we enjoyed our free time to the fullest. She also kept us to schedule on and off all that transport and gave us confidence to explore on our own. I really enjoyed the little history talks she gave us, and appreciated the time she must have put in to research them for us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Unless you're a v regular cyclist, consider an ebike for the Kaido cycle. It makes short work of the steep hills up to the bridges, and you can always switch the motor off for the rest of the ride. I'm not a cyclist, but even I absolutely loved crossing the long high and wide bridges slung across the islands. Unmissable.

Japan in all it’s glory

This was one of the best tours I have been on. The itinerary was fantastic… Travelling through the Japanese islands and doing activities like hiking or cycling and visiting small villages was amazing. Our tour leader Ayako was delightful… always attentive and ensuring everyone was having a good time and able to complete the activities. She had to ensure that we always arrived on time for the trains, trams or buses, and also guide us through different sites with full explanations. She had done her to research ahead of time and as well versed at every site. Our group bonded well and we had lots of laughs.
All in all… 5 stars! ⭐️

Most Inspirational Moment

The food and the cleanliness

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ayako is a natural leader and tour guide - always attentive, knowledgeable and her navigation through the lesser known areas of Japan, and timeliness was impressive.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are several options available in Japan, but if you want one with more physical activity, less crowds, surrounded by the natural beauty of the islands then this is for you.

Action-packed and exhilarating adventure in less-visited Japanese islands

Dorian and Kit enjoyed a mixture of fast trains, buses, hill-walking, cycling, exploring countryside and visiting historic castles, small towns as well as cities. Action-packed, but with time to chill out and absorb Japanese culture and the way of life, especially the intriguing local food. With raw fish often on the menu even at breakfast, it’s not for the conservative taste, but we loved the variety on offer. However, the hotel breakfasts included western staples such as toast and scrambled eggs for the unadventurous. The hotels provided comfy beds, and even futons in one traditional place. We learned to respect the Japanese way of life, for example not to be noisy on a local bus where we annoyed the driver!

Most Inspirational Moment

Impossible to pick just one, there were inspiring moments every day. For example: cycling across high bridges between islands; climbing through different zones of vegetation and reaching the summit of demanding Mt Yufu; seeing steam bubbling from thermal pools; being revitalised by the cherry blossoms in historic Nagasaki after visiting the sobering atomic bomb museum.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ayako was a great leader: caring for everyone, calm, well-organised, knowledgeable and keen to impart information. We appreciated the group and individual photos she shared via the WhatsApp group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack light, you will only have a back-pack, not your main luggage on any of the trains or buses, it will already have been sent ahead to the next hotel.

Japan adventure

Excellent guide. Good food. Varied forms of travel. Good accomodation. A variety of activities and experiences and cities and towns. Good value overall.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to pick a single moment. The people of Japan perhaps.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. Very attentive. Always bright and cheerful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take the trip.

Bathing in the wonders of Japan

Superb leader, luxurious onsens, testing hiking, dramatic biking on superb bikes, more trains than Michael Portillo, and raw fish with an occasional snail to eat

Most Inspirational Moment

Trains that arrive and depart on time from an absolutely spotless litter free station

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ayako was a superb logistician, very knowledgeable, an excellent communicator and a good friend

Advice for Potential Travellers

Seize every onsen opportunity - especially being buried in hot sand and also lying on a bed of herbs in a roasting steamy cave!

Move away from the hustle & Bustle of Japan and explore the Lesser known Islands - A proper adventure!

Immerse yourself in the various Onsens & Public baths, cycle, Hike and explore using mostly public transport! This trip had a little bit of everything, you felt like you were getting to see the real Japan, away from the bright lights. Having said that, we still saw some larger towns such as Nagasaki, Fukuoka (at the end of the trip) and Osaka (just one night at the start) so you do feel like you have scratched the itch of everything whilst not hanging around in one place for too long. After a busy day, you could relax in the hotels hot baths or swimming pool, it does take a little getting used to as a Brit who isn’t used to Onsens but once you do it’s an amazing post day relaxation. We saw the start of the Chery Blossom season having gone in late March early April so it was great seeing them bloom the further south we travelled. The food was so fresh and reasonably priced too – Overall as my first time travelling Japan, I absolutely loved it and will definitely be going back.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling blissfully along the Shimanami Kaido, we had stunningly sunny weather which definitely helped but the route, although along some roads (can't be helped sometimes) was a lovely change of scenary! The hotel we stayed at the previous night was also a highlight for me, the Hotel Cycle which was a great introduction for what was to come.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ayako was amazing, she was very informative, went out of her way to ensure we had restaurant options every night and that all our needs were catered for. She was proud to show us her country and also curious to learn about ours along the way.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a level 3 trip, so it's busy and the cycling and hiking days can be tough, depending on your fitness level. You mostly pack up a little bag and send your larger bag on to the next hotel so pack light, and be prepared to unpack a big bag and re-pack the bags. Sending the big bags along takes some time so even though you might be at a hotel for two nights, you could only have your big bag for one of those nights before you have to send it to the next hotel - Be prepared, I took so many clothes I didn't need so less if definitely more on this trip.