“”To dear Jan. Thank you for going beyond the call of duty making this a wonderful tour. You have made Japan come “alive” for us. We will go home with many special and different memories. Thank you so so much. You are a star.” Marg & Bob
“Dear Jan…. Thank you very much for a wonderful experience of Japan. A view of the country and culture many tourists will never see.”Carol & Ken
“Dearest Jan. Thank you for another great trip, which would not have happened without your wealth of hard won knowledge and experience. Domo arigato gozaimasu and see you next year in Shikoku.” Irene
“Dear Jan. The “Experience Japan” Tour would not have been the success it is without your experience. Thank you for looking after us and giving us a tour to remember.” Peter
“Dear Jan. My very special friend has exceeded every expectation I ever had. You have shown us the heart, not just the face of Japan and it will be with me forever.” Judy
“To darling Jan. Thank you so much for a wonderful trip. I have absolutely had a ball….” Marg
“Dear Jan. You are now my favourite Tour Guide in the whole world! This trip will always evoke thousands of treasured memoires.” Dianne
“Dear Jan. Thank you for another wonderful trip. So different from the last and even more special if that is possible !! I will take home many special memories due to you. Thank you so much and I will be back !!” Sal
“We wish to give you, Experience Japan, feedback on our recent Japan Sacred Mountain tour.
We had the most marvellous time in Japan and could not have experienced what we did without Jan’s help and the expert commentary of the tour guides. Jan’s personality added to that fabulous experience. Our most satisfying part of this holiday was spent in the Mountains and experiencing all the cultural aspects of the people and places. Added to that, was the pleasant and humorous personalities of our travel friends – we all got on so well. We would highly recommend this type of tour to friends. Thank you.” Marlene and Leif Polsa
“Your Company is aptly named. I could not have experienced Japan on a short trip any better than on the Sacred Mountains Autumn tour with Jan as our tour escort. She was not only very efficient in her role but wonderful company and a joy to travel with. The other members of the group were excellent companions who became friends. People ask me what was the highlight of my trip and I have to say there are too many to list. Our local guides, Noriko, Shu and Toshi were great, giving us an insight into the history and culture of the areas we visited.
This trip will remain in my thoughts for a long time. ” Jan
“Rod and I have returned from our Sacred Mountains – Experience Japan holiday with Jan Hutton.
We had the most fabulous holiday and experience. We feel we gained so much insight and education of Japan, their customs, religions, people, geography, transportation and so much more. Jan Hutton was instrumental in guiding us through often confusing systems and situations and we could never have achieved what we did, without her help. The group (6 of us) was just fantastic – we all got on so well, shared many laughs and anecdotes over a glass of wine at the end of each day.
I would recommend any of Jan’s tours of Japan to you and your clients. We always felt safe, and were constantly surprised and delighted by the diversity, beauty elegance of Japan and its people.
Thank you Gillian for your assistance in providing for us a most memorable holiday. All flights went to plan, albeit the checking in system in Kansai left a lot to be desired.
We are back in Maleny, enjoying our wonderful hills, but carry with us a little part of Japan which we will have forever.” Coralie
“Dear Jan, Merilyn and I have had some great trips over the years, but none better than the time we spent under your guidance on this tour. The attention to detail, selection of activities and use of your local contacts have made this an unforgettable experience. Many thanks and kind regards from Ian & Merilyn”
“Jan, all of the above and thank you for being “you”. Kind, generous and giving me the best experience.Love Kaye”
“Dear Jan, Thank you for a great and interesting tour. We really enjoyed your insight into Japan’s culture and history and appreciated all the help you gave us.Hope we can catch up with you in Hervey Bay one day.Love Bev & Jeff”
“Jan, Thank you for a wonderful trip. Your knowledge of Japan is amazing. Also thanks for your medicine kit !!! We will remember our trip to Japan for a long time.Thanks again. Valda & Glenys”
“We have just completed this tour with Jan Hutton as our Tour Leader and we’d like to give you some feedback on our experience. Overall the tour was wonderful. We shared some fantastic experiences, saw some beautiful scenery and most importantly, saw some great displays of Cherry Blossoms. Even though we were initially apprehensive at the thought of some of the aspects of the cultural part of the tour (backpacks, futons and communal bathing), our fears were unfounded and we found the experience exciting, amusing and thoroughly enjoyable. The places we visited were unique and the access we were able to gain to the cultural sites gave us an appreciation of their history and cultural significance. This was no doubt due to the excellent local guides you use. Their insights into local legends, traditions, behaviours and events were invaluable. The accommodation was all completely satisfactory and conveniently located. The operators were all friendly, understanding and helpful. Our drivers were all excellent and again, helpful and friendly. Our primary purpose in undertaking the tour was to see the Cherry Blossoms and the timing was impeccable, particularly given the unpredictability of their appearance and the shortness of the season. We can’t compliment the skills and experience of Jan enough. She had a major influence on our level of enjoyment. Jan’s was the perfect link between the local culture and traditions and our Western expectations and habits. She managed these differences calmly and this link ensured we were able to enjoy the experiences without causing any international incidents. She was able to take us to places we would never have found on our own. Apart from being a thoroughly lovely person, she was helpful, well organised and friendly, and encouraged us to try new things confidently. To sum up we would definitely recommend this tour to anyone wanting to experience Japan a little more deeply than just the standard tourist route.” Bev and Jeff
