Our wonderful trip to Japan that you made possible for us, Thank you Han.
Tue, 15 Aug 2017
Dear Han,
We have not long arrived home from our wonderful trip to Japan that YOU made possible for us, THANK-YOU HAN.
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge your assisting my sister-in-law Jackie McKenzie, at very short notice in mid July, with transportation from her hotel to Narita airport.
Secondly, I would like to thank you for assisting our daughter Laura McCorkell, our older daughter, her partner and our infant grandson with tickets, domestic flights and other transfer arrangements independent of our travel arrangements.
Your attention to detail and professionalism ensured that things also went smoothly for my husband and myself, despite us managing to flatten the car battery on our first day in Niseko- a matter that was able to be rectified within 2 hours of notification!
Your recommendation to visit Yokohama was spot on, we absolutely loved Yokohama and even preferred it to Tokyo as a destination!
I trust you are able to forward my/our accolades to your manager/superior.
Should it be of assistance to you, I provide feedback below for future reference:
Although initially a little difficult to locate (due to lack of clear and visible signage in English), the meals at Nissho Besso in Kyoto were absolutely amazing. I only wish they had provided little labels in English though so that we could identify exactly what each delicious dish was that we were eating! We were not affected in any way whatsoever by the maintenance works that you had advised us of. The service there was absolutely impeccable!
Because it was a Tuesday (18 July) after the National holiday on the Monday 17 July, we were unable to visit the Golden Pavilion, Nijo Castle and Imperial Palace with the tour. As they were closed- the alternative tour that morning was l must admit, just a little disappointing as we could have visited them on another day with the tour during our stay in Kyoto.
Other than accommodation at Hotel Green Plaza Hakone, all of our accommodation had more than met our requirement. While the buffet meals at Hotel Green Plaza were very good, the room upgrade we supposedly received for their error in initially booking us a Smokers' room, was in our opinion not to the 4-star standard of all others we had experienced until then (and subsequently).
Regrettably our sightseeing of Mt. Fuji from there (and later of the lake and waterfall of the Nikko World Heritage from Tokyo) were dampened due to poor weather conditions- although hot and mostly humid in the initial weeks of our stay prior to Hakone, it did not hinder us in any way of our enjoyment of the sights and experiences at previous destinations.
It was fortuitous that we were unable to pre-purchase the Fuji-Hakone Pass- weather conditions forced both the sight-seeing boat and rope-way to be suspended, hence the Hakone Pass more than sufficed in these circumstances.
Sunrise tours operate a very professional service, with meeting places easy to locate, thanks to the much appreciated maps you included with our Itinerary.
Tours always started on time and most Guides were able to be understood. However when in larger groups, it became difficult at times to hear, among the busy and crowded streets of Japan, what the Guides were trying to say.
The use of microphones at Nikko overcame this problem immensely.
The lunches included with the Sunrise tours were quite good, especially that at Kobe at ANA Crown which was absolutely first-rate. However lunch on on Day 5 (after Himeji Castle) left a lot to be desired in comparison to all the others.
May I mention though, that at no time were we unwell or unable to enjoy any of the "foodie" experiences!
Our attendance at the Sumo wrestling was high on our list of things to experience while in Japan- thank you so much for securing these tickets for us (and for including the sushi-making class). Both such a highlight!!
All the best
Gloria McCorkell
