Why choose to travel with Magical Japan tours?

We are an ATOL bonded Tour Operator specialising in providing tours to Japan and the Far East since 2003.

You can speak directly to the actual Japan specialist who has planned your specific tour and knows the country well. Therefore our expertise ensures you will have a magical holiday.

All our staff in our UK head office have either lived or travelled extensively throughout Japan and are all passionate about the Far East.

We only use quality hotels and Ryokans. Our Hotels are situated in great locations, regularly inspected and rated highly by our travellers.

Whats the difference between our Japan Guided Tours & Japan Escorted Tours:-

Our Escorted Japan tour selection are designed by ourselves and operate exclusively for our guests.

Our experienced guide will travel with you throughout the tour in Japan, including all the train transfers and on the guided sections of the itinerary. You will have their knowledge on hand to make your journey to Japan more pleasurable and informative. We only use experienced professional local Japanese guides (not unqualified tour buddies) who will provide the best quality service. The escorted tours will use private coach, bullet trains and public transport and will include Ryokan stays and other special activities.

Each detailed itinerary gives hotel and Ryokan names and details. Our superb choice of hotel and Ryokan accommodation are all well tested and in good locations. We are confident of our quality and selection and many of our Hotels & luxurious traditional Ryokans include Onsen (Hot Spring spa facilities) and all provide excellent dining experiences. Western rooms in Ryokans can be provided if requested at booking stage (Subject to availability). Hotel selection is sometimes dependant upon room availability at time of booking, particularly during festival periods.

Our tour is arranged on a small group basis, as we feel this gives our travellers more flexibility and enjoyment. By reducing the group size our experienced guide can show you the true beauty of Japan. Our itineraries are designed at a sensible pace with a combination of escorted sightseeing and some free time.

The tour price is calculated based upon a minimum of 6 travellers in 1 group. In the unlikely situation where the number is less than 6, we can still run the tour with slight modifications, or travelers will be offered an alternative tour, or the opportunity to travel on an alternative date.

Our Guided Japan tour selection, include our tour assistant meeting you at the airport upon arrival of your specific flight. Our assistant will provide you with all your train tickets, hotel & tour vouchers. Airport transfers and all transfers by train & coach between each destination are included in the tour price.

Professional English speaking local Japanese guides will meet you each day when you have a tour activity, and all entrance fees are included whilst on the guided tours, as stated in your itinerary. These day tours are generally on a coach basis (sometimes by train/public transport) and allow enough time to enjoy walking around each sightseeing spot with our tour guide. You will usually join other travelers for these day activities and this enables us to provide regular, flexible and Guaranteed Departures.

Our guided tours operate on a daily/weekly basis and we guarantee departure. Therefore depending on your tour dates, you will be with other travelers or transferring on your own. We always provide details to help make the unaccompanied train/bus transfers straight forward and our standard hotels are within easy walking distance from the stations. We also provide free luggage transfer on majority of the tours, so you can travel light when making the transfers. Where we think it is required we will also arrange private transport to the train station and arrange tour assistants at transfer points - please refer to your specific itinerary.

Majority of our guided tours also have some free time, so you can explore on your own. Ryokan stays can also be added to the majority of our guided tours, as can optional pre-booked excursions. Emergency contact numbers are provided for your time in Japan.

TOUR EXTENSIONS & OPTIONS

Add on guided day tours and city extensions are available for all our tour and can be included in your tour PRIOR TO departure. For details of tours available visit our Optional Tours page.

FREE LUGGAGE TRANSFERS

Due to luggage restrictions on the bullet trains and to ensure your train transfers are relaxing and you can travel light, we include a luggage transfer service on majority of our tours. The overland luggage transfer service takes your large luggage from hotel to hotel between destinations as stated in your itinerary (1 piece of luggage per person). Leave your luggage in the designated area with the hotel porters by 7:30am on the days stated in your specific itinerary (usually day of checkout). On some tours where you are traveling on a daily basis or to countryside areas, you may need to prepare a small overnight bag. For full details please refer to your detailed itinerary which will provide full detail of any luggage transfers arrangements provided.

If you require any additional luggage transferred, or wish to include an transfer on your tour, please contact us for details/prices.

FLIGHTS

If you require international flights, as an agent for many airline consolidators, we can obtain flights in various classes with reputable airlines such as ANA, BA, Virgin, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair etc. For the cheapest deal we recommend you book your international flights at time of booking, as this can save you pounds off your final holiday price. Full ATOL Protection Available.

ATOL Financial Protection

As a UK company registered with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), our ATOL number is 6450. We have been providing quality Far East holidays for a decade and continue to grow our destinations and products for our customers each year. We are therefore a well establish specialist Tour Operator, who prides itself on the high level of service we provide.

Many of the flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed in this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate please visit www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate

OUR ACCOMMODATION

We provide carefully selected quality accommodation in ideal locations, with upgrade to deluxe level available. See our Japan hotel page for further details of our accommodation for our Escorted and Guided tours.

