Japan family tour

Your tour :

• The prices displayed on this page may vary according to the exchange rate of the Japanese ¥.
• Unfortunately, this tour is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.
• Pets are not allowed.
• Children over 3 years of age are allowed. Rates for children are available for people from 3 to 11 years old inclusive.
• This programme is subject to change due to circumstances such as weather conditions or any other case of force majeure. Please note that due to the current circumstances, any information mentioned is subject to change or modification.
• Your travel documents will be given to you as follows:

1. Travel diary by email 3 weeks before departure, and other electronic documents 
2. Paper documents (airport transfer tickets, transport cards, Japan Rail Pass voucher) when you arrive at the airport by our airport assistant.
3. Your pocket Wi-Fi at the hotel reception upon arrival.

• As this tour is designed for families (at least one adult with at least one child/teenager), it is not possible for individual people to book this tour. We recommend the "Solo Japan" tour or any other tour accessible to solo travellers.

Your accommodation :

• Tourist tax not included for some hotels.
• 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 €1.60) 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.
• Traditional houses : each house has been chosen for its location (transport, shops, temples...) and thus to facilitate your stay. All lodgings have at least one Japanese tatami room and are equipped with a minimum of 3 beds, either in a single western bed (not double) or on a futon. Do not hesitate to specify in your comments that you want to sleep in a western bed.
• All of them have private dining rooms, kitchens and bathrooms, in addition to the bedrooms. A washing machine and Wi-Fi are also available within the accommodation. In all houses, bed linen and towels are provided, and the price includes travel angel service, tourist tax and cleaning at the end of the stay.
• Traditional apartment in Tokyo: located in an apartment building with a lift in the lively, well-connected district of Ikebukuro. Close to all amenities.
• Traditional house in Kyoto : Most of them are either located in the historical district of Gion or on the edge of the Path of Philosophy and the Silver Temple.
• Japan Experience Traditional House in Kanazawa: located in the city centre.
• In the ryokan in Hakone, guests sleep on comfortable futons placed on the tatami mat. The room has a private sink and toilet. As is customary in Japanese ryokan, the onsen bathroom is shared (not mixed) unless you take the "private bathroom in the room" option. OPTIONAL: Enjoy a private Japanese bathroom (traditional or modern onsen) in your room. This option is recommended for mixed couples, families, people who are modest or have visible tattoos.
  
  The 4* ryokan (see 4* option) have comfortable futons raised on either western beds in a traditional tatami room. The bathrooms and toilets of the 4* ryokans are private. In this traditional accommodation, people under the same reservation are grouped together in spacious rooms that can accommodate up to 5 people.
• Hotel in Tokyo : 

1. Room size: in Japan, a densely populated country where everything is compact, 3-star luxury hotels are of very good quality but the rooms are often quite narrow (12 to 20m2) depending on the hotel. Please note the size of the single room, between 10 and 16m2. For more comfort, you can choose our luxury 4**** accommodation upgrade option.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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. Nevertheless, we aim to keep you close. 
6. Names of the hotels : The names given on the site are for information only. In the event of unavailability, an establishment of equivalent standing will be scheduled. Hotels, corresponding to local standards, are given as an indication and may be changed on site for hotels of a similar category.

Your transport :

