FAQ

All trips are based on double occupancy. If you wish to room with someone in particular, no problem! Make sure to let us know on your intake survey (it’s in the email you get after signing up!), and we’ll take care of it. Otherwise, we will match roommates as best as we can. All roommates will be the same gender, unless otherwise specified by you.

Prefer to room alone? No problem either, but keep in mind single occupancy rooms cost a bit more.

Usually not, but it depends. The majority of hotels only offer single, one-person rooms (one person) or double rooms. Double rooms either come with one full bed or two twin beds (which you CANNOT fill with multiple people, like hotel rooms in the USA). Hotels do not offer cots and cannot accommodate a third person, plus hotel rooms are smaller so there isn’t space. However, traditional ryokans and inns do offer rooms that house more people. We will go over these options with you when you sign up.

All of our trips are based on two people per room. If you want to have your own room and your trip involves a resort (a hot spring ryokan, a fancier resort property, etc.), we give you the option of getting a single room at just the hotels or a single room at the hotels and the resort.

The reason this is done is cultural. Many resort and hot spring properties only take reservations for couples and families since that is who usually uses those facilities, and solo travelers in Japan don’t usually go to a resort by themselves. We can book these rooms for solo occupancy; however, the cost of solo occupancy in many of these resorts is quite high.

For that reason, we let our guests choose to just have a solo room in non-resort properties and then share with someone at the resort – which usually works out okay, since the rooms are much bigger and in some cases have in-room dividers. This can all be a little complicated, so please contact us if you have questions.

Nope! You can enjoy the trip without knowing any Japanese. While knowing some of the language can certainly assist in finding certain items or foods, most of our participants don’t speak the language and still have a great time. The guide is on hand to assist as much as possible, and our guidebook includes helpful phrases and kanji for the hotel, food, etc. There is English at all of the train stations, and if you are riding the JR, they also announce stops in English. Some workers can also understand English. If you are worried, then feel free to pick up a phrasebook for your trip!

Most hotels on guided trips offer full laundry service, so dry cleaning and wash/fold service is available. However, if you just want to use a Coin Laundromat and save some cash, we do have listings of laundry places. On trips of 8 nights or less, we will have maps and directions on hand for people that wish to wash their stuff. For longer tours, we will organize a “laundry night” if our guests request it.

Important: if you need to visit a Coin Laundromat on tour, please let us know as early as possible so we can make the proper arrangements.

At the airport in Japan, where Japanese banks offer really good rates. The rates you can get in the USA are really awful unless you live in NYC or LA, and most banks that will sell you foreign currency will charge you an arm and a leg for doing so. Use Travelex if you want to be fee’d to death. Seriously, just give us a $50 bill and we’ll set it on fire for you.

Banks and other businesses that exchange money need to make money too, which is why the rate you get won’t be as cheap as the actual market rate. The only people who can get the exact market rate for dollars to yen are usually billionaires and high-level bank executives. If that doesn’t sound like you, your best option is to take the best rate available. We can certainly sympathize – we have to deal with the same icky rates too!

Don’t worry – we’ll do our best to accommodate you! Whether it’s something you’re allergic to, or a particular food that you don’t like to eat, PLEASE tell us. We want to be able to help you, no matter how small you think it may be. For example, if you don’t care for fish or pork, that’s important to know. 

We’ll ask you about your dietary restrictions before departure to make sure that all allergies are properly dealt with and that our inns/ryokans don’t serve you something you can’t eat.

VEGETARIANS - While it’s easier to accommodate vegetarians than vegans, please keep in mind that options are limited. You may not always be in an area where vegetarian restaurants exist, but you should be able to find something at the market, convenience store, and some restaurants. Items like vegetarian ramen and avocado sushi don’t really exist in Japan.

IF YOU ARE VEGAN, we’ll assist where we can but we please bear in mind that Japan is very tricky for vegans. You’ll want to research what you can and can’t eat and adjust your expectations.

Finally, and this is really important: there are very few, if any, restaurants anywhere that do a good job at accommodating both vegetarians/vegans and people who eat anything. If you are a vegetarian or vegan traveling with friends, please be advised that this may result in you feeling ostracized. Talk with any friends you may be traveling with beforehand about this so that everyone has a chance to try everything they want to try, from vegan stuff to meaty stuff. If you’re signed up for a trip with us and need a hand with that, let us know!

On average, about 40% of the group are solo travelers. This does vary from trip to trip, but our groups are generally welcoming. In fact, most groups become rather close; some have even organized and held reunions in cities across the world after their trip. So yeah, we do our best to provide a friendly environment. :)

Over the years, we’ve noticed discussion on our Discord (and elsewhere) among our guests on how they’ll spend their free time. We’ll inevitably hear something like this:

“Oh, you’re not (doing ___)/(planning all your time out)? That’s a waste!” 

Let’s unpack these statements for a second, shall we?

First: not everyone on your trip may travel like you do. That’s cool! All of our trips have free time and, in many cases, a free day. We schedule these later in the trip for one reason: most of our guests change their minds on how to spend that free time during the trip. That’s not only okay – that’s the magic of travel. 

If you are a big-time planner (“Type A”), ask yourself when planning: is that thing that I heard about on the internet really something I’d like to do? What must I absolutely have time for? Do I want to leave wiggle room for revisiting something I discover and want to see more of? If you like to “go with the flow” (“Type B”), ask yourself: is there anything you need to book in advance? What is it that you are looking forward to and are you leaving time for it?

And remember: we are always, always here to help plan your free time. Email us if you need a hand!

Heck no! Our guests are the friendliest people in the world, and it is always remarkable to see how quickly everyone bonds. We’re lucky to work with such awesome people, honestly.

No, sorry. This is a big no-no is Japanese bathing etiquette. We’ll provide you with details about the proper procedure of undressing and cleansing for the baths. We promise that once you get over the nakedness factor, it really is a wonderful experience!