Customer Stories

“Hiro excellent and very thoughtful providing lots of special insights to culture and experiences and momento’s of our trip. Excellent and seamless transition between all transport and accommodations. Care free travel experience! Itinerary well balanced for different destination types and travel times between locations not too long.”

S. F. Sandringham, VIC

“Hiro was well spoken, exact and always on time. Fun to be with. Knowledgable. He loves his bananas!! Excellent arrangements all round, including rain stops and organising of alternative wet weather activities. The best of all worlds. Some culture, some sightseeing, some night life. The advantage of a guide is the short cuts. Fantastic meals and recommendations. Pretty much perfect.”

M.L. Sydney, NSW

“The tour was superbly organised and included a range of activities. It was a fantastic tour and highly enjoyable.”

M. and J.M-W Clontarf, NSW

“Overall tour arrangements were excellent. Summary in the morning and then a reminder at night for next day’s essential information. Very helpful. Lots of shopping opportunities. Thank you for organising no fish / raw food upon arrival.”

Y.L.C. Melbourne, VIC

“Tour coordinator had an excellent knowledge of history, regions of Japan, Japanese culture, modern life. We saw so many different things, many that you would never see on other tours. Wonderful food. Presentation was lovely. Fantastic variety of food and of displays. Thank you very much for the excellent level of service Satoko and Masa provided. Outstanding.”

L.K. and A.M.T. Bonnyrigg, NSW

“Enjoyed ‘Street to Gourmet’ food. Difficult to improve. Excellent tour coordinator and overall tour arrangements. Have already recommended to friends. Perhaps reduce Hiroshima lecture.”

G.W Sorrento, WA

“Hiro and Satoko are both such delightful people. They made the trip wonderful. Everything was planned so well which made it such a relaxing holiday. Every day was a little different with a few surprises thrown in. The Geisha was my highlight, but also loved Miyajima and Himeji Castle.”

A.R. Doncaster East, VIC

“The sheer beauty of the country and of course the cherry blossoms were highlights for me. The luggage arrangements were excellent and the bullet train exciting.”

J.H. Nicholls, ACT

“Loved all the special meals – even Chinese. And blossoms, blossoms, blossoms! Particularly enjoyed the Imperial Palace walk; evening walk in Higashiyama district, Philosophers’ Path walk; misty mountains, Miyajima Isle, Himeji Castle, Mt. Koya.”

C.B. Cremorne, NSW

“Overall tour arrangements were without fault. The pace of the tour was excellent and a key success of the tour. There are a lot of elements to a successful tour and this all worked so well to produce a great tour.”

D.H. North Narrabeen, NSW

“The most excellent tour – worth every cent. Glad we walked a bit to work off the calories!! Enjoyed everything.”

C.W. Brighton, VIC

“Overall tour arrangements were excellent, definitely Platinum standard. Particularly enjoyed street food opportunity occasionally. Loved the travel experience in Japan thanks to the careful, thoughtful effort of the JANESCO Travel team.”

H.N. Coal Point, NSW

“Hiro was a fantastic Guide. Always ready to help, command of English great – I would never be able to speak Japanese as well as he can English. Always organised and on time. Office staff were great in answering all our obscure requests before leaving Australia. Seen good range of old and new lifestyles. Enjoyed all. Pretty well our first taste of Asia. All meals great especially mama-san at farmhouse stay – amazing trout at breakfast. Hiroshima Peace Park very moving and sad, considering world peace now – do not leave out.”

L.R. Penrith, NSW

“Love the efficiency and time management of the railway system. The tour coordinator was extra genki! Always professional and lots of knowledge passed onto us. Tour arrangements were all good. No problems encountered, thank you for taking me to the chemist for cold and flu tablets. Particularly enjoyed the countryside and farmstay, Geisha dinner, Oirase and National Park, Cherry blossoms and snow!! We will come back for an Autumn Tour at some stage. Thank you Hiro for your guidance, knowledge and leadership on this tour”

P. and D.C. Goonellabah, NSW

“Hiro was fantastic, was easy to understand and very organised. He was always giving us best options to take. Janesco office staff were very good at responding to any questions we had. The tour had plenty of variety, between big cities and country scenery/ attractions. Good exposure to cultural aspects. Good mix of different styles of food. Always plenty of food to suit all tastes. Highlights were Geisha dinner in Kyoto, Oirase resort, Farmhouse stay, old villages in Kiso Valley, Kenrokuen Garden.”

M.R. Penrith, NSW

“Absolutely the best team of tour guides we have ever experienced. Never, ever lose the services of Hiro…quite outstanding!! Overall tour arrangements very capably done, both before and during the tour. Always told clearly the details for the following day. Excellent choices of countryside, city and country, varying climates and seasonal garden displays, local crafts, history and culture were well chosen. Again the variety of Japanese food was appreciated, plus some free nights for own choice. A first class experience for Australian travellers who otherwise would be scared to cope with communication in Japan on their own, or with lesser guides. We have travelled around the world many times but rarely have we had better tour guides than Hiro and Masa of JANESCO.”

