Boutique Japan, Livingston TX

Boutiqe Japan did a great job putting together a trip that covered a broad activity base and satisfied a group of 9 people from age 9 to 75. The country was very easy to navigate and Boutique Japan had help available in all the right places. The trip was fantastic and the people and culture were impressive to say the least. We left one phone on the subway and one in a taxi…both returned to us! Every guide was great. My personal favorite tour was the food tour in Tokyo. The kids (and adults) favorite activity was the water excursion at Zenagi. It was amazing to climb, jump and float in such crystal clear waters! The city hotels were both very nice but the three smaller lodges were all special in their own ways and I personally preferred them to the city. The baseball game was a cultural treat and a welcome break from the heat. Every guide was extremely friendly and accomodating, I can't say that one stood out above the rest as they were all great. The food at Hoshinoya Fuji was likely everyone's favorite, we did one night in the lodge and one cooking on our own balconies.both amazing. I am so glad we chose a night in a Ryokan as it was a true immersion in their culture and the spas a delight. I would love to return hopefully someday soon!

Overall, our trip exceeded my very high expectations and we had a truly wonderful visit to Japan. As expected, I found Japan disorienting and exhilarating so having detailed plans and guides was invaluable in helping us to navigate our trip. You can never expect to see and do *everything* in the amount of time we had, but we put together an ambitious, action-packed schedule that enabled us to see a lot in a relatively small amount of time.

The logistics of this trip were flawless and seamless. Cars were exactly on time. Minders were exactly where they were supposed to be. The luggage forwarding service was perfect. And our guides really made our vacation. I don't know what we would have done without them. Even though we are resourceful people, being foreigners in Japan with no ability to speak the language, would have been too much for us to handle on our own and would have resulted in a greatly diminished experience.

For all of these reasons, I would not hesitate to recommend Boutique Japan to anyone planning a trip to Japan, and we are already thinking about our next visit!

Boutique Japan could not have given us a more perfect trip to Japan. Traveling with our 16 year old granddaughter, we not only visited all the best sights but additionally enjoyed a cooking class, biked throughout Kyoto for a day, climbed to see an unreconstructed castle, dressed up as geishas, and so much more. Boutique Japan was available to us 24-7. Our accommodations were ideal and we were fortunate to have food guides who introduced us to amazing restaurants and cuisine we'd never have found on our own. We can't recommend Boutique Japan highly enough.

Boutique Japan is an outstanding company with a highly knowledgeable team who clearly take pride in planning amazing trips to Japan.

My wife and I spent 17 days in Japan in November/December 2022, soon after COVID restrictions had lifted. We had postponed our trip for a couple years and decided to work with Boutique Japan to make the most of our time in Japan. With their expert planning and guidance, our vacation exceeded our expectations in every way. This was our first experience working with a travel company, as we had previously planned all our own trips. I’m so glad that we made the decision to work with Boutique Japan, because our trip was much more nuanced and well-rounded than I thought possible. Every day was filled with new sights and experiences that were catered to our personal interests and travel style.

This was our first experience having personal guides throughout the trip and Boutique Japan works with amazing guides and local experts all over Japan. Our guides were friendly, experienced, and knew how to navigate busy attractions as well as off the beaten path gems that we never would’ve experienced on our own. The relationships made with each of the guides added volumes to our experience and provided some of our best memories from the trip.

From the initial planning stages, working with Roni and Piper, their enthusiasm and experience shone through, and I could tell we were in good hands. The trip itself ran seamlessly, with travel, lodging and event tickets all coming together without any stress once the trip arrived, allowing us to enjoy our time while all the details of the trip confidently arranged. Their itinerary exceeded our expectations, with extensive thought put into the details.

I would absolutely travel with Boutique Japan again and I’m happy to give them the highest recommendation. I have the utmost trust and confidence in Boutique Japan after our experience working with them, and I can’t thank them enough for planning the trip of a lifetime for me and my wife.

We originally contacted Boutique Japan back in 2019 to plan a trip for May 2020, and we had everything booked and ready to go when the world shut down. Obviously that trip didn't happen when planned, but Andres and team went far above and beyond for THREE YEARS to keep us informed about how things were changing in Japan and when we might be able to take our trip. Finally in May 2023 we left for our 12-day custom planned trip. We are travelers and usually plan on our own, but Japan felt a little less approachable, not to mention time-consuming planning for people with demanding jobs. We were nervous to trust someone else, but we shouldn't have been- we picked the experts. Andres and team made our trip memorable, fun, informative, and easy to navigate from start to finish. From the Tokyo bike tour to the Kyoto cultural hikes, from sumo wrestling to relaxing in a traditional onsen, from exploring ancient temples with a guide to immersive modern art experiences on Naoshima, and from a wild sake tour in Osaka to all the ramen we could eat, every bit of the trip was no less than outstanding. On top of all that, we got to met Andres, after all that time planning with him, by coincidence in Kyoto as he and his team were there seeing personally to details for a large group. I cannot express how grateful we are for the way Boutique Japan took care of us, not just in planning or in the trip but also in all the years between, and gave us a trip we'll remember for the rest of our lives. Sincere thank you to to all of them.

Jeri and I had a spectacular time in Japan! It was so well planned by Boutique Japan and everything came off without a glitch. We really liked the variety of guides. We had amazing experiences and loved the Japanese culture. Wherever we were people were so helpful kind and friendly. The safe feeling when there and the cleanliness was beyond anywhere we have ever been.

Very nice choice of hotels. What a unique experience using a monorail to get to our room at Benesse House! Loved the Shinkansen and we actually had a lot of fun and got pretty good at figuring out the subway daily when in Tokyo. We had a few missteps occasionally but it added to the fun.

We thought the trip was well planned and timing for trains and guides was great! Also when our last train was cancelled it was very comforting to be called and assisted with the change. We think we had just the right amount of guiding — kept plenty busy when we were on our own! Thanks so much for a seamless and beautiful vacation!

Thank you for a memorable trip! The guides were terrific, and were particularly good at engaging my kids’ interests. The itinerary was varied and active, and our week there flew by. Thank you for helping my family create wonderful lasting memories!

We had an excellent experience in Japan with the superb assistance of Boutique Japan. Their attention to detail was astonishing, and they went out of their way to give us a great holiday. These are bespoke itineraries, so they are not cheap, but we got very good value for money, with the right type of accommodation and mix of activities. We are already planning another holiday with them. I could not recommend Andres and his team more highly. (We travelled from Australia as a couple in spring, 2023.)

To say that I had the trip of a lifetime is an understatement. All the hotels were fantastic with amazing services, and I have to say, the guides were the icing on the cake. All of them were very knowledgeable and were able to provide us with additional information based on their own experience. They were all so lovely and happy to change the planned itinerary to fit our specific interest. They were able to respond to our endless questions and took us to their favorite little restaurants and bars for a true Japanese experience (on our own, I know there are some we would not have tried). All the travel and transfers were so well organised. Even Mount Fuji, who was completely covered by clouds when we arrived, decided to show himself in all his glory the following day. I have only one word: THANK YOU so much Boutique Japan and you Piper for making my dream come true.

Really happy with my experience with Boutique Japan. They had a flexible policy when COVID canceled our trip and we had to reschedule. It was amazing to simply say I want to a tea farm, or take a cooking class and Boutique Japan did the rest. The hotels they booked were all amazing and in central spots close to transit and yummy food. One even had a view of Mt. Fuji! They are worth every penny in simply not having to worry about things.

The amount of time it takes to plan and experience for knowing the best stops would be hours upon hours if I had to do it myself. Most of all when we changed hotels they have train handlers for us to make sure we got on the right trains. Well, when in Shinjuku station our train to our next hotel was canceled due to an accident. I was so relieved because it wasn’t my problem to figure out how to get there but the handler who took us to our next train and exchanged our tickets and we only ended up being 5 minutes later than if we had gotten on the original train. At that moment I knew I would never plan a trip to Japan without Boutique Japan. Already planning ideas for the next trip and will be using them.

Far and away the most extraordinary travel advisors I have ever worked with. From the first phone meeting to delivery of our final itinerary (in a beautiful and convenient app format), Andres and the team at Boutique Japan seemed to anticipate every need, answer every question and cover every detail. Remarkably, they maintained this level of communication and service over the course of almost 4 years of trip rescheduling due to COVID restrictions. Having now finally returned from our trip, I can say that our experience in Japan exceeded even our long-cultivated expectations. Andres' unique in-country experience and deep personal contacts were constantly evident in our thoughtful itineraries and engaging guides. Thanks to Boutique Japan's care and expertise, we made not only once-in-a-lifetime memories but also many new friends. I wouldn't travel to Japan without them!

We had a wonderful experience with Boutique Japan. We explained our interests and priorities in our first visit to Japan, and they planned a thoughtful and bespoke itinerary for us. Every transfer was seamless and the guides were lovely& informed. We could not have done this on our own. Highly recommend!

The detailed itinerary and the attention to detail for the entire trip was very impressive. Every guide and driver arrived on schedule. We were met at the airport and the train tickets were reviewed with us. The information on etiquette, tipping, dining, etc, was very thorough and very helpful. We were very pleased with the way our trip was organized, the quality of the hotels we stayed at and the knowledge of the guides we were provided. The whole trip was flawless. The trip was wonderful and we could not have been more pleased with the planning and support we received from Boutique Japan. I would highly recommend Boutique Japan to any travelers who want a first class Japanese travel experience. Thank you for all of your help and for answering all of my questions. I sincerely appreciate your responsiveness.

Thank you for curating such a great itinerary for us. All of the tours were good, and the Japanese tour guides added a lot of value. The train rides - very smooth. The Shinkansen is everything that is described. Very efficient, clean, fast. The transfers worked seamlessly - our drivers met us at the train door. Really worry free. All in all a great trip and one that we didn’t want to end!

It's hard to put into words what a great trip we had as we continue to process. We keep getting asked what our highlight or favorite bite was and there are too many to choose from. From our first day in Tokyo where our guide pivoted to the Cherry Blossoms to our last evening where we enjoyed a wonderful and unique dining experience, the trip was fantastic. We came to appreciate the contrasts of Japan; the bustle of Tokyo, the tranquility of the Ryokan, the total cool factor of the art of Naoshima and Teshima and the grace and history of Kyoto. We enjoyed every meal from high to low. We are so appreciative to have had a trip constructed with our interests and desires in mind.

Robert & Carol Haymer