Theo is a real star
When I arrived in Japan there were multiple checks. Upon arrival they asked me to download the Visit Japan Web where they could confirm my vaccination status before entry. Thankfully I had requested and completed copies for customs and immigration but all tourists were funnelled down the potential quarantine route before exiting the airport. Thank you for recommending the JAL flight. The food was good and the flights weren't very busy. I look forward to my next trip and wouldn't hesitate to recommend DialAFlight to anyone.
Brody was great at helping me organise my first solo trip abroad. I appreciated the check in before the trip and the extra tips he gave me
Sadly I was bumped off my connecting flight and lost 24 hrs in Tokyo - none of which was down to DialAFlight but the airline, Etihad.
Vinnie Gornall's travel arrangements were just perfect.
Gino always very helpful and sorts out last minute panics
Thanks again to Conrad and team, all worked exactly as planned.
Very responsive with excellent customer service!
Everything made easy and stress free. Excellent support given throughout.
Everyone at DialAFlight has been fantastic, especially Dennis Hollands who really did everything possible to make this holiday happen. I had a great time and it’s all thanks to you
Very helpful and professional
All in all very good as were Etihad
Will definitely use again and recommend. Excellent dialogue with Charlie Miles - it wasn't just a case of taking the money and that was it. He kept me informed throughout, well done..5 star service
Excellent service - as has always been my experience
No vegetarian meal on the plane. My pre-flight contact with DialAFlight was excellent.
First class service from start to finish.
Very happy with the trip!
Brilliant service, thanks very much. As ever you went the extra mile
Flights were cancelled due to Coronavirus but James was reassuring and efficient and sorted out alternatives. I have used DialAFlight before and will definitely use them again!
Libby was very helpful and efficient. She took the stress out of a difficult situation and was very sympathetic with regard to booking my son's flight to Japan at a difficult time with the Corona virus. Friendly but professional.
Excellent service.
I love dealing with Otis. His hotel recommendation was spot on (again) and he helped with JR rail tickets very last minute. A credit to the company.
Fantastic location, thank you so much
Our recent trip went without a hitch of any sort. Alistair was helpful at all times and the arrangements went perfectly and full met our expectations.
You could not do more!
Top class service
The team I linked with were fantastic- very helpful and friendly
Spectacularly helpful when I misread itinerary and we missed flight Tokyo-Bangkok! We were on another flight 12 hours later as a change rather than a no-show.
Owen delivered as usual and saved us several £100's in the process!
Excellent service from Tristan
Hiro raises his bare thigh and slams his foot on the ground, spreading ripples across his man mountain of a body.
He bows at his opponent and, in a vision of manboobs and giant wedgies, they engage in combat; wrestling, pushing, heaving and tugging until one emerges victorious.
Suddenly, it's my turn. I step into the ring and stare ahead towards the sumo wrestler a few feet away - all 26st of him. A moment later I'm pressed up against his folds of flesh, my face alarmingly close to his armpit as I push with all my might. My feet scramble at the salt-strewn floor while Hiro - a wrestler for 22 years - stands there chuckling.
I'm in the small city of Katsuragi, considered the birthplace of sumo. Located an hour from Osaka in the Kansai region, this is a corner of Japan that has just become more accessible thanks to British Airways direct flights from Heathrow.
Kansai is an area of misty mountains dotted with remote shrines, tropical beaches and tea plantations which will appeal to visitors keen to explore what lies beyond the capital Tokyo. After putting Hiro through his paces ('You have great potential,' he jokes), it's time to move on to Osaka.
Home to three million people, the city is a patchwork of 16th century castles and 21st century glass skyscrapers. From my room on the 36th floor of the Conrad Hotel, the view of Dotonbori district, the main restaurant and entertainment area, is dizzying.
This 164-room hotel gives off a Lost In Translation vibe – think Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson – and is filled with 389 artworks including one by local boy turned renowned sculptor, Kohei Nawa.
While Osaka is certainly worthy of a few days' exploration, the experiences awaiting further afield prove to be the real temptation.
Travelling south, urban sprawl gives way to delightful rural scenes. Before long we're surrounded by the crumpled green peaks of the Kii Peninsula. These mountains are the gateway to Wakayama.
Occupying the southern tip of Kansai, this city holds the key to much of Japan's ancient spiritual heritage.
For more than 1,000 years, everyone from emperors to humble farmers has walked these peaks seeking peace and purification. The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage ranks as one of the world's great pilgrim routes. A network of trails, it has several options, from gentle hour-long strolls to arduous multi-day treks.
Opting for the easier and shorter route, I slice through silent bamboo forests and inch along paths that hug plunging wooded ravines. I pause to enjoy panoramas splashed with cherry blossom. I am feeling more peaceful by the moment.
The climax is our arrival at the grand Shinto shrine of Kumano Hongu Taisha, the hallowed ground where all trails meet. The silence of the forest is broken by the rhythmic chiming of bells and the flapping of flags in the breeze.
I watch as worshippers cross the gravel courtyards, clap their hands twice (to announce their arrivals to the deities) and bow their heads in prayer. This is a special, unforgettable place. Just down the road, in the valley and dissected by a stream of healing thermal waters, is Yunomine, an onsen village centred around natural hot springs.
These healing waters were discovered 1,800 years ago and became an important part of the pilgrimage by offering hot water purification along the way.
Pilgrims enjoy a spiritual soaking by stripping off, as is custom, for a dip in the stone plunge pool housed in a rickety shed. Barely big enough for two, it makes for quite the intimate experience.
I choose instead a riverside dip in the thermal rockpool at the Kawayu Midoriya. A spa hotel somewhat stuck in the Seventies, it models itself on the traditional inn, the ryokan. Expect sliding paper screens and legless chairs.
No trip to this part of Japan would be complete without the glittering jewel in its Imperial crown, Kyoto.
Reached in 15 minutes from Osaka by Shinkansen bullet train, this enchanting city was the nation's capital until 1868. It retains much of its ancient character, particularly in the Gion district where geishas once scuttled between teahouses in their elaborate silk costumes.
From the comfortable Ritz-Carlton hotel, it's a pleasant 20-minute stroll along the Kamogawa River to Gion.
Delving into the backstreets, I discover deserted gardens and teahouses serving fragrant cherry blossom tea and sit with elderly locals painting watercolours of a pagoda.
Hunched over their palettes, they look long and hard and produce thoughtful brushstrokes. They seem lost in their individual reveries, drinking in the beauty. It sums up my experience perfectly.
First published in the Daily Mail - November 2019
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