• Flights are not included in this tour. Do not hesitate to 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 will also leave from Tokyo. You will have to leave Europe the day before and land at 18pm at the latest to make the most of the airport services of your tour (welcome and transfer to Tokyo). The return flight is on the same day due to the time difference, with a departure time of 9am at the earliest. Please do not hesitate to consult us for any uncertainty or need for precision in the choice of international flights.
• Airport transfers: The shared limousine bus shuttle leaves from the airport and stops either in front of your hotel or at a stop between 1 and 15 minutes' walk from your hotel. Our airport assistant in Tokyo will drive you to the platform for the airport transfer. Then this transfer to the hotel is done without assistance. If you wish to be accompanied from the airport to your hotel reception, choose the "Accompanied airport transfer" option. Same for the return transfer.
• Included in your tour is a pre-charged transport prepayment card of ¥ 1,500 (around € 12) (suica or Pasmo brand); a 7-day Japan Rail Pass, a Tokyo Metro Pass for 3 days and a Hakone Free Pass for 2 days. These 4 cards should cover a large part of your trips during the stay. Upon expiry of the 1,500¥ Transport Prepayment Card, or if the line you are travelling on is not covered by your Japan Rail Pass, any travel will be at your own expense by recharging your pre-paid transport card (at vending machines in all stations and metro stations). A metro ticket in Tokyo costs around €2, depending on the length of the journey).
• The Japan Rail Pass is a personal train pass for foreign travellers who wish to visit Japan. This pass allows unlimited travel for 7 consecutive days on all Japan Railways (JR) trains throughout Japan. You will receive a voucher to be exchanged at a JR office when you are welcomed at the airport by our assistant (list of addresses provided in your travel guide). You will be asked to show your passport and fill in a form. During this exchange, you will select the start date of your pass. Once your Pass has been activated, it will be valid for 7 consecutive days from the date chosen. To prevent wasting time when you arrive at the airport, you are requested to exchange your voucher upon arrival in Tokyo City. This is because exchanging it at the airport could delay your airport shuttle. With your Japan Rail Pass in hand, just go to the station, show your pass to the ticket inspector at the entrance gates and board any JR train. Trains in Japan are almost all open seating. If you are worried about not having a seat (on a shinkansen for example), simply go to a ticket office and reserve your seat at no extra charge. The Japan Rail Pass covers all JR and Shinkansen lines in Japan. The following journeys are not covered:

1. Travel by metro and bus in the cities (payable by pre-paid transport card, included in your package)
2. Transfers from the train station to the hotels (by foot, bus, metro or taxi)
3. Travel on private train lines (other than JR)
4. Travel on Nozomi and Mizuho high-speed trains (shinkansen)
5. Trips made outside the validity period of the Japan Rail Pass

• Japan Rail Pass: It is not necessary to possess a Japan Rail Pass which covers your entire stay. This is only cost-effective if it is used for long journeys between the different stages of your stay (especially in shinkansen) which are very expensive. In large cities like Tokyo, only about ⅓ of public transport is covered by the Japan Rail Pass and getting around is relatively cheap (Tokyo metro tickets: 2€, daily bus pass in Kyoto: 5€). Thus, providing you with a Japan Rail Pass for more than 7 days (14 or 21) would not be cost-effective and, on the contrary, would significantly increase the cost of your trip.
• If a person taking part in the tour is a Japanese national and a resident of Japan, or a foreigner with tax residence in Japan (including a student), then that person is not eligible for the Japan Rail Pass. Please contact us to get the price of the tour without a Japan Rail Pass. They will have to buy the train tickets for the tour directly in Japan. The Kansai Thru Pass is also subject to the same nationality/residency requirements. This is not the case for the Hakone Free pass. If this person is a Japanese citizen but not a resident of Japan, then he/she can benefit from the Japan Rail Pass under certain conditions (see https://www.japan-experience.com/japan-rail-pass/faq).

Your activities :

• Airport reception is in English. Your airport assistant will be waiting for you at the customs exit holding a sign with the name of the reservation. 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).
• An English and French speaking Travel Angel who is a specialist in Japan will be there to welcome you to your traditional houses. They will give you the keys, explain how the house and its facilities work, give you a tour of the area (tourist sites, supermarkets, bike rental...) and answer all your questions. They will be available throughout your stay in case of any problems or questions.
• The guided tour of Gion takes place in groups of 12 people maximum, from 18:00 to 19:30/20:00. In French or English (depending on the language of the other participants). More details on the meeting place in your travel journal. Dinner is not planned but your guide will be able to give you their best spots.
• Tokyo Family Tour: Your guide will pick you up at your flat at 9am, and the day will last until 5pm. Details in your travel diary.

Your meals :

• Breakfasts which are not included in your package can be added at the reception when you arrive at the hotel. However, you will find many cafés near your hotel serving copious breakfasts, often tastier than those in the hotels, which sometimes have tight schedules and are predominantly savoury. However, if you would like to add breakfast to your offer when you make your reservation, you can select it as an option.
• Traditional Japanese dinner and Japanese breakfast (mostly savoury) are included in your Hakone tour. Do not hesitate to 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 does not take any of these dietary requirements into account, we cannot be held responsible and no compensation will be issued.
• The traditional Japan Experience houses are equipped for cooking and are located close to supermarkets and markets