- What kind of clothes should I bring on the trip?
- What clothes should we bring for the various seasons?
- What amenities can we expect with our accommodations?
- How are the hotel rooms equipped?
- What specific items or clothing would you recommend for the trip?
- What health maintenance advice can you give for the trip?
- How much luggage will tour members be allowed?
- How much spending money should we bring?
- Where is the best place for currency exchange?
- Do you recommend cash or travelers checks?
- Can we use major credit or ATM cards in Japan?
- Do hotel employees understand and/or speak English?
- How strenuous are Tabi Tours?
- What is the dress for spas and saunas?
- Who do we contact in case of an emergency while in Japan?
- Do you prohibit any activities while on your tours?
- What is the Jurisdiction for any legal issues that may arise?
- How do I arrange travel insurance for my trip?
- What can I learn on your tours?
- What will I see on your tours?
What kind of clothes should I bring on the trip? (どんな洋服を旅行用にもっていけばよいですか?)
- No formal wear
- Casual wear suitable for layering
- Walking shoes
- Shoes that can easily be removed are recommended because it is the Japanese custom to remove shoes when going indoors
- Also, see the table above
What clothes should we bring for the various seasons? (様々な季節によってどんな洋服を旅行用にもっていけばよいですか?)
Season(s) |
Weather |
Clothing |
Spring |
Weather is mild with occasional showers. |
Casual clothing (long pants) with wind breaker and comfortable easy to take off and put on walking shoes. |
Summer |
Sunny, warm and humid. |
Short sleeve shirts and shorts and comfortable easy to take off and put on walking shoes. |
Fall |
Weather is mild with occasional showers. |
Casual clothing (long pants) with wind breaker and comfortable easy to take off and put on walking shoes. |
Winter |
Cold and rainy. And snow in areas north of Tokyo. |
Layered clothing, jacket or windbreaker, scarf and gloves, and comfortable easy to take off and put on walking shoes. |
What amenities can we expect with our accommodations?
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Body and hand soap
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Ukata ( a Japanese casual top and bottom) and/or Pajamas
- Bathrobe
- Slippers
- Towels, but no wash clothes
- Disposable razors for shaving, but no shaving cream.
How are the hotel rooms equipped?
- TV
- Alarm clock
- Hair dryer
- Refrigerator
- Thermal bottle
- Tea bags and teacups
What specific items or clothing would you recommend for the trip?
- Handkerchief because many restrooms in Japan do not have paper towels
- Tissue paper or wet-ones because restaurants usually do not provide napkins, but they usually do provide a wet paper or cloth for cleaning your hands.
- Wash clothes because hotels usually do not provide them.
What health maintenance advice can you give for the trip?
- Wash your hands regularly and especially before meals, and try to avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes with your hands.
- Bring a couple small pocket size hand sanitizers for use before meals and after using public restrooms.
- Bring over the counter drugs such as Aspen and airborne because these tend to be expensive in Japan.
- Argonne Laboratory Jet Lag Programs are available.
- The lonely Planet guide to Japan has a good medical kit list.
How much luggage will tour members be allowed?
Because airlines constantly update their bag weight, size and number of allowed bags we have provided the following links to find out this information:
How much spending money should I bring?
The costs of meals not included in the respective itineraries (see sample Itinerary) Link to PDF File are your responsibility. Use the following table to establish a budget for you’re out of pocket expenses for your trip:
Cost Item |
*Average Cost (US dollars) |
Times number of Days |
Equals Total Item Cost for your tour |
Breakfast |
8 to 10 |
|
|
Lunch |
10 to 15 |
|
|
Dinner |
15 to 20 |
|
|
Transportation, admission and snacks |
100 to 200 |
|
|
Craft and souvenir purchases |
Your estimate |
|
|
Subtotal |
|
Contingency (10% of Subtotal) optional |
|
Total Costs |
|
*Meal costs do not include alcoholic beverages.
Where is the best place for currency exchange?
- Exchange rates are usually more favorable to you in America at the airport of entry.
- Traveler checks usually yield a better exchange rate over cash when exchanging currency.
- Our tours usually do not schedule time for accessing banks for currency exchange.
Do you recommend cash or travelers checks?
- Traveler checks are, of course, safer than cash and are generally accepted anywhere in Japan.
- Most Japanese use cash.
Can we use major credit or ATM cards in America?
- Some stores, banks, and business establishments in Japan take major credit cards.
TIP: Credit cards are the most desirable way to make purchases because the current exchange rate is charged to your account at the time of purchase.
Do hotel employees understand and/or speak English?
Not usually. However, english is taught in many of the schools in Japan and it is not uncommon that English-speaking people are available for assistance if our tour guide is not available.
How strenuous are Tabi Tours?
Most tours include walking approximately 1 to 3 miles every day. We will be walking on paved streets and concrete sidewalks (narrow and wide). Occasionally we will walk up modest slopes and ramps. Though not usually the case, you must have the ability and confidence to be able to walk up stairways of three story buildings.
Who do we contact in case of an emergency while in Japan?
American Consulate in Osaka, Japan
119 is the emergency telephone number for local police
What is the dress for hot spas and saunas?
Hotels generally require proper bathing attire because men and women share the facilities. Any mud spas that we tour are usually nude because men and women are separated. Private family mud spas are available. Tabi Tours will arrange for private family spas upon special request and additional cost.
Do you prohibit any activities while on your tours?
Yes, we prohibit participation in, but not necessarily limited to, the following activities:
- Scuba diving
- Bungee jumping
- Motorcycle riding
- Paragliding
- Snowmobiles
What is the Jurisdiction for any legal issues that may arise?
The jurisdiction for any and all legal issues associated with Tabi Tours is the State of California, USA.
How do I arrange for travel insurance for my trip?
We encourage our tour members to purchase their own travel protection plan(s) and/or policies. Here are links and telephone numbers to a couple companies that offer travel protection plans:
What can I learn on your tours?
- Traditional Japanese spa educate and behavior
- How to pay for and ride public buses
- How to pay for and ride trains including train educate (tuning train seats for more comfort)
- Traditional manners when washing hands at temples and shrines
- Sotai (Japanese Relaxation Exercises)
- Pachinko (Japanese gambling)
- How to find non-smoking establishments
- How food changes with the area or town
What will I see on your tours?
- Bamboo, cedar and maple forests
- Fruits and vegetables of the season
- Gardens and farms
- New and old home designs
- Cemeteries and memorials
- New and old train station designs
- Sport fields
- Typical apartment dwellings and buildings
- Rivers, streams and lakes
- Bridges and dams
- Tea crops
- Flowers of the season
- Clothing styles of the season
- Building construction methods and materials
- Various types of passenger and freight trains
- Tunnels
- City skylines
- Temples and shrines
- Mountain ranges
- Roof designs
- Mountain support and retaining wall construction
- Sign art (posters and ads)
- Utility lines for energy, power and communication