Home to a unique heritage and rich, natural beauty, Japan is one of Asia’s most enthralling countries. On a holiday to Japan, you will find a dynamic culture that effortlessly and intriguingly combines the ultra-modern and pop culture trends with deeply traditional values and a reverence of the past. Discover imperial treasures and tranquil temples in Kyoto and explore futuristic Tokyo. Head out into the country though, and you will discover another world, be it in the shadow of Mount Fuji or amongst the peaks of Mount Koya. The people are welcoming, the cuisine divine, the landscapes second to none, the culture rich – what more could a traveller want on their holiday in Japan?
Your Wendy Wu Tours experience begins before you travel and we are there every step of the way until you return home. Our customers are our priority, and we will do all we can to ensure your holiday is one to remember.
This online Travel Guide provides you with practical advice and cultural information to help you prepare for your holiday. We are aware that this can seem like a lot of reading material, but we ask that you take some time to familiarise yourself with this information prior to departure and refer to the contents within throughout your travels.
Contents:
- Japan Entry Requirements & Visit Japan Instructions
- Your Japan Holiday with Wendy Wu Tours
- Joining Your Tour & Airline Information (Japan)
- Tipping (Japan)
- Eating, Food & Dietary Requirements (Japan)
- Travel with Consideration (Japan)
- Safety & Security (Japan)
- Insurance (Japan)
- Transportation (Japan)
- Accommodation (Japan)
- Electricity (Japan)
- Luggage Allowance (Japan)
- Suggested Packing List & Climate (Japan)
- Travel Health (Japan)
- Phrasebook (Japan)
- Currency & Spending Money (Japan)
- Shopping (Japan)
- Customs and Duty Free (Japan)
- Customer Health and Safety (Japan)
- Keeping in Touch (Japan)
- Reading List (Japan)
More about your holiday
Japanese society and culture is built on intricate social etiquette and customs. The reason behind many of these customs is unknown even to the Japanese themselves. As visitors, we are not expected to be knowledgeable about all etiquette, but it will make your time in Japan more enjoyable if you are respectful of local customs.
Almost everything will be different to what you may be used to. We have found that our passengers who embark with a sense of humour and adventure, who accept that things do not always go to plan, are those who find their experience most rewarding. Although Japan is a developed country, please note that health and safety standards overseas can differ from those we enjoy at home. However, all of our suppliers meet local and national safety standards as a minimum.
A typical day’s sightseeing may include the bustle and noise of a city street, sights and smells of a local market and interacting with the locals. English is not widely spoken throughout Japan, so your National Escort/Local Guides will be indispensable during your trip.
At Wendy Wu Tours, we are continually working with our suppliers to maintain and improve safety standards by seeking good practice in health and safety and we will do our best to ensure that your holiday is safe and trouble free. Part of the enjoyment of travelling abroad is experiencing a different way of life and cultures, but it may also mean experiencing different safety and hygiene standards than those we are used to at home. We want you to have an enjoyable holiday so we ask that you take extra care, use your common sense, as well as refer to notices and follow the advice from your National Escort/ Local Guides.
Tour Pace
Many of our tours are busy but that’s because we want to make sure you don’t miss a single thing. Packing your holiday full of special experiences means some early starts and long days, but you can be sure that you'll return home with many incredible memories!
Our tours are graded as moderate or active and the grading of the tours are shown on the tour page in our brochure or on our website and in the Tour Dossier.
Your Tour Dossier and Final Itinerary provides a straightforward description of the physical activities involved in each day’s sightseeing. If there are any particular challenges, from the length of time spent on your feet, the duration of drives, train journeys and flights, to the standard of remote accommodation for our more adventurous tours; they will be explained there.
Our National Escort/Local Guides always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance, but they cannot be expected to cater for passengers who are not fit enough to complete the itinerary.
Have a positive attitude
Travelling to a new destination requires patience with crowds and potential delays. Post pandemic, the world is slowly but surely opening back up and as part of this transition, you may find hotel and restaurant service slower than usual, and difficulty conversing in English.
We urge our customers to embrace the new ‘normal’ and keep in mind all the rewards, as well as challenges, of travelling in a country with a history, culture, and attitude so unlike our own. A typical day of sightseeing will involve walking the city streets, where life is hectic, noisy, nonstop and at times overwhelming. Conversely in the countryside and rural townships, life moves at a quieter and slower pace. We ask you to recognise it will be busier than expected but to embrace the crowds and enjoy what will be a wonderful experience.