COVID-19 Update

2020 has been extremely difficult on a global scale and no country, company or individual is exempt from dealing with COVID-19.

Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have received a number of emails and messages from both former and future tour participants encouraging us and wishing us well. We are very grateful for your kind words and the strong show of support you have displayed for us and our business.

We are optimistic about 2021 and we are keeping a close eye on the situation. Once borders reopen and travel bans are lifted, we will examine the situation and make our decision about our 2021 tours. Please rest assured that you are our primary concern, and we will make this decision based on the safety of our guests.

In the meantime, we are developing new services that will enhance your experience with us and make it easier to prepare for your Adventure of a Lifetime.

Japan has handled the COVID-19 outbreak well and it appears that they may have it under control. You can see Japan’s latest COVID-19 numbers at Worldometer.info.

The Japanese government is still being extremely cautious about opening up the borders to foreign travelers. It appears that business travel will resume soon, and leisure travel will follow.

Is Japan Safe?

Japan’s hospitals have not been overrun and nearly 94% of the people diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered (Source: Worldometer.info).

The Japanese have a culture of voluntarily wearing masks when they are sick, during flu season, and during allergy season. Also, entrances to buildings, shops, grocers, restaurants, hotels, and stations have disinfectant pumps for patrons to use upon entry.

Although their constitution does not allow the government to restrict movement or impose “stay-at-home” orders, the Japanese did adhere to Shinzo Abe’s request for people to stay at home. Japan’s quick action and thoughtful planning has allowed them to squash the curve and begin to slowly reopen local businesses.

Compared to the situation in many other countries, it seems that Japan is at the top of the list as one of the safest for COVID-19.

Due to the current situation with COVID-19, U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories, and Japan’s travel bans, cancellations remain a possibility going into 2021. Our goal is to be as transparent in both our policies and our actions as possible.

As of now, Japan is not allowing Americans to enter and the U.S. Department of State has a level 4 (do not travel overseas) advisory.

We plan to reassess the situation in December and will let you know the status of the spring 2021 tours. We will consider cancelling a tour if one or more of the following occurs: 1) there are not enough people signed up for your particular tour, 2) there is a Level 3 or greater U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory, or 3) Japan is not allowing Americans to enter the country.

If we have to cancel a tour, we will issue refunds or allow you to transfer to another tour.

As always, we strongly recommend that you get travel insurance in case you need to cancel for personal reasons.

FYI: We have now cancelled all of our 2020 tours. The tour participants either received refunds or were able to transfer to 2021.

Please note:
Our business deposits 100% of all customer funds into a business trust account, as is required by the state of California. All deposits and final payments are kept in the trust account and only permitted to leave the account to prepay for services (i.e., Geisha dinner, tea ceremony, advanced tickets) specific to the tour.