FAQ
Your Questions Answered
We are a team of hospitable locals and knowledgeable long-term foreign residents committed to creating exceptional journeys throughout Japan. With deep cultural insight and a love for discovery, we design unique adventures that go beyond the familiar, connecting you with the landscapes, traditions, and communities that make Japan extraordinary.
When you purchase a tour from Japan Adventurer, we automatically enrol you in basic travel insurance as a legal requirement. The insurance pays out up to 300 million yen per incident. We also have insurance to cover our bicycle operations. Although we enrol you in basic travel insurance, you should still purchase your own general travel insurance in case our coverage is insufficient.
As a licensed tour operator, we pay a large warranty to the government of Japan which would be used to reimburse our customers in case of bankruptcy. We’re also members of ANTA, the All Nippon Travel Agents Association, which provides a complaint resolution and debt resolution program.
Our cancellation policy is as follows:
– Cancelled more than 21 days prior to start: No charge
– Cancelled between 20 and 8 days prior to start: 20% of the total fee
– Cancelled between 7 days and 48 hours prior to start: 30% of the total fee
– Cancelled between 48 and 24 hours prior to start: 40% of the total fee
– Cancelled within 24 hours of start: 50% of the total fee
– Cancelled on the day of start or failure to show: 100% of the total fee
– No refunds will be given after the tour has commenced.
When you book a tour, we ask for a 10% deposit, with the balance to be paid a month before the start of the tour. You can pay by credit card or bank transfer.
On our sightseeing tours, we offer an English-speaking driver who will drive, help with check-in, and offer advice on the smooth operation of your tour. This allows you the peace of mind that you won’t encounter a situation where you’re alone and helpless. However, the driver doesn’t provide guide services. Although you can get by without a guide, our professional guides add a lot of value to your experience in Japan. Even if you’ve been to Japan before, it’s likely you’ll see many things that you haven’t seen before and want to know about. Our guides can provide this knowledge that enriches your trip and makes it memorable.
Our outdoor adventure tours are all guided for your safety and enjoyment.
Our tours are mainly by taxi, so luggage forwarding and other inconveniences aren’t necessary. This service is available at large hotels, but our tours feature a variety of accommodation types, some of which focus more on old-school hospitality and less on the latest services.
The flavouring of Japanese cooking is based on fish broth, soy sauce, and two kinds of sake (rice alcohol). The Japanese typically eat many kinds of fish and meat.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan, or you require halal or kosher food, you will likely have considerable difficulty finding something suitable, and you’ll spend a lot of your time just looking for something to eat. Often you’ll need to eat the same thing several days in a row. While we’ll try to arrange accommodation and restaurants that provide something suitable, we cannot guarantee that it will be fully vegetarian or vegan.
If you have allergies, please let us know.
The peak periods are in the Golden Week period from April 28 to May 5, Obon from August 11 to 20, and New Year from December 28 to January 5.
In April, the cherry blossoms are lovely and it’s getting warmer. In July, August, and September, you can enjoy summer activities and festivals. In October it’s less hot and there are many festivals. In November, it’s getting cooler and the leaves are starting to turn. These are probably the best times to visit Shikoku. For a more detailed look at the pros and cons of each month, see the relevant blog post.
No. Prices of everything in Shikoku are very reasonable to cheap compared with destinations in other developed countries. Although Japan had a reputation as an expensive destination, that’s no longer true at all. And since the price of many things in Shikoku is significantly lower than on Honshu, you may be pleasantly surprised by how far your money goes here.
The English-speaking driver will drive, help with check-in, and offer advice on the smooth operation of your tour. This allows you the peace of mind that you won’t encounter a situation where you’re alone and helpless. However, the driver doesn’t provide guide services. If you want a guided tour, please let us know and we’ll provide a guide.
See our blog post on Guided vs. Self-Guided Tours.
Unfortunately, no. Walking the pilgrimage is an uncertain undertaking. The weather and your physical status can seriously affect how far you can walk in a day, and you may need to change your plans on the fly. Consequently, you’ll need to book your accommodation as you go. However, we do offer various tours that involve pilgrimage walks.
Japan is not yet a cashless society, especially in Shikoku, so you’ll need some cash for incidental purchases. It’s convenient to prepare some in advance. Eight to ten thousand yen a day is a reasonable guideline. You can withdraw cash from the ATM at 7-11 convenience stores and post offices, but it may not be possible while driving around on the trip.
No, not as a standalone service. Due to their popularity and the rather primitive systems involved, booking one of these tourism trains isn’t a trivial undertaking. But if you want to include one of the unique experiences in your tour, we’ll do everything possible to arrange it.
Yes, there are. Here’s a breakdown of the critters and the degree of hazard they present.
– Wild boar. Rarely encountered. They usually try to run away, but people have been killed by boar.
– Pit vipers. Rarely encountered in the countryside in summer and autumn. Hospitalization if bitten.
– Hornets. Rarely encountered in the countryside in summer and autumn. Hospitalization if stung multiple times.
– Centipedes. Rarely encountered in summer and autumn. Painful bite.
– Jellyfish. Something of a hazard in the sea in summer and autumn. Painful and itchy sting.
– Sharks. A very rare hazard in the sea.
– Ticks. Something of a hazard in the countryside in summer and autumn. Ticks carrying the SFTS virus have been identified in Shikoku.
– Dogs and cats. Caution is required. If in doubt, don’t try to pet them.
– Bears. These are only found on the Tsurugi Range, and are very rarely encountered.
Despite the presence of these dangerous animals, most of us manage to stay alive and well in Shikoku. Use common sense and you’ll be OK. All these animals are found in the rest of Japan too.
The following adventure options can be arranged:
– Rafting
– Canoeing
– Sea kayaking
– SUP
– Paragliding
– Diving and seawalking
– Snowboarding and skiing
– Canyoning
– Whalewatching
These options are all available as part of a MICE package too.
You can get to Shikoku by road, rail, ferry, and air.
Although geisha are typically associated with Kyoto and Tokyo, geisha are also active in Shikoku. Let it be said right away – geisha are consummate entertainers. Whatever their age (and not everybody is young), they offer traditional Japanese style, music, dance, conversation, games and hospitality, which can be enjoyed equally by women and men. Their services are typically provided in the context of good food and drink. Read more on our blog post.
No. The widely believed notion that Japanese eat raw fish all the time is incorrect. Raw fish (sashimi and sushi) plays quite a small part in the typical Japanese diet. Fish is more often served cooked (grilled, stewed, steamed and so on) than uncooked. And the Japanese also eat a lot of meat too. So if you don’t fancy eating raw fish, it’s easy enough to avoid it.