Colin and Jenny W. Shoreham, VIC

“Transport was very efficient. Seemed seamless to us but we know great effort done behind the scenes. Masa is highly knowledgeable. Kind, caring and went to extraordinary efforts to make our holiday enjoyable. Excellent overall tour arrangements. Very happy. Masa is best tour guide we have ever encountered in our many years of travel. Best itinerary available to Australians travelling in Japan.”

Jan and John P. Rochedale QLD

“Great variety which gave overall picture of Japan. Everything worked well and met expectations. Good to experience so many different forms of transport. Punctuality of all transport was impressive. Hiro was always helpful and friendly – language excellent and local knowledge/information very good. Nice to be able to experience local food from each area – good to usually select and buy our own lunches.

Bullet trains were outstanding, buses all good when used. The tour utilised transport options extremely well. Masa is one of the best guides we have had on all our organised group travels, very keen to do anything to make our travelling experience a pleasure. The tour itinerary was excellent and reason for us selecting this tour. Our optional tours including Geisha night were all excellent. Group meals were very good. Selection of Japanese food was great.”

MBrian and Bev H. Southbank QLD

“Overall a really good tour – well planned and well led. Loved countryside –Rice paddies, Oirase river, ryokan. Enjoyed people, potters, accommodation excellent, Hiroshima mind blowing. Liked Japanese food and choice at breakfast.”

Judith C. Yarralumla, ACT

“Loved it all. Lots of WOW moments in this beautiful country. Never any problems. Pace was just right, I was worried that it might be too fast. Japanese meal experiences were excellent.”

Margaret S. Downer ACT

“Full of variety, activity. Expertly conducted. Perfect for me. Loved Sapporo, the magnificent walk through Oirase Gorge, Kiso valley night at traditional inn, Kyoto, Imari village, Shiraoi protokotan Ainu outdoor museum, Shirakawago Ogimachi. Thanks for the excellent holiday and opportunity to experience Japan in every way.”

Carolyn C. Jerrabomberra NSW

“All arrangements worked like clockwork. To see so much of Japan in a sort time was an achievement. Masa was always available to us and displayed excellent organisation and knowledge. His English language knowledge was remarkable.”

Graham and Elaine F. Corlette NSW

“Overall tour arrangements were excellent thanks to the expertise of Masa who saw that we were fully informed of features of each stop and ensured that we dined at suitable places and ordered appropriate food. I would recommend JANESCO to my friends and would suggest that they ask for Masa to be their tour guide.”

Margaret W. Blakehurst NSW

“Highlights were seeing a traditional Japanese wedding, Driving through national park in Sapporo and seeing snow and visiting and experiencing food and way of life in a Japanese home.”

Owen and Gail M. Woodvale WA

“Brilliant time efficiency. Tour escorts were excellent throughout tour. Fantastic tour arrangements. All went so smoothly. Itinerary, excellent having with mostly over 2 nights. Kanazawa City and tour to mountain thatched village, stood out.”

M. S. Cheltenham, NSW

“All very good. Great experience going on bullet trains. Coachs good too. Tour escorts were very good, especially Masayuki Kitamura. Tour arrangements, no problems. All the places we wanted to visit. Pace, just right. All meals we have had have been excellent. Hotels excellent. All places visited will stay in our memories.”

C. & E. W. Castle Hill NSW

“Masayuki was very good, guiding us to many good food venues and places of interest. We enjoyed the cable car ride, Hiroshima – Peace Memorial, Museum – excellent, Kanazawa – Geisha district. The beautiful Kenrokuen Gardens. Thatched roof village was excellent.”

J & D. C. Epping NSW

“All very good. Great experience going on bullet trains. Coaches good too. Tour escorts were very good, especially Masayuki. Tour arrangements, no problems. All the places we wanted to visit. Pace, just right. All meals we have had have been excellent. Hotels excellent. All places visited will stay in our memories.”

C. & E. W. Castle Hill NSW

“Transport – very comfortable and luxurious. Overall tour arrangements went well. Good pace considering the age group difference. The meals were good and good introduction to Japanese culture. I enjoyed the closeness of the groups and how we all saw and experience Japan together.”

L S. & A F. Annangrove NSW

“Top comfort. Enjoyed trains! Excellent guides. Masa most helpful and caring guide. Arrangements all ran smoothly. Itinerary was perfect. Highlights were Torri Gate and gardens. Satoko – Thank you for all your organising to make it a perfect trip.” 