“I went on this wonderful trip in March/April and enjoyed it immensely. This was my first trip to Japan and the itinerary was an excellent introduction to this fascinating and beautiful country. It met, and often exceeded, all my expectations in terms of places visited, options, accommodation. I will definitely visit again. Jan’s tour was strongly recommended to me by friends who had travelled with her previously, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Her love for Japan and knowledge added significantly to the experience. I liked the flexibility and the free time was just right as one’s confidence with this new environment grew. On this trip there were some attendees who could be described as “challenges” and I did wonder why they chose such a tour. In spite of these disparate couples and coming down with a virus, Jan soldiered on admirably to give us a first rate trip. Regards Janet”
“Fred and myself just returned form a tour in Japan run by Jan Hutton and we are still talking about how wonderful and interesting our trip was. We were most impressed by the way it had been organised with the initial supply of material relevant to each day of the trip. The tour was well structured and gave a good insight into one area of Japan. We commend Jan for her knowledge, guidance and patience with all members of the group. She was able to give us a good feel of the Japanese culture and lead us from one destination to another with so much ease and confidence. We had a wonderful time and look forward to more trips to different parts of Japan. Jan is real credit to the tour operators and is a very good ambassador to the tourism industry. Best regards Nicole and Fred”
“The Sacred mountains and beyond tour was wonderful and very well planned. Not only did we experience Tokyo and Kyoto, the must see places of Japan, but we were taken by Jan to experience a pocket of Japan that was truly tranquil, Wakayama prefecture. Throughout the tour I met many native Japanese friends of Jan, who would spend the day with us, proudly showing their local area. Their rapport with Jan reaffirmed that we were experiencing something truly unique to this tour company. The sights that we saw during this tour were spectacular and the cultural experiences were interesting and special. This tour gave me the real hands on experience of Japan. I learned to use the public transport systems, which made me feel autonomous during free leisure times. This tour has surpassed my expectations and I am very excited to visit Japan again in the near future. Emily”
“Hi Jan
We were at a family 60th Wedding Anniversary party yesterday and everyone was asking about our trip to Japan. We were happy to tell them all about the wonderful time we had! I was trying to think of highlights but there were so many it is impossible to narrow it down to a couple. If pressed I would have to say the cherry blossoms (of course), the maiko/geiko experiences and the Japanese drumming but many of the other experiences were very memorable too. Thanks for the translation of the newspaper article.
I hope you have a few weeks rest before your next trip but knowing you I expect you will not slow down much!
We also had a smooth trip home with no delays. The trip was wonderful and very enjoyable. The variety of activities and accommodations made for an interesting two weeks and I am waxing lyrical to friends and family about it. Thanks so much for a great holiday experience that will stay with us forever.
Lindsey and Graham xx”
“Hi Jan
Thank you for the welcome home email and for all your expert help during the trip. We had such a wonderful time and appreciated the way the Japanese way of life worked so well. We Australians could learn a thing or two from them regarding their good cheer,absolute politeness and efficient running of everything from trains to hotels. It all seemed a bit chaotic when we got off the plane but guess we will soon get used to the Aussie laidback approach again. We could not have had more fun. Thanks again,best regards Bruce and Lynne”
“Hi Jan – thank you for a wonderful trip to Japan. The whole tour was made even more special due to your personal involvement taking us personally around the local areas of Tokyo and Kyoto.
I have just received the translated newspaper article on the bamboo speakers and of course had a little laugh of the comments made by the different foreign guests!!
Take care and I hope in the near future I can get time to do another of your interesting trips.
Denise”
“Hi Jan.
Once again sitting at airport, must say looking forward to getting back to normal.
Thank you for the great trip and introducing Japan to me. I have come away with not one bad impression of the country and it peoples.
You are one fabulous tour guide. Missing the onsans and my onsan partners.
Take care.
Your onsan partner.Karen xxxx”
“Hi Jan
Well I must say I am still shell shocked at being back home. I had an absolutely fabulous time as did Karen. Karen even made it to a Sushi train on Thursday night with her family at the Sunshine Plaza.
Thank you so much for a wonderful tour and providing us with so many wonderful experiences. Yes those Onsen’s are very addictive. Now I need to save up for the next trip.
Cheers Deryn”
knowledge of the UNESCO World Heritage Kumano Kodo has been gained by escorting groups though this area over the past 9 years. During a recent trip to Japan, Jan was invited to participate in a discussion with the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe and the Governor of Wakayama Prefecture. Mr. Abe was interested in her comments with regards to the growing interest and success of tourism in the Kumano Kodo, Hongu and the overall Wakayama Prefectural area.
All destinations on our “Sacred Mountains UNESCO World Heritage Kumano Kodo Tour”, “ Autumn Leaves, Alps and Ancient Roads Tour”, “Enchanting Tohoku Cherry Blossom Tour” and “Splendours of Shikoku” are visited frequently by Jan. These visits are from a working point of view to inspect properties, research local points of interest, tourist sites and to gain in-depth information of all areas.
Her passion, professionalism and wealth of knowledge of Japan is unsurpassed and she is held in very high regard within the Japanese Tourism Industry.
She has a working history in Tourism/Travel/Hospitality spanning many years including flight crew, Qantas First Class Lounge Supervisor and DreamWorld Guest Relations Manager on the Gold Coast.
Jan has visited Japan over 70 times both with groups and independently to update her knowledge, renew old acquaintances and plan out new tours.
