Japan with Journeys East

My husband, Albert, and I highly recommend touring Japan with Journeys East (Middletown, CA; 800/527-2612, www.journeyseast.com). We’ve taken their in-depth “Farmhouse to Teahouse” tour twice, in October ’04 and ’09, and the second time around it was, if possible, even better.

The places we went, so carefully selected, the way we went — all the logistics handled smoothly on trains, buses and taxis, without a care on our part — and the overall tone of respect and appreciation for the culture were A+++!

Warning: don’t expect a laid-back, lots-of-free-time, read-three-novels-while-you’re-gone trip! This tour tours!

At $5,485 per person (land only) for two weeks, this might seem like an expensive tour, but the cost/value ratio is very high because almost everything is included except a couple of meals and your drinks (which came to a little over $200 for the two of us).

Those needing special accommodations (for dietary restrictions or allergies, for example) were taken care of throughout.

We had fun, learned a lot and experienced many things few travelers ever get to (sumo, bonsai gardens, Gion Odori, special museums and temples, etc.). It was little short of perfect!

SARAH BREWSTER

Woodacre, CA