D R E A M S C O M E T R U E
WELCOME TO YOUR UNFORGETTABLE JAPAN JOURNEY
REVIEWS
Review of a trip to Japan or a fairy tale come true. In the distant pre-Covid times, I had a dream - to see Japan. And I was almost ready, but Covid happened, Japan Airlines returned the money for the tickets and the dream was again postponed for an indefinite time... And recently the guide Polina again summons a group for a trip to Japan. The Japanese autumn is amazing! Hurray, I was luckyto get into the group! The dream is getting closer. This time I didn’t tell anyone about the trip, I was afraid to jinx it, I only shared it with close friends. And they and joined as well! Cool, I couldn’t even think about this. And now our team is moving towards Japan. I will tell you about the trip with all the details gradually, emotions overwhelm me! Everything was great: from the weather (the whole fortnight that we were in Japan, it was sunny and relatively warm, only once it rained), to the landscapes outside the window and impressions. Mydream came true, and what we managed to see, feel and experience exceeded our wildest expectations. Today, on the last day of my trip, I want to express my deep gratitude to Polina for such immaculately organized trip. Having spent three days in Tokyo on our own, we fully appreciated how she carefully looked after us, answered all our questions, and guided us along the route... Honestly, vacationing in a group has both its advantages and some disadvantages. Pros - there is a knowledgeable person who will think through the optimal route for you, adjust it according to the weather, give all clothing recommendations in advance, tell you from the experience of previous groups what to pay attention to, how much money to take, etc. It is clear that all people are adults, with their own habits (and sometimes you have to put up with them 😉). We can all collect any information ourselves, but... firstly, collecting information takes time and not everyone has this skill, and secondly, this information will be for the whole country, and will not include the features of the route, unlike that which Polina shares generously. But the main feature of the trip with Polina was that we were in places where an ordinary tourist does not go. We visited many places significant for the Japanese, met amazing people, immersed into the world of the Japanese cuisine, slept on futons... What other trip will you be offered to spend the night in a real Buddhist monastery, have dinner there, and attend morning prayers?! And these are only two days of our busy program. And Miyajima? Magic O-Torii, walking under which at low tide you can make a cherished wish and then it will definitely come true? And fabulous Kyoto? Every day of our Japanese travel is like a pearl. And I will treasure this pearl necklace in my heart. Polina, thank you very much! And I want to say thank you to Polina’s assistants - Alexandra and Lena - girls, without your help everything would have been much more difficult. Thank you for your stories, for your help during the move, for “infecting” our group with collecting temple seals (I’ll tell you about this separately). And a few more words about our group. Guys, you are awesome! Yes, we are all adults and different, but I felt very comfortable with you, thank you for your support, for your “friend’s shoulder” on the trip. See you again! P.S. I would also like to see Japan in cherry blossoms... Natalia
I would like to thank the guide Polina for organizing the trip to Japan. I was lucky enough to travel with Polina twice! In spring - for sakura, in autumn - for maples. Each event has its own flavor and charm. It was unforgettable! Fascinatingly! Tasty! And... Sports! A busy trip, harmoniously planned. When a person does something with his soul, it immediately finds a response. It's about Polina - Irina P -
Review about Japan =) You can write a lot about a lot of things here, but the main is for the afterparty) And the main thing is here: We flew to Japan for the first time, but the trip was very long-awaited! My sister and I have been studying Japanese for three years now, so we are familiar with Japanese life, Japanese customs and traditions. But they are familiar only from books, films and stories from friends and teachers. And then we find ourselves in this World! Thank you very much, Polina, for organizing this trip! During our short vacation, the multifaceted nature of Japan revealed itself to us! You didn’t focus on cities and megalopolises, and that’s good! When we ourselves thought that we could go to Japan, we only thought about Tokyo. Megacities are an important part of Japan, but not all of Japan. In Japan, harmony is everywhere (except perhaps the Tokyo subway, where we broke our brains.....), and the harmony of nature and the city is very important. And just as a city begins its existence from a small village, gradually emerging and rising with skyscrapers above the tallest pine trees, so we began our acquaintance with Japan from the mountains, where there is less human intervention, and moved from a smaller city, closer to the capital: Hakone, Koya-san , Kobe, Kyoto, Tokyo. And, perhaps, of all the vivid impressions of the trip, it was Mount