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We had a varied and busy 10 days. Our favor...
Japan | Sep 17 - Sep 27, 2026

Camille
Camille V.
Seattle, WA | Reviewed on Oct 22, 2026

We had a varied and busy 10 days. Our favorite hotel was the Ace hotel in Kyoto. We loved the Sumo wrestling academy, a highlight was dinner and spending the evening with the Maiko in Kyoto, and feeding the deer in Nara. I would recommend the “Happy Cow” app to find vegetarian restaurants. We had good guides although I feel we scheduled too many excursions and had more time driving than ideal. One guide Yasuko Nagai was really a gem. She was so knowledgeable and flexible about our itinerary. I like the personalized approach that we get with KimKim. Thank you for your service Ada. The had a great trip.

Hotel Reviews
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It has a strong cigarette smell. Beautiful setting in the rain.

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Centara Grand Hotel Osaka
Osaka

Not an excellent breakfast.

Authenticity & Character
Breakfast was greasy and didn’t have enough fruit
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Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Ace Kyoto
kyoto

So fun, dog friendly and great Italian restaurant

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Ada Huang
Ada
Ada Huang
Local specialist in Japan | Replied on Oct 23, 2026
Hi Camille， Thank you so much for sharing these lovely highlights from your trip! I’m thrilled you loved the Ace Hotel Kyoto, the sumo academy, your special evening with the Maiko, and the deer in Nara. I’ll make a note about Yasuko — it’s wonderful to hear she was such a fantastic guide. I also really appreciate your honest feedback about having too many excursions and extra driving time and hotels, this will help me craft better-paced itineraries for future trips. And thanks for the tip... Read more

Hi Camille，

Thank you so much for sharing these lovely highlights from your trip! I’m thrilled you loved the Ace Hotel Kyoto, the sumo academy, your special evening with the Maiko, and the deer in Nara. I’ll make a note about Yasuko — it’s wonderful to hear she was such a fantastic guide.

I also really appreciate your honest feedback about having too many excursions and extra driving time and hotels, this will help me craft better-paced itineraries for future trips. And thanks for the tip on the Happy Cow app!

It was a pleasure working with you through KimKim. Hope you get lots of time to relax after your busy 10 days! Hope we can help you another adventure in the near future.

Take care and all best,
Ada

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