Great tours, tour guide and taste experiences of Tokyo
A tour company we used in South Korea recommended Novaland Tours to us, and we contacted them about 2.5 months before our June 19-20, 2025 stay in Tokyo after our cruise. Melody was our Tailor-Made Tour Specialist, and she was extremely helpful and super fast replying with recommendations about where to go and what to see, and modifying them according to our wishes. Motoki Watanabe san's was our absolutely outstanding tour guide - his English is excellent - as he drove us in comfort to and explained about: the Meiji Jingu Shrine, Koshikawa Korakuen Garden, Shibuya Crossing, the faithful dog Hachiko statue, and then he showed us how to go on our own for dinner to the Tokyo Sumo Entertainment Show with Chicken Hot Pot (very highly recommended) - a 5 minute walk from our hotel (The Gate Asakusa Kaminarimon by HULIC) on the first day, and then on the second day to: the Sensoji Temple (across the street from our hotel), the Nakamise Shopping Street (on the way to the Temple), going up to the Main Deck of and walking around the Tokyo Tower, walking around the Ginza area for shopping, and driving around the Imperial Palace and Imperial Palace Plaza - we were too tired and it was too hot to walk around these sights on the 2nd day. Going to Shogun Burger made with Wagyu beef was a delicious lunch stop. Motoki san also showed us how to get to the Yakatabune Cruise with Dinner (Odaiba Skytree Course), which we enjoyed, also. This was an 11-minute walk from our hotel. We very, very highly recommend that you request Motoki Watanabe san as your experienced, knowledgeable tour guide. We had also arranged for Novaland to get us to Narita International Airport, which was a little over an hour from our hotel. Ken san was a wonderful driver, too.
May 2025 • Family
We recently completed a multi-city trip across Japan and South Korea with Novaland Tours, and it was truly a fantastic experience from start to finish!
From the initial planning stages to the final airport drop-off, everything was exceptionally well organised. Our travel coordinator, Melody, was responsive, patient, and incredibly helpful, tailoring the itinerary to meet our group’s preferences and ensuring every detail was accounted for.
The local guides were knowledgeable and friendly, the transportation was punctual and comfortable, and the accommodations were well-located and of great quality. We particularly appreciated how smoothly everything ran — it made the trip completely stress-free and allowed us to just focus on enjoying ourselves.
This was our first time using Novaland, and it certainly won’t be the last. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for a personalised, seamless, and well-executed travel experience.
Thank you, Melody and the Novaland team, for an unforgettable journey!
Dear Doris:
Thank you so much for your excellent assistance in putting our Kyoto itinerary together. Everything worked out and we loved our day in this special city. Our tour guide was just darling and accommodated our needs and wishes beautifully.And we certainly appreciate you discovering that we had been given wrong information about our Osaka docking port!
Wonderful job! We are appreciative and indebted.
The Heiner Family
Thank you so much Doris.We had a great trip. Thank you so much for your wonderful arrangement for us.
1=poor, 2=fair, 3=good, 4=very good,5=excellent
Aspect | Mark(1-5) | Advice or Remark | |
Travel Consultant | 5 |
| |
Guides | Command of English | 4 |
|
Knowledge of Subjects | 4 |
| |
Ability of Explain | 4 |
| |
Attitude | 5 |
| |
Flexibility | 5 |
| |
Drivers and Cars |
|
| |
Hotels | Location | 4 |
|
Comfort | 5 |
| |
Sights or Activities | Worthiness of Visit | 5 |
|
Meet Your Interests? | 5 |
| |
Too Tight or Too Loose? |
|
| |
Meals | 5 |
| |
Public Transportation (train, flight, cruise, etc.) | 5 |
| |
Any Other Aspect |
|
| |
Overall Score of the Whole Package | 4 |
| |
[17:32, 13/6/2025] Rae VJ146183: Hi there, the trip’s been great! Our tour guide & driver, Nori-san (Mr Ota) has been amazing!
Thank you for everything!
Emily
1=poor, 2=fair, 3=good, 4=very good,5=excellent
Aspect | Mark(1-5) | Advice or Remark | |
Travel Consultant | 5 | Thank you for all the work and correspondence! | |
Mr. Seiya & Mr. Marco | Command of English | 4 |
|
Knowledge of Subjects | 5 |
| |
Ability of Explain | 5 |
| |
Attitude | 5 |
| |
Flexibility | 5 |
| |
Drivers and Cars for airport transfers | 5 |
| |
Hotels | Location | 5 |
|
Comfort | 5 |
| |
Sights or Activities | Worthiness of Visit | 5 |
|
Meet Your Interests? | 5 |
| |
Too Tight or Too Loose? | 4 | We had too many things planned for the day in Seoul. We decided to skip the tower/sky car at the end because of the long wait. We didn’t know how much walking would be required and my elderly mother couldn’t do all of it. | |
Meals | 5 |
| |
Public Transportation (train, flight, cruise, etc.) | 5 |
| |
Any Other Aspect |
|
| |
Overall Score of the Whole Package | 5 |
| |