Every traveler, and travel company, is different. We look forward to embarking on the planning process and learning more about you. To help you get the most out of your experience with us, we also ask that you please review these guidelines for planning together.
Input
Your input is essential to everything we do. We have sample trips on our website, but these are primarily meant to spark inspiration. We will design your trip “from scratch,” which is why it’s so important for us to learn about your interests, preferences, and priorities.
Timing
Timing is key. As briefly explained on our contact page, we typically recommend planning well in advance for various reasons. During the planning process, there may be times when we need prompt replies from you for planning purposes — for example, to make sure we can confirm a particular hotel or ryokan, or expert guide — though we will never rush you (and ask that you please refrain from rushing us).
Feedback
Our goal is to design your ideal trip on our first try. This can be a time-intensive process, in great part because of how thorough we like to be. It may go without saying, but your proposed itinerary will be completely open to your feedback. The magic happens when your input comes together with our Japan travel expertise.
We need to hear your questions and concerns, especially during the initial planning stages. When we are engaged in the creative process of outlining your itinerary and bringing it to life, the possibilities are virtually limitless. This is the time to make sure you understand and are aligned with the itinerary we have put together for you.
After you book your trip with us, it is much more difficult to make changes for a variety of reasons. Services in Japan normally need to be arranged well in advance, and it can be disruptive (in terms of both logistics and Japanese etiquette) to revise or adjust plans after they have been arranged.
Perfection
We are not perfect, though we are perfectionists and take a great deal of care with everything we do. We work extremely hard for our clients, and take deep satisfaction in doing so. But mistakes and oversights can happen. They are rare, not only because of our painstaking efforts, but also because things in Japan tend to run so gloriously well (one of the things we love most about Japan is how much people tend to care about even the smallest details). If something does not go as planned, you can expect us to do everything in our power to go above and beyond to make things better.
Communication
You can reach us primarily by email and telephone (+1-619-272-6978). We endeavor to reply to emails and phone calls as quickly as possible, usually within 1 business day. When it comes to phone calls, it can often be most efficient to schedule a time to speak, which we are always happy to do. Please note that we don’t use text messaging, and our employees do not provide their personal phone numbers.
Our team is staffed by hard-working people who also enjoy lives outside of trip planning. We’re passionate about what we do, and love working with enthusiastic travelers from around the world, but we don’t work 24/7. To help keep us fresh and productive, we adhere to a 4-day work week (Monday to Thursday), with Fridays and weekends off. With this in mind, please understand that we don’t typically reply to emails or phone calls when we’re off, except in case of urgent matters.
During your trip with us, you will have access to our 24/7 emergency line. The emergency line is expressly for emergencies, and only rarely do our travelers make use of it. Please note that we do not provide 24/7 concierge services, though if any non-urgent needs, questions, or requests come up during your trip, we will of course also do all we can to assist you.
Meaningful Experiences
Our goal is to provide you with an immersive and memorable trip filled with unique and meaningful experiences. We hope you will entrust us with your Japan travel planning, and if you have any questions please let us know.