D W

5 stars in every way for planning, guiding and assisting in our personalized tour of the Nagano Japanese Alps region. I can’t imagine a better experience. On our initial contact, Sjaak personally responded very quickly (in spite of the 15-hour time zone difference). After receiving our description of our touring needs in terms of timing, abilities and preferences he created full daily (and an evening) itineraries on which he subsequently accompanied and guided us.
In order to get to our trail heads, we took several long car rides with Sjaak. He patiently listened to all our stories, but also, to our great joy, shared stories of his personal home, family and work life in Japan which substantially enriched our experience and understanding.
He arranged our hotel accommodations and included a few days stay at a lovely traditional ryokan (not to be missed). Sjaak was spot on in terms of communication and logistics, meeting us on arrival and delivering us to our final train station. He maintained a high level of availability and communication to help us find restaurants and interpret menus (even when we ventured out on our own).
On our first evening, his deep involvement with the local community was immediately apparent during the amazing torch fire festival (Asama Onsen Taimatsu). In addition to the groups cheering and pulling their smoking sheaves of rice stalks to the shrine (some of whom were personally introduced) we were privileged to see Taiko Drum groups and local food and craft booths.
One of Sjaak’s greatest strengths was personally planning our time in the magnificent Japanese Alps. For us active older adults, he adeptly planned and adjusted the activity level on our walks/hikes and bike ride to meet our needs and fully fill our days. He recommended, transported and guided us through the iconic Nakasendo Trail and the breathtakingly beautiful Kamicochi valley and national park. Another day was spent bike touring and seeing some exceptional local enterprises including bakery, dairy and the largest wasabi farm in Japan. Along the way, over the course of 4 days we had in-depth explanations of the Japanese culture, religion and mythology as we visited the “must-see” and many smaller shrines and temples and the Hokusai museum. Although our tour was designed for us as active seniors, with Sjaak’s experience and training as an outdoor adventure guide I’m sure he could significantly could ramp up the activity level for our younger generation. I recommend him highly and without reservation for a great tour experience in the Japanese Alps.