Frequently asked questions

Every journey is built around a person, a rhythm, one particular way of being curious. No groups, no fixed departures. We start from what you love — walking, ceramics, hot springs, the silence of a temple at first light — and build the itinerary around it. Our published itineraries (The Pearls of Honshu, among others) are starting points, not boxes to tick.

A first conversation, to understand your rhythm and what you are after. A first draft itinerary, which we rework together until it looks like you. Then the bookings: accommodation, transfers, guides, tables. You receive a detailed travel book before you leave.

We suggest about six months for the best addresses — some family-run ryokan have only three or four rooms and are booked long in advance. Shorter notice is still possible; the itinerary adapts to what is available.

Yes. That is often the starting point. We keep what speaks to you, take out the rest, and add what interests you.

Accommodation, airport transfers, ordinary-class rail passes (Japan Rail Pass and equivalents), breakfast every day and a few dinners, and the guided days set out in the programme. Add to that the travel book, a pocket wifi router and a Suica card. Not included: international flights, meals and drinks outside the programme, entry to sites not listed, and the accommodation tax paid locally. Each itinerary page sets out the detail, tier by tier.

They do not change the itinerary, only the level of accommodation and service. The same path, three ways of living it. Starting prices are shown on each itinerary page.

No, international flights are not included. You stay free to choose your airline and your routing; we are glad to advise on which airports to arrive at and leave from, given your itinerary.

【to be confirmed: deposit on booking, balance at D-X, accepted payment methods】

No, and that is deliberate. English- or French-speaking guides join you for the moments that deserve it; the rest of the time you are free to wander. Many of our travellers find their best hours by following a street at random.

No. Everything is arranged so the language is never an obstacle. Your guides speak your language, and your travel book carries the useful phrases in Japanese to show if needed.

It happens, and it is not a flaw in the plan. A closed temple, a downpour, an address that shuts without warning: it is often those departures that give a journey its shape. We stay reachable around the clock to adjust on the spot.

There is no single answer. The cherry trees of late March, the green light of June under the rain, the maples of November, the calm of winter in the north — each season opens a different Japan. We build the itinerary around when you travel.

All three. Because the journey is built to measure, the rhythm and the stops adjust to who is travelling.

Tell us early. Some old inns have no lift and are lived at floor level, on tatami — we say so beforehand, and choose the addresses accordingly.

They depend on your nationality, and it is for each traveller to check them with their own country's official sources (the Japanese consulate or embassy). Many nationalities are visa-exempt for a short stay, but the rules change: check before booking your flights.

The cancellation terms are set out in our terms of sale, to be read before any booking. Travel insurance (cancellation, health, repatriation) is strongly recommended; we can point you in the right direction. See also our privacy policy.