Our tour has been in the making since 2019. We had to cancel our first planned trip in 2020 due to the pandemic and resumed planning with Treasure Island in 2023. We coordinated with three travel agents, and all were very helpful. Kentaro performed the final planning for our trip over the past several months. He was very easy to work with and extremely responsive and helpful.

It’s difficult to pick one thing.
1. The accommodations were superb especially the Takinoya ryokan (beauty of interior and exterior, kaiseki dinner and breakfast, and lovely onsen setting), Nonokaze Resort (beauty of setting on Lake Toya and its firework display and the extraordinary buffet meals), Sanyoan (beauty of the interior and the kaiseki dinner and breakfast), and La Vista Akangawa (the view of river and hot springs from our room window and the kaiseki meals).
2. Hike at Shiretoko Goko Lakes. Natural setting was exquisitely beautiful (and we had perfect weather that day). Mark, the guide was great.
3. We had a wonderful guide in Megu, who was conscientious in meeting our every need, patient, funny, and affable.

We loved the mix of interesting hands-on authentic Japanese activities, such as washi paper making and soba noodle making; learning about Japanese culture including Ainu people, kelp fishing, farming, and fish auctions; partaking of a variety of excellent Japanese cuisine including kaiseki meals, robatayaki at izakayas (both recommended restaurants were superb especially Akebono), shabu shabu, etc; and experiencing nature most notably the Shiretoko Goko Lakes hike and the canoeing experience.