FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Answers to some common questions
General Questions
To enter Japan, you need a valid passport that will be good for 6 months, including your entire stay in Japan. For United States residents your stay in Japan can be up to 90 days each visit.
Truly it will really depend on what we are seeing or doing. We will provide transfers to and from the airport. We may train, we may use a private car, we may walk, again it just depends. More transportation information will be provided once the individuals in the group are confirmed.
We use What3words for our tour destinations to ensure your safety when traveling around Tokyo. Before you travel download the free What3words app. It works offline so you can still enter 3 words and find the exact location, even without a connection or simply click on the 3 word address to navigate directly to the meeting point at a precise location. It is much easier than street names in a city you don’t know well!
A deposit of 30% of each tour is required to hold your spot, refundable until 60 days prior to our departure. At 60 days prior to our departure, full payment is due.
That way we can book and coordinate your travel experience, and everyone is provided the same opportunity to travel with us. We are committed to our business and providing an amazing experience for you so you see for us to travel with you we must coordinate our home and family just like everyone else. In addition, if you cancel within 30 days of our departure, an additional fee of $300 is imposed as we would have already had everything booked. The Japanese culture does not usually provide refunds for services paid.
We have our own booking agents we work with to arrange your travel. Our intent is to provide a no-stress, hassle free experience. To answer the second question, no we do not provide tours only or arrange your travel only. We are not a travel agency; we are a tour agency so if you would like our services then you will need to commit to traveling with us. This is how we set up our business, with our love of Japan in mind, we want to show you Japan!
Yes! If you are a military service member, including retirees, we provide you a discount. We also provide discounts for university-sponsored student travel as well as corporate incentive trips.
No problem. Good for you! Traveling alone doesn’t have to be completely solo. Our intent is to provide a small group with other like-minded travelers like yourself. To ease your mind, we will group chat as a small group prior to our departure. Tokyo charges a much higher occupancy rate for single travelers in all hotels, unfortunately there is no way around this. An additional single supplement will be between $700-$900 for the week depending on which season and tour.
Trip Preparation
It is highly recommended to obtain travel insurance for your visit abroad. If the unexpected were to occur you will be extremely glad that you were prepared, it may be something simple as lost baggage or something more serious such as a medical emergency. We will be glad to recommend travel insurance providers for you.
It depends on the season. Most of our tours will be in the spring and the fall, the average temperatures range between 58-78 degrees. Conservative, modest layered clothing is best.
Yes! Japan’s networks are fast. We can discuss your options when it comes to mobile usage and what will work best; a sim card, a pocket wireless, or international calling features. It also depends on how much you would like to be “connected” since days and nights are opposite as the U.S.
Well speaking of time difference above, jetlag is a real concern. Surprisingly many companies do not even acknowledge this and try to rush you to do too much too fast too soon. In the first few days our itinerary will have options to help assist with you your jetlag without missing anything. Prior to our departure we will also share some travel tips, not to make your jetlag disappear per se, but to help assist you in feeling the best you possibly can with the time adjustment.
Comfortable, light sneakers, casual shoes, or strapped sandals are recommended. Flip flops or high heels are not recommended. We will provide more detailed pre-departure checklists 1 month prior and 1 week prior to going to Japan.
On the Trip
Japan has a variety of food. Many people assume that sushi is the only option, which is plainly untrue. There are many other options: tempura, curry, soba, ramen, yakitori, gyoza etc.…We can discuss this more in depth during our pre-departure consultations.
It depends on the season. Most of our tours will be in the spring and the fall, the average temperatures range between 58-78 degrees. Conservative, modest layered clothing is best.
Yes! Japan’s networks are fast. We can discuss your options when it comes to mobile usage and what will work best; a sim card, a pocket wireless, or international calling features. It also depends on how much you would like to be “connected” since days and nights are opposite as the U.S.
Definitely! As much as you would like, yes there will be an itinerary. Flexibility is built in, so if you seek more down time than what we provide just let us know, we will gladly accommodate you.
Uniquely there is no tipping in Japan, the service staff are salaried employees.
Only if you would like, there are several public bathhouses in Tokyo and on the outskirts. I have to say the onsen is very, very relaxing and the bath temperature is hotter than an American jacuzzi. The baths are separated into male and female baths and are completely nude. People with visible tattoos are not allowed to bathe.
Sightseeing, history, sumo, gardens, temples, food, nightlife, dressing in traditional clothing…this truly depends on your interests; we will match the small groups as close as possible to interests that suits all. No matter what we will be doing a lot of walking. And of course, you will have time to explore on your own.
Bowl of ramen 700 yen, Beer 400 yen, Coke 200 yen, Snacks 300 yen, Dinner meal (depending on your taste) 2000-8000 yen. It is much less expensive than what people may think. We will mix it up on our tour and show you the everyday places the Japanese people eat as well as sit down to experience Japanese traditional meals.