Koya and the path to the city located on its top that impressed the most! A hidden corner of Japan that has never been heard of before. And to get to it, we walked a multi-kilometer mountain path through the pre-sunset, twilight and night forest! Forests in Japan are not like ours. A very steep mountain slope with tall pine trees and thickets of bamboo. For some reason there are a lot of fallen trees. Along the road here and there there are shrines that, together with the setting sun's rays cutting through the tops of the trees (and then with the twilight mysterious twilight and complete absence of people), created the impression of some kind of magical forest... It’s as if you are finding yourself in the creations of Hayao Miyazaki! Overnight at a ryokan. Tatami, futons, kotatsu!!! I just read about this!! And it’s immediately clear why kotatsu is needed))) the temperature in the room was +17 when we got there at night after a hard journey. Naturally, you can’t go anywhere without a heater and a heated blanket! And of course, onsens! They really helped out when you come back from a long journey, tired and cold! True, at first it was very strange and unusual to wash in a public “bathhouse” on a chair, sitting next to an unfamiliar Japanese woman...... But when immersed in the hot waters of the spring..!!! Mmmmmmmmmmm! Everything else is no longer important. And the small mountain town welcomes you warmly, opening its World. We spent the night in a Buddhist temple, so in the morning we had the opportunity to attend the morning service! Very interesting! Even at 6 am you can get up for this! And then there is still a whole day to walk around the city! Very cool! But all trips have their downsides... Perhaps the only negative of this trip is sooooo little time! But here we have to choose: either hang in one place, or try to grab everything at once! We chose the latter, so we hung out in train stations, bus stations and subway transfers, trying to make sense of the Japanese road system! And no matter how hard they tried to confuse us, we figured it out!))))) and, yes, sometimes it was hard when you unpack your suitcase in the evening and think that in the morning you have to pack everything back... But in such moments, the onsens saved us! And another important point! Workout! I'm a total workout fan! And then there’s training in Japan, with jogging in the mountains and the magical TRX, which can turn any tree or fence into a mega-trainer! And if you have worked out well, then you have more strength for other achievements! In general, thank you very much, Polina, for thinking through and organizing such a comprehensive trip! These were 10 days when you never cease to be amazed! New impressions (taste and not only), amazing discoveries, new acquaintances, brainstorming about moving and relaxation in an onsen! And all this in wonderful company! Bliss! Sincerely, Elena Filippova
The sakura trip was absolutely amazing. Japan itself is a completely different world. I would especially like to note the organization of the tour. In 12 days we got so many impressions that it was overwhelming to digest)) These included megacities, the city-museum of Kyoto, an overnight stay in a mountain monastery, the Tori fox temple, the Castle of the Flying Heron, onsens and much more. And (the icing on the cake) a walk along wild non-tourist forest paths at the foot of Fuji, where we were greeted by the most wild boar. At the same time, there was an opportunity to try out all possible and impossible types of transport, from a shinconsen to a rickshaw. A separate bonus is losing a certain amount of kg, realizing that the waist exists. Now I periodically cut into tabi brought from there (to the envy of local anime fans)). Many thanks to the organizing guide Polina. Top class professional! You're the best! Thanks for the fairy tale!)) @geichenko.irina
I went with Polina on 2 tours. I really regret that I missed the rest and will definitely go again! Japan! I am very grateful to Polina for helping me fulfill my dream - to see this magical country! Firstly, Polina has an excellent author’s program, which allows you to get acquainted not only with the main tourist sites, but also to see the country “from the inside”. We traveled by all types of transport, ate in delicious cafes for locals, spent the night in a monastery, dipped our butts in healing and rejuvenating onsen 😁 Fabulous, peaceful Koya, authentic Kyoto, tear-inducing Hiroshima, modern Osaka, the island of Miyajima with its tame deer and delicious oysters of all types of preparation and, of course, Kawaguchiko, which I will never forget! Secondly, all this for a very reasonable amount, especially considering the cost of tours to Japan in the tourism industry market! And thirdly, pleasant bonuses in the form of morning workouts that energize you for the whole day, and round-the-clock almost maternal support (starting with preparation in Moscow and visa processing, which Polina does herself), while being unobtrusive and providing freedom of choice in many matters) They will always tell you what to look for, where and what to eat, where is the best place to buy souvenirs, and at the same time offer an alternative! Mariana P.
In April 2018, I went on a fitness tour with Polina for 11 days. Spring is the height of cherry blossoms, which lasts from April to May. We moved from the southern regions of Japan to the northern ones, thus prolonging the pleasure of admiring flowering plants. Polina took this into account when selecting the group's moves from the cities of Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara. We visited the main temples in the cities: White Heron Castle, Golden and Silver Pavilions. The tour was thought out to the smallest detail, from morning warm-up in the royal park to climbing Mount Koya to the Japanese monks. We touched an unusual oriental culture for us: we slept on mats, wore kimonos, drank green tea on our knees, ate delicious Japanese rice, even tried lotus inflorescences. We swam in hot thermal springs, onsens, in pools with gold and silver water, contemplating the starry sky. We moved from city to city on Shinkanssen high-speed trains, watching Fuji from the window and on an ancient steam locomotive. We walked in parks with waterfalls, climbed a mountain by cable car, even saw a wild boar in the forest. Friendly Japanese politely gave me a seat on the metro, from there I was interested, helped me find a booked hotel at night, taking me to my destination. It was especially fun to use Japanese plumbing, which made nightingale trills, flower aromas and performed water treatments. Everything was unusual for me. If you like to travel, then you should go to Japan with Polina Solovyova. With her you will learn the features and see the beauty of a mysterious country.🧘♀️🚅✈️🏯🪭 Irina K
I want to share my impressions of the trip to Japan with Polina at the end of November - beginning of December 2023. When, after the trip, I pinned our route on the map, it was truly surprising what distance we were able to travel in these two weeks and how much we could see! The route was well thought out, it combined visits to cities, museums and temples, as well as walks and hiking and we saw many places where it would be extremely difficult for a simple tourist to get to. It is worth noting that we traveled everywhere by public transport, and this, in my opinion, was not very easy to think through and organize. All the hotels we stayed in were of a highstandard. I was especially pleased with the ryokans, and the onsens, of course. The educational part was also excellent; we received a lot of information both about Japan as such and about individual historical temples and castles that we visited. Of course, I especially remember the overnight stay in a Buddhist monastery. Special thanks for this! Well, morning exercises were a pleasant tonic bonus! This trip to Japan, organized by Polina, left wonderful impressions and memories that you are happy to return to again and again. I would like to repeat it! Tatiana M.
The trip to Japan was bright and unforgettable. Japan is not like any country I have been to before: neither Europe nor Asia. Architecture, life, people, mentality, everything is from a parallel reality. The trip organized by Polina allowed us to deeply enjoy every moment without thinking about accommodation, transport, food, or planning a route. This is not typical for me, but on this trip it is very valuable; I would not have found similar locations. The night in the monastery is unforgettable, starting from the warm welcome, the relationship, the prayers, the dinner; authentic accommodation in Miyajima is incredibly cozy, with an onsen, delicious breakfast and a wonderful location. Kyoto: I would never have seen so much in such a short time. Fuji was kind to us and showed itself throughout our stay. We were in Japan as a group of 10 people during the flowering period of the maples. The weather was beautiful. The proposed route was quite rich, maximally optimistic in terms of movements and the number of objects. Vivid images, deep experiences, and an endless number of photographs that you can review constantly, surprise yourself and surprise your friends, forever in your memory. The charm and incomprehensibility and mystery of a new country reveal new strings of the soul, suggest new angles of vision, and form unforgettable memories. I recommend everyone to discover a new world! Olga T
I would like to thank MagicJapan for the wonderful trip "Japan: Spots of Power". This is my second trip with this company. The first trip was great and I was a little worried that it would be hard make a better one, but the second trip was no less interesting and even more full of impressions than the first. First of all, I would like to note that the guide Paola treats this country with greatesr love and respect and helps us get to know Japan from different angles. The main thing for me on this trip was that it was distant from the main tourist routes, the opportunity to see the life of Japan in its remote corners without a touch of McDonald's and other Americanisms. The opportunity to visit temples and shrines, walk along pilgrimage mountain routes that pilgrims have walked for over ten centuries, spend nights in ryoans and bathe in hot springs - these are some of the key moments of our unforgettable journey. And, of course, utter knowledge and minute pkanning of the route (including hiking), train and bus connections, hotel reservations - Paola did everything at the highest level. Since she loves this country so much, Japan loves her back, so there were many unplanned pleasant bonuses during our trip: such as meetings with interesting people, discovering small, absolutely amazing village temples, delicious sushi and other Japanese dishes; I can go on and on, listing further. The trip left unforgettable impressions and memories and I want to return to again and again. Thank you, guide Paola and Majicjapan!
Many thanks to the guide Polina for online support during my independent trip to Japan. She helped me throughout the vacation, recommended the best places, sent me route planning and even detailed descriptions for each location (how to get there, what time is best to visit each place, where to buy souvenirs, what food you should definitely try, some secret places in top locations that few people know about). She also recommended great places for shopping, onsen. She even told me where you can meet more well-behaved deer 🦌 Thank you for your work. With your help, I reduced the time I spent on making plans and routes. Ann, Egypt
We had a wonderful day. Polina from MagicJapan is a very professional guide. The weather was not so good — it was rainy. Otherwise, it would have been even better. See you next time! Irina, Italy