Escorted Tours Terms and Conditions

Deposit and Final Payment

We accept checks, money orders, Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express and Paypal. Your payment is not deemed made until it is received by Samurai Tours. A non-refundable deposit of $500.00 per person per tour is required for us to reserve space for you. Final payment is due 60 days prior to the start of the tour. If we do not receive final payment by this date, we reserve the right to cancel the reservation. In the case of billing errors, we reserve the right to re-invoice with correct pricing.

Payment Discounts

If you pay for your tour in full 6 months or more in advance, you will receive a 5% discount. (does not apply to private group tours) For those who qualify for travel insurance, we will purchase your travel insurance immediately after receiving your payment. If paying by check, you will receive a 1.5% discount of the final payment. If you wish to pay by check, contact us and we will adjust your final invoice. (We can only accept checks from US banks in USD.)

Cancellations and Refunds

Because we include pre-paid travel insurance that covers losses incurred due to cