Companies for Self-Guided Tours in Japan

Are you using the Fodor and Frommer guides for Japan, or Lonely Planet or Rough Guide? They will have info such as this.

Thanks, ORDTraveler and Phred.

I know that I can make all my travel arrangements on my own, and by using the websites you mentioned and a Moon guidebook, I already have a general idea of the region and places I would like to visit. in Japan.

In considering the use of a tour company, I was looking for someone who can offer a pre-arranged itinerary that is practically workable (i.e., not overly ambitious or logistically challenging) , with pre-arranged Japanese accommodations and travel arrangements chosen by someone who knows much more about Japan than I do--and a "one-stop shopping" aspect to it. Call me lazy, but this has some appeal and value to me, as I bring no particular local knowledge to the Japan trip planning process even though I have the ability to book all of these arrangements on my own. I'm not sure that in doing my own research about accommodations in, say, six different cities and the transport between them I can come up with a better trip than a company might offer (putting aside the time I would have to spend doing the research and making all separate bookings).

The company "Japan Experience" is one that--judging from its website--seemed to offer what I was looking for, and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with it, good or bad, or with other companies offering similar services. Thanks!

Thank you! There are so many (interesting) posts on this forum that it can be difficult to find the most relevant ones.