N. R. Castle Hill NSW

“Gardens in Ohara, Takayama and Shirakawago, Wajima were all very pleasant. Really good to get away from the big cities. Overall the tour was excellent an exceeded expectations – will definitely recommend Janesco to others. Manae was a wonderful tour coordinator. Very helpful and knowledgable. Really enjoyed Ohara and Kenrokuen gardens. Enjoyed the freedom of choosing different restaurants. I thought the trip was great.”

J. and J.S. Burradoo, NSW

“Loved the variety of places, modes of transport and accommodation locations. Have already recommended Janesco to close friends! We enjoyed our trip very much. Jim and Jan C. referred us and we enjoyed our trip very much.”

C. and R.M. Milsons Point, NSW

“Manae has an excellent knowledge of Japan and very good English vocabulary and understanding. She has a nice sense of humour and understands westerners. She is also sophisticated as a traveller herself which adds to her ability to be a very good guide. She went out of her way to help the guests with our individual needs and addressed specific requests very helpfully and efficiently. I have been to Japan twice before this tour and was able to enjoy new experiences even in some of the same places. Good balance of group tour and free time for personal exploration”

M. and E.P. MA, USA

“The well run Japanese transport system together with excellent organisation by Y. made for trouble free travel. Overall tour arrangements, no hitches – all went well – all our requirements were catered for. Itinerary was well balanced between city and country experiences. Traditional meals were a great experience.”

Mike W.
Bateau Bay

“The balance of city and country along with temples and gardens was excellent. The tour ran smoothly, toilet stops and food stops were very well timed. Traditional Japanese meals were a wonderful experience. Street food was always available. What stood out – The Maiko dinner, the Golden Pavilion, the cherry blossoms, the care and patience of our fabulous guide Y and the thoughtfulness of the Japanese people.”

Tricia W.
Bateau Bay, NSW

“When and if my wife and I make another tour of Japan, we would use only JANESCO Travel. Particularly enjoyed visit to Nozawa, Nagano which was majestic with the snow fall making the landscape a picture.”

Theo W.
Hawthorn, VIC

“Y. (tour escort) was excellent. She provided historical knowledge in an interesting way and was unfailingly courteous. I feel as though we have experienced both country and city Japan. Most enjoyable! The volume of food was enormous and the taste was varied and palate pleasing. The cherry blossoms were amazing and I particularly enjoyed Sakura, Nozawa onsen and Himeji castle. It was just fantastic. My daughter and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Susan P.
Childers, QLD

“Always good humoured, Y organised a smooth flowing tour, enjoyable for everyone. Visiting Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto was a highlight for me but time there too short I felt.“

Jacqueline D.
Killcare NSW

“Everything went so smoothly. No hassles- even in big crowds. Learnt lots of historical facts. We sampled a bit of everything – food, customs, culture etc. Had plenty of time to see everything on offer. Had a chance to sample foods that I haven’t had the opportunity to do so before.”

Susan B.
Karrinyup, WA

“Size of our group was very good and accommodation standards also good. Y, our tour escort, ensured every aspect of our tour was very enjoyable. She is knowledgeable, efficient and helpful. Always polite and friendly. We could not have wished for more.”

Adrienne S.
Mt Waverley,VIC

“Our hotels were great in all locations. Our Ryokan/ Onsen experience was unforgettable. Our tour was seamless and all negotiations with train departures and arrival of luggage perfect. We feel that we have seen so much of Japan and the island of Honshu. Every day was a surprise and full of excitement. I have no doubt in recommending JANESCO to our friends.”

Robyn A.
Brighton VIC

“Both T. and M. contributed greatly to us having a wonderful time in Japan. Could not fault the organisation and attention to detail. The variety of food was fantastic and the quality and presentation superb. Every meal was a culinary experience par excellence.”

B.S.

“Excellent. Absolutely wonderful. Everything was organised with first class efficiency. The variety of our itinerary was incredible both interesting, original, innovative and totally enjoyable giving a 1st time visitor great insight o a wonderful country. Every day was an exciting new day of treasures and new experiences. “

JC

“This was my first group tour and it more than exceeded my expectations, due largely to T’s “can-do” attitude…for variety of activities, assistance along the way and value for money, I will certainly be recommending JANESCO to my family and friends. “

JR

“Very well managed. So much to do, I was very happy to have the experiences offered, very enjoyable. I loved the Shinkansen, I wish we had one at home. Buses were excellent and so were the drivers.”

CC

“We were looked after beautifully. Timetables went very smoothly. Wonderful variety of activities. All the included meals were very generous in volume.“

DR

“Very well organised and always had available highlighted maps. Itinerary: well rounded and adapted to our special interests.”

JL

“The tour covered a wide variety of arts and crafts as well as historical sights. Villages were beautiful. There was no part of that I didn’t enjoy.”

LL 

“Everything was well planned. Great variety of meals. Thoroughly enjoyed every event and stopover, especially hands on opportunities.”

RD