Japanese Immersion

Your tour :

• The prices displayed on this page may vary according to the exchange rate of the Japanese Yen.
• Unfortunately, this tour is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.
• Children and babies accepted. From 3 to 11 years old a child rate is offered. In each accommodation, a standard adult bed will be offered to them, and a standard seat will be allocated to them in transport. From 0 to 2 years old inclusive, a "baby" rate is offered. This price corresponds to the allocation of a cot in the majority of the accommodation of the chosen tour. However, we cannot guarantee a baby cot in each accommodation.
• Pets are not allowed.
• This programme is subject to change due to weather conditions or any other case of force majeure. Please note that any information mentioned is subject to change or modification.
• Your travel documents will be given to you as follows:
  • Travel diary by email before departure, and other electronic documents
  • Paper documents (airport transfer ticket, transportation card, Japan Rail Pass voucher) and Pocket WiFi upon arrival at the airport by our airport assistant.
• There is no ticket for airport transfers from Kansai airport. The transfer reservation is registered in the name of the tour reservation.
• In rare cases, mostly in very high season, tour steps might be reversed. You will be informed in your travel-guide. Thanks for your kind understanding.

Your accommodation :

• Some hotels may ask you to pay a tourist tax on arrival. This depends on the city and even the hotel, as some do not include it in the booking price. Normally, it is 200¥/night/person (about £1/$1.30) but can be slightly higher in 4* hotels. It must be paid in cash at the hotel reception. For traditional Japan Experience accommodations, it is included in the initial tour price.
• Room size: in Japan, a densely populated country where everything is compact, 3-star hotels are of very good quality but the rooms are often quite small (12 to 20m2/129 sq ft to 215 sq ft) depending on the hotel. Please note the size of the single room, between 10 and 16m2 (107sq ft and 172sq ft). For more comfort, you can choose our luxury 4* accommodation upgrade option. (This option is only valid for the hotel in Tokyo, not for the traditional accommodation in Kyoto).
• Double room: Rooms for two people in western hotels have 2 single beds (twin rooms) by default, which can usually be joined together. As an option, you can select a double room instead of a twin if you prefer a double bed.
• Single room: People travelling alone and wishing to book a single room must pay a supplement at the time of booking. The single room supplement is compulsory for orders with an odd number of participants. Please note that if you request more than two people in a single room, the single room supplement will be applied to all accommodation except for the ryokans (3 and 4*). In fact, as this is traditional accommodation, people with the same reservation are grouped together in spacious rooms for up to 5 people.
• 3-person room: If there are 3, 5 or more of you and you do not select the single supplement, a triple room will be allocated to you.
• In the case of a group order (> 5 people), it is possible, depending on hotel availability, that not all members of the group will be accommodated in the same hotel. We will of course aim to keep you as close as possible.
• Hotel names: The names given on the site are for information only. In the event of unavailability, a hotel of equivalent standard will be provided. Hotels, corresponding to local standards, are given as an indication and may be changed on site for hotels of a similar category.
• In the ryôkan, guests sleep on comfortable futons placed on the tatami mat. The room has a private sink and toilet. As is customary in Japanese ryôkan, the onsen bathroom is shared (not mixed) unless you take the "private bathroom in the room" option.
  OPTIONAL: Enjoy a private bathroom (japanese or western) in your room, not an onsen bath. This option is recommended for mixed couples, families, people who are modest or have visible tattoos.
  The 4* ryôkan (see 4* option) have comfortable futons raised on either western beds in a traditional tatami room. The bathrooms and toilets of the 4* ryôkan are private.
• At the Buddhist temple in Mount Koya, you will sleep on comfortable futon on a tatami mat. The rooms do not have private bathrooms or toilets. The non-mixed collective Japanese baths ("onsen") then serve as a shared bathroom, with showers and thermal baths. They are freely accessible, subject to the schedules in place on site. These baths are often not accessible to people with visible tattoos. With the 4* options, the rooms have a private washbasin and toilet, but the bathroom remains shared.

