Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our FAQ page! Here, you'll find answers to most common questions about our services. If you don't see the information you're looking for, feel free to reach out to us directly for assistance. We're here to help! You can also ask our AI which is in the bottom right corner of your screen. Its been trained to answer most of the commonly asked questions and if it can't help you it will contact one of our advisors to assist.
If you have a question that isn't on this list please feel free to send an email by following the link at the bottom to ask your question and we will respond ASAP (usually in just a few hours).
So how do the pay over time plans work, do I just pick a payment plan and make 6 or 12 or 24 payments? Do I get to pick how many payments it is?
The number of monthly payments depends on the time between booking & your departure date. All trips must be paid in full at least 30 days before travel — no exceptions. This is not a loan; there’s no credit check, no fees, no hidden charges, no tricks, no gimmicks & no interest, because your vacation is fully prepaid in advance. Its like a vacation savings plan where you just set it & forget it because we withdraw your payments automatically. If you’d like more time to pay, simply choose a trip that’s 12, 18, or 24 months away — rather than one just a few months from now. This flexibility is possible because we book your flights, accommodations, & other arrangements at the optimal times for the best prices, not all at once months in advance or right before you leave.
If you want to pay beyond when your trip is planned for we do have options such as Affirm, Klarna and others. This option is a loan. They do charge interest in most cases but you can set up a payment plan with them for any length they offer even if its well beyond when the trip begins. This is good when you want to travel very soon but also want payments over time. Just tell us you want to "pay it all at once" we will send an invoice and you simply choose one of those payment methods at checkout.
Do I have to pay over time or can I just pay it all at once?
Once your custom trip is finalized, you’ll have three payment options:
-
Pay in Full – Settle your balance in one payment and focus solely on the countdown to your adventure.
-
Do 3 Equal Payments – Spread your cost across three convenient installments.
-
Monthly Payments – Make manageable monthly payments up until one month before your departure.
Please note: Depending on when you book and your departure date, some options may not be available. For example, if your trip is less than three months away, the Pay in Full option may be required.
How do I know if you have booked any parts of my trip that are non-refundable? Why would you even book anything that isn't refundable?
When building your trip, we’ll go over many ways to make it more affordable. One option is booking non-refundable flights, experiences or hotels — these are often significantly cheaper, but they come with no flexibility. Flights are a major part of the cost of a Japan trip, so if you don’t want to spend an extra $300–$500 for a refundable ticket, a non-refundable one might make sense. However, once booked, that money is gone if you cancel. The same goes for many budget-friendly hotels or properties in highly desirable areas, which are often non-refundable due to frequent last-minute cancellations.
Whenever we book a non-refundable segment of your trip (flight, hotel, Airbnb, tour, etc.), you’ll receive an email notification with a subject line like:
"We have now booked your Non-Refundable flight from Oklahoma City to Narita, Japan"
This email will include all the booking details and a reminder that the segment cannot be changed or refunded. We do not send notice emails for bookings that are refundable unless they have some caveat like a cancelation fee. Once your full itinerary is booked and complete, we’ll send you a summary showing which parts of your trip are and are not refundable. You will in most cases get an email or emails with all the details of your trip including tickets at least 14 days before the trip begins.
How does this all work, so after 30 days you just start booking my trip and email me after its all booked up?
The way we book your trip depends on several factors, and while we can’t give away all the “secret family recipe,” here’s a straightforward overview to satisfy your curiosity.
Let’s say you book a trip 12 months in advance. You are given a set price for your custom itinerary, you make your first monthly payment right away, and then you have 10 more payments, with the final one due 30 days before your departure. We intentionally do nothing for the first 30 days — this is your time to make sure you’re confident in your decision before we start making official reservations.
Once that 30-day window passes, we begin booking your trip in phases over the following months. What we book first depends on your priorities. For example, if location is your top priority, we secure your accommodations early because the best spots fill up fast. For experiences, tickets, or transportation that don’t even open up for booking until closer to your travel dates, we wait until the optimal time to book — a timing strategy based on our experience, demand patterns, and seasonal availability.
This phased approach can take months to complete, but it allows us to lock in the absolute best experiences at exactly the right time. Instead of you having to stress over fluctuating daily rates, release schedules, or activities selling out, we give you one solid price upfront. You just make your payments, and we handle the complex logistics behind the scenes. It’s a strategy that ensures your trip is high-quality, well-planned, and completely stress-free.
What if when I get to Japan I see a fun tour I want to do, like a tour to Mt Fuji, can I book it myself or do I need to go thru my Travel Advisor?
If you’ve never been to Japan — or haven’t visited a particular area we've built into your itinerary — you might stumble across something exciting you didn’t think to ask about during the initial planning. Even though we give you as much advice as possible before your trip, we can’t predict every single activity you might enjoy, and new opportunities are always popping up.
If you find something you’d like to do while you're out exploring, you can either text your Advisor to have them arrange it for you, or you can book it yourself — both options are completely fine. Your Advisor is always just a text away if you want their help, but booking through us is never a requirement while you're on the ground.
We do recommend waiting until your trip begins and you are in Japan to make additional spontaneous bookings on your own, since part of our role is helping you figure out if an experience is truly worth your time and money. And remember — having us handle the booking doesn't cost you anything extra, so why deny us our commission? If you see something you like before your trip starts, just send it our way. We will happily adjust your monthly payment and get it booked for you, no problem whatsoever.
What if I need to make changes to my trip, to add or remove something.
If you need to add something that would increase the cost of the trip then the cost of that addition will be taken from any existing credit or spread out and added to the remaining payments. If you need to remove something then assuming it can be canceled and refunded then money will be credited to you to be used on something else while on the trip. If it never gets spent during the trip then you will get a refund or credit for a future trip that's good for 24 months from the end date of the original trip.
Lets say I want the cheapest trip possible, what is the absolute bottom dollar cost?
If you’re flying from a city serviced by a budget airline, we can make it surprisingly affordable. Let’s take Los Angeles as an example:
-
Round-trip flight (LAX → Narita): about $950
-
Budget room for 7 nights: around $320 total
-
Food (cup noodles, convenience store meals): ultra-budget for a week
-
Walking everywhere instead of using trains/buses: free!
By keeping it bare-bones, we can get you to Japan for about $1,500 total for a week.
But realistically, most travelers want to see more and eat better — so for around $2300 all-in, we can give you a 7 day Tokyo adventure including transportation, food, and a clean place to stay. It won’t be the trip of a lifetime at that price, but you’ll be comfortable, safe, well-fed and enjoying all the sights, sounds and flavors of Japan. (Assuming you are flying from LAX)
On a Payment plan that's:
-
6 payments: $384/month
-
9 payments: $256/month
Japan might be closer (and more affordable) than you think.
I haven't gotten an email from you guys in months, nothing about anything being booked at all. Did you just take my money and run? What's the deal here?
Nope — we’re still here, and your trip is still very much in progress. The reason you haven’t seen booking updates is because we don’t book everything the moment you make your first payment. Instead, we plan bookings around the optimal time to secure the best locations, experiences, and rates. Booking too early can actually cost more or limit your options, so we wait until the timing works in your favor.
If you booked many months in advance, there can be long stretches when nothing new is booked and you don't hear from us, in fact unless its a non-refundable booking we don't contact you at all to tell you something new is booked— that’s completely normal. This is also why we tell every guest upfront that it can take months to fully build your trip. We do this to protect your budget and ensure you get the most out of your time in Japan. If we just booked it all within a week of you paying us then it could cost significantly more and we couldn't offer a pay over time option.
That said, if you ever feel in the dark, you can always request a status update. We’re happy to share what’s been booked so far, what’s next, and when you can expect the rest to be confirmed. You can join our groups on our website and chat with us and other clients on the same journey. Post ideas and stories and share your excitement and talk with real travel advisors, one of which will be with you on your trip in Japan.
How are your Travel Advisors picked or vetted?
Our Travel Advisors are based in both the USA and Japan, and all are fluent English speakers (many are native speakers). Each advisor is carefully chosen for their professionalism, experience, and genuine passion for Japan. Unlike big travel companies that book trips all over the world, we focus only on Japan—nothing else. We live it, breathe it, and know it inside and out.
Our advisors aren’t traditional travel agents—they’re Japan specialists who know the country like their own backyard, but they also understand exactly what American travelers want and expect. While many Japanese-based tour companies are excellent, they don’t always see things from an American perspective. We bridge that gap.
Every advisor once came to Japan as a newcomer themselves, so they understand the common challenges first-time visitors face. Their mission is to guide you around those pitfalls and make your journey seamless, carefree, and low-stress from start to finish. Many of our team are manga and anime fans, otaku, foodies, or simply people who are deeply immersed in Japanese culture and society. We love Japan, and we want to share that love by giving you the smoothest, most enjoyable experience possible.