Hello David
Eaten bread is soon forgotten, an old country saying. Your re-cap email reminded me of how much I was blown away by the Japanese experience. Firstly, I wish to thank you and your team for a truly magnificent experience. The only criticism is could you not have organized for Ireland to win the damn thing cup, you slipped up there, Mr Slattery !!!!!!! If Carlsberg made countries, their blueprint would be Japan..........if Carlsberg sold holidays, they would be designed by Stein Travel.
Kind regards,
J
David,
I have to take my hat off to both yourself and Stein Travel in general for hosting such a well researched and organised trip. From the shortest route flights via Helsinki with Finnair to the equivalent orchard cards for the Tokyo Metro and of course the Shinkansen bullet trains. Definitely one of my Bucket List items fulfilled very nicely, thank you.
Kind Regards
RC
Hi David,
I had a wonderful time - the trip was beyond my wildest expectations.
Stein travel were a pleasure to deal with and I would recommend them highly.
Hopefully I’ll be booking a rugby trip with you again.
Happy Christmas,
JP
David,
Now that we are well settled back and able to reflect on our Japan RWC experience , M and myself wish to convey our appreciation of all the arrangements made for us by you and the staff involved .
There were considerable logistics involved in transporting us within Japan and checking in and out of the four hotels involved . All the hotels were of excellent standard - each being different in their own way . Your Japanese agents were most courteous and did their very best for us all. You yourself kept a seasoned eye on the logistics.
Thanks again ,
P
David -
R here - the lucky recipient of the tour tickets as a surprise 50th present. We were in the earlier wave, so Scotland and Japan were our treats, but everything you say rings beautifully true for our experience. I think the key to the bullet trains, like much else in Japan, is that every single person involved, from the CEO to those fabulous ladies in pink who clean the whole thing in four minutes flat, takes it on a personal point of honour that they do the best job they can. The building site security guard who addressed us in broken but beguilingly polite English as he kept us waiting on the pavement while a truck left the site. The tour guide who stayed with us in the restaurant 'til midnight after the Japan game, just to make sure we had everything we needed. The passerby who saw us struggling with a metro map and spent ten minutes with us making sure we got to the point we were supposed to be meeting up, hung on to make sure we found our mates, and was then embarrassed that he only had a gift for Jo-Ann (a beautiful fan). Just three examples that typified the warmth and hospitality of the people, but I could cite twenty more. The Japan game was a toughie, but I could not imagine losing to a more gracious bunch of fans, and I got to swap my Ireland scarf for one of those Blossoms towels with a tearfully overjoyed 80-year old lady.
So all in all one of the most enjoyable ten days of my 1/2 century. Fabulous county, lovely people, great rugby (for the neutral, at least) and an exceptionally well-thought out tour schedule. Hats off all round!
Kind regards,
R.
P.S. - If I were to import one thing from Japan it wouldn't be the bullet trains. It would be 500 or so of those ridiculously chirpy lads and lasses who wander around the stadiums with rucksacks full of Heineken. That's the way to do things.
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