Your transport :

• Flights are not included in this tour. Please contact us if you would like to include flights in your order: Flights in economy class with stopovers or direct flights, eco-premium or business air upgrades, provincial departures or abroad; we will be able to advise you.
• The tour departure and end dates presented on this page relate to your stay in Japan. You will arrive in Japan via Tokyo (Narita or Haneda airports) and depart from Kansai airport (KIX, not Itami ITM). On departure, you will have to leave Europe the day before and land at 6:30pm at the latest to make the most of the airport services of your tour (reception and transfer to Tokyo).The return flight should be on the same day.
• Airport Transfers: The shared limousine bus leaves from the airport and stops either in front of your hotel or at a stop within 1-15 minutes walk from your hotel. Our airport assistant in Tokyo will show you to the platform to pick up the airport transfer. The transfer to the hotel is unassisted. If you wish to be accompanied from the airport to your hotel reception, please choose the "Accompanied Airport Transfer" option. This transfer is done in a shared shuttle or bus, with other clients leaving for the same hotel or a hotel close to yours. These transfers leave between 1.5 and 3 hours after your flight's scheduled arrival and stops can be made before your hotel. If you would like a private, non-stop transfer directly after the actual arrival of your flight, feel free to take the "Private Taxi from the Airport" option. Please note: due to the many changes in flight schedules by the airlines, if the airline notifies you of a change in arrival time less than 72 hours before your departure, and if it exceeds 45 minutes, we cannot guarantee your airport shuttle. You will then have to take a taxi at your own expense, requesting a refund from your airline for abusive schedule changes. The same applies to your return journey: 72 hours before your return flight, we cannot change the shuttle schedule. Similarly, you will have to take a taxi booked with the hotel, at your own expense, with reimbursement procedures with the airline company being the only solution. Japan Experience is not responsible for last minute schedule changes. On the way back, the shared shuttle bus leaves from your hotel or very close by to take you directly to the Kansai KIX airport in 1 hour 30.
• Included in your tour is a transport card pre-charged with ¥1,500 (around £7 / $10),  a Hakone Free Pass 2 days for the trip from Tokyo > Hakone, Shinkansen tickets for Odawara (Hakone) > Hiroshima and Hiroshima > Osaka (seats reserved in standard class), a Koyasan Pass 2 days for the trip from Osaka > Mount Koya & from Mount Koya > Kyoto. These cards and passes should cover a large part of your trips during the stay. After the ¥1,500 on the transport card runs out, or if the line you are travelling on is not covered by your passes, any further travel will be at your own expense by recharging the transport card (at ticket machines in all stations and metro stations, cash only). 

Your activities :

• The airport reception is in English. Your airport assistant will be waiting for you at the customs exit holding a sign with the name you provided when booking. They will give you your travel documents and take you to your airport transfer. They will not accompany you to Tokyo (this is possible, but optional).
• The Asakusa tour is a guided group tour lasting around 2 hours. Please note that the tour will be conducted in English if your group is made up of travellers of different nationalities. More details on the meeting point in your travel pack. Lunch is not included, but your guide will be able to recommend the best places to eat.
• The guided tour of Gion lasts around 2 hours and starts at 7pm. Please note that the tour will be conducted in English if your group is made up of travellers of different nationalities. More details on the meeting point in your travel pack. Dinner is not included, but your guide will be able to recommend the best places to eat.

Your meals :

• Breakfasts that are not included in your tour package can be added at the hotel reception when you arrive. However, you will find many cafés near your hotel serving good breakfasts, often tastier than those in the hotels, which sometimes have tight schedules and are predominantly savoury. If you would like to add all breakfast to your tour when booking with us, you can select it as an option.
• Traditional Japanese dinner and Japanese breakfast (mostly savoury) are included in your Hakone tour. Please indicate any dietary requirements you may have, we will pass them on to the ryokan so that they can take them into account when planning the meals. If the ryokan cannot take any of these dietary requirements into account, we cannot be held responsible and no compensation will be issued.
• A traditional vegan dinner and breakfast is served at the temple in your Mount Koya stay. Please indicate any dietary requirements you may have in advance, we will pass them on to the temple so that they can take them into account when planning the meals. If they cannot take any of these dietary requirements into account, we cannot be held responsible and no compensation will be issued.

Your additional services:

• A pocket wifi is included in your tour. It allows unlimited high-speed internet access. Your Pocket WiFi will be given to you at the airport upon arrival.
• It comes with instructions to operate your device (don't panic: it's simple!) and a prepaid envelope to return your device at the end of your stay. Your pocket wifi will work until the last day of your tour.
• A maximum of 5 devices can be connected to a pocket wifi at one time (phone, tablet, computer, etc).
• A single pocket wifi is provided for a tour booking of 1 to 5 people. For a booking of 6 people or more, a second pocket wifi will be added automatically and at no extra cost to your reservation.

A 35% deposit is required at the time of booking to confirm your reservation. The remaining balance must be paid in full no later than 35 days before the departure date.