For people on a budget, or single travellers, we can also provide Business class hotels on a number of our shorter guided tours. Business class hotel rooms are generally smaller than those of our standard hotels and the hotel have less facilities for international clients. However they are good standard and in central locations. Budget accommodation may requires guests to make their own travel arrangements to the nearest tour pickup point, which departs from the lobby of our Standard hotel. Details will be provided for your assistance.

OUR RYOKANS & ONSENS

On the majority of our Escorted small group tours, we include a few nights in a luxury Ryokans, staying in a traditional Japanese style room with Tatami mats and sleeping on futon beds.

Many hotels and Ryokans will also have indoor and outdoor 'Onsen' hot spring spa baths for your enjoyment. Western style beds can also be arranged in a number of locations when requested at booking stage.

A number of our Guided tours also have Ryokan stays included and some hotels have Onsen facilities. We can also provide a Ryokan experience (Japanese guest house) in Hakone or on the last day in Kyoto on the majority of our guided tours. The supplement starts from £160 per person for 1 night and includes breakfast & a beautiful Japanese Dinner prepared with fresh seasonable ingredients. See our Ryokan & Onsen guide for more information.

Note - Ryokans should not be confused with a Minshuku (Japanese version of bed & breakfast accommodation), as the standard of service, food and decor are not comparable.

MEALS

Breakfast is included on the escorted small group tours and other meals are as specified in each detailed itinerary.

On the Guided tours meals are as specified in each detailed itinerary. Breakfast at hotels can be booked in advance or purchased in Japan on a daily basis. Alternatively, there are many places around the hotels where you can buy meals.

RAIL PASSES

Majority of our tours do not use the Japanese Rail Pass, due to the restrictions that apply, and the pass is not valid on the super fast “NOZOMI” and “MIZUHO” Bullets trains and Kyushu Shinkansen lines. We feel it often works out far more convenient, quicker and cost effective without the rail pass. Therefore we generally use luxury air conditioned coaches combined with express and bullet trains with pre booked reserved seats to travel around Japan, including overland luggage transfer from hotel to hotel due to luggage restrictions on the train. Refer to your detailed itinerary for details.

TOUR SUITABILITY

Our tours are suitable for travellers of all ages, who are reasonably fit and healthy.

GENERAL JAPAN TRAVEL INFORMATION

Passport, Visa and Health Requirements

British travellers do not require a visa for our holidays to Japan.

Immunisations

There are no requirements for travellers to Japan to have certificate of Vaccination. However please consult your doctor for further details.

Currency

The currency in Japan is called the yen. Traveller cheques can be exchanged in hotels, airports and Banks.

Many automatic teller machines (ATMs) in Japan do not accept international credit cards or debit cards which are issued outside of Japan. ATMs that do accept international cards can be found in the 20,000+ Post offices and 10,000+ 7-Eleven convenience stores spread across the country. These ATM machines accept most major bank credit cards such as Visa Card, Master Card, American Express Card etc. All other cards please check with your bank before travelling.

Time Difference

Japan is 9 hours ahead of GMT.

Weather and seasons (Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka)

These areas of Japan have 4 distinct seasons:
Winter (Jan) temperatures average 5.8 degrees Centigrade; winter coat, warm sweaters.
Spring (end of March, April / May) temperatures average 14.6 degrees Centigrade; lightweight jacket and sweater
Summer (July) temperatures average 26 degrees Centigrade; light clothing, tee shirt.
Autumn (Oct) temperatures average 18.5 degrees Centigrade; clothing as Spring

Cherry Blossom blooming and Autumn leaf changing periods are both natural events occurring over relatively short duration's and are affected by seasonal variations and climate. Therefore they can not be 100% guaranteed at time of your visit. Historically the peak cherry blossoms viewing typical in Japan is late March & early April and autumn leave changing mid to late October to early to mid November.

Electric Voltage

It is advisable to bring along a set of international adapters. Most hotels have 2 outlet sockets for 110 volts and 220 volts suitable for two prong plugs only.

Baggage

In General, 20 kg per person maximum check-in baggage is allowed. Please check with the airline before departure.

Drinking Water

Tap water is safe to drink anywhere in Japan. Bottled mineral water, Alcohol and soft drinks can be purchased in most hotels, shops and supermarkets.

No Tipping in Japan

Tipping in Japan is not common,as is only required for extra special service. This includes taxis.

Tax Free shopping

Short stay tourist with passport documentation who spend over 10,001 yen in one day at any licensed duty free shop, such as major department stores in large cities do not have to pay the 5% consumption tax on the items. (Excludes cosmetics, foodstuff, film, batteries, medicine, cigarettes and alcohol).

Dining out

Japan has a vast array of eating experiences on offer. From expensive luxurious dinning, traditional restaurants, to many reasonable priced restaurants, similar to UK prices. For those looking for reasonable priced food, large department stores offer excellent selection of restaurants to choose from. Also many local restaurants, often situated around Subways and railway stations offer excellent food at reasonable prices. It is also common for restaurants to display wax replicas of their dishes in their windows, for you to point to. Others often provide a menu with colour pictures to assist you with your selection.