My daughter had a wonderful time in Japan & learned so much.
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Overall, our trip to Japan was excellent! Our tour guide (s) were knowledgeable, friendly, and made sure that we were happy and taken care of. Here is my honest review of the rest of the trip. 1.Itineray- There was A LOT packed into the day. Maybe too much. Be prepared to walk 6-7 miles a day. I know the purpose of the trip is to explore Japan, but some places we only got to visit for a short amount of time, and other places I felt we spent a little too much time. We were encouraged to eat when we could because it was so hot and we were walking a lot. However , if we stopped to eat, then we often times missed out on seeing the attraction. We were also taken to attractions, like the Pokémon center/ shopping district at 9:30 am, but nothing opened until 10:30 or 11:00. By the time the majority of the stores opened, it was time for us to load up onto the bus. 2. Hotels- our first hotel we stayed at for the first 4 days of the trip was in Osaka. It was a beautiful hotel. I was well kept, clean, the staff was friendly, and the breakfast accommodation were great. I would highly recommend this hotel! The hotel we stayed at when we arrived in Tokyo was the opposite. It was extremely dirty, I found snot wiped on the nightstand, the floor had not been vacuumed in ages. We found tissue and old dried up contact lenses on the floor. Some guest had cockroaches in their rooms, and black mold in the vents. The hotel staff was unfriendly, The breakfast was gross and a several people in our group got sick staying there. I would suggest that EF take this establishment off of their hotel list. EF did give each traveler 2000 yen to make up for the inconvenience . 3. Group travel - this was my first group tour, and honestly, probably my last. The lack of respect for the Japanese culture that i witnessed by fellow travelers was often frustrating. The group leaders from another group of travels our school was paired with, where just as bad, or worse than the kids they traveled with. Often loud, and no respect for people around them. 4. Food- if you’re not picky. You’ll love Japan! There is something on every street corner to try. My daughter and I are picky, so we stuck to Wagu, rice and crab. Japan does have the best ice cream! 5. Overall- overall I’d give this trip a 4 out of 5. It wasn’t perfect, but we did have a great time and made a lot of memories! I don’t think I will do another EF tour, as this trip made me realize that group travel is not for me.
Great experience for my son. Only downfall was the second hotel booked by EF was a very poor one. Hotel was dirty, had bugs, holes in the walls, etc. For the amount of money that is spent, EF needs to ensure the hotels the groups are staying at are of good quality.
The activities arranged were boring for the kids. Going to a temple or a shrine every day is not fun for a 14 year old.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
We’re sorry to hear that the activities didn’t meet your expectations. We aim to create engaging and enjoyable experiences for all age groups, including local sites and fun activities. We’ll review your comments with our team to make sure we balance cultural experiences with activities that appeal to younger travelers. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
Fantastic experience for our 13 year old daughter.
I had a great time. My group was amazing. The teachers and my group were absolutely amazing. There was only this one small inconvenience that happened at the end of the trip when we went to Tokyo. In the other group, one of the teachers in the other group, not my group changed our hotel without telling my group members like the teachers and they got very stressed and worried and it would’ve been better if EF tours wouldn’t have allowed her to do that. Because it wasn’t cool that she did that without even telling anyone she did it because she wanted to be closer to Disneyland and our group wasn’t planning on going to Disneyland so it was really annoying. Thank you.
Everything I said in the last message should have been for this one! The trip deserves a 4.7 for sure! It had something for everyone! Just needs a couple things updated to newer things but a couple out of like 12 things is a fantastic run!
There were many cool places that we went to.
It was great! Kids had a great time and TD was good. I found a cockroach in my hotel in Tokyo, other than that it was good.
It was frustrating how long it took to get travel dates. There was a travel interruption, but no communication/credit
Loved our tour and experience. It was super fun, well organized and safe. Thank you.
The kids had a great time in Japan 🇯🇵.
Fantastic trip! I got to attend with my daughter, and we both had a fabulous time. The tour guide was great, and all the activities were perfect for middle schoolers and parents alike. Hoping to do another EF tour someday.
We did a lot in a short amount of time! We saw and learned a bunch!
The itinerary was well planned and executed!
EF & Global Trekkers are the best!
We wish this trip could have been longer- we had so much fun! We definitely want to return to Japan one day to explore more the country has to offer. The people were kind, our tour director was amazing, the country is beautiful and we felt very safe traveling.
Great experience
Reply from EF Educational Tours
We're glad to hear you loved your time on tour with us! Thank you for sharing and for being part of the EF Tours family.
This company knows what they are doing. Everything was middle schooler friendly and appropriate. Our trip was amazing. We hated having to leave Japan.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
We're thrilled to hear that your tour was amazing and that everything was middle schooler-friendly and appropriate! Creating enriching and age-appropriate experiences for our travelers is a top priority, and we're delighted that we were able to provide such a positive experience for you and your group. It's always bittersweet to leave a place as wonderful as Japan, but we hope the memories you made will last a lifetime. Thank you for your kind words, and we hope to welcome you back for more unforgettable adventures in the future!
My daughter enjoys her travel with EF Tours! She feels safe, experiences a lot of culture and meets new friends. Traveling alone with her parents wasn’t easy for either of us at first, but her chaperones took great care of her!! She has been on two trips and going on her third one in June! Having the option of a payment plan is a plus as well! Itineraries are detailed and full! Everything is thought about from how and what to pack, tips, flights and hotels, food, etc. I would use EF Tours a thousand times over!!! I wish more school systems would utilize this program to give children everywhere the opportunity to explore the world.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
Thank you so much for sharing your daughter's wonderful experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that she enjoys traveling with EF Tours and feels safe, culturally enriched, and connected with new friends. It warms our hearts to know that her chaperones took great care of her and made the experience enjoyable for her.
We're delighted that the payment plan option and detailed itineraries have been helpful for you, and we truly appreciate your trust in us. Your kind words mean the world to us, and we're honored to have the opportunity to be a part of your daughter's travel adventures. We share your hope that more school systems will embrace the opportunity to explore the world through programs like ours.
If you have any further feedback or if there's anything else we can assist you with, please don't hesitate to reach out. We look forward to providing your daughter with another unforgettable journey in June and many more adventures to come!