We offer small-group tours led by a bilingual tour leader.Some of our trips involve walking. We are happy to organise tailor-made trips using cars or vans. (Please fill out our quotation page so we can get an idea of your requirements.)

We accept payment by:

• Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express)
• Debit cards (Visa debit, Visa Electron, UK issued Maestro & Solo)
• Cheques in Pounds and US Dollars
• Bank transfers (in which case we ask you to pay the cost of the transfer)

Yes, we will do our best to accommodate last minute bookings for our scheduled trips subject to the availability of accommodation.

Unfortunately we do not offer flights, but we will be happy to give you help and advice about the best flight options.

Our scheduled trips are kept to a maximum of 12 people, which keeps them small, friendly and personal.

No, there are no hidden charges and no payments to be made locally. You will need some cash to cover expenses that are not included in the tour, such as lunch and a few evening meals. Please see the tour notes for each tour or ask us.

Although we are based in the UK, our groups tend to be very international, with many guests from all over the world. We also have a wide variety of ages on our trips.

We are a member of the Travel Trust Association, a trade association of Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Travel Organisers, that operate trust accounts. Every member puts customer funds into a designated trust account, supervised by an independent trustee. Your funds are held in this account and may not be released unless you receive your holiday. This means that your booking with us will be protected in the unlikely event of our being unable to provide your contracted arrangements due to our insolvency: in most cases your money will still be held within our Trust account, and will be available to pay for your holiday.

Nationals of most EU countries, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and some other countries only need their passport a return ticket to enter Japan as a tourist. Please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website for more details, and a list of countries with visa exemption agreements.

Embassy of Japan in the UK
Embassy of Japan in Germany
Embassy of Japan in France
Embassy of Japan in Canada
Embassy of Japan in USA
Embassy of Japan in Australia
Embassy of Japan in New Zealand

Please read our booking conditions page

Single occupancy rooms are generally only available in hotels and involve a surcharge. Country inns (ryokan and minshuku) usually involve shared accommodation (same sex).
If you are a single person and book one of our trips then you are not obliged to pay the single supplement. However if you request a room to yourself then this should be requested at the time of booking and a supplement paid.

In Japan we use three types of accommodation. In large cities we normally use modern Western-style hotels with en-suite facilities. In the countryside we use traditional ryokan or minshuku, with futons laid-out on tatami-mat floors. Single travellers may be asked to share a room (same sex) and en suite facilities may not be available. On mountain treks we use mountain huts; some of these may only have basic washing facilities.

Yes. We will be happy to help book accommodation before or after your tour. We can help with accommodation, transportation, and with the planning of your extra time, either guided or unguided.

Please see the tour page for more information. Generally, we include all accommodation, all transportation between tour destinations and most meals. Please note that while we include transportation in cities between spots we visit on the itinerary, any travel apart from this (for example in your free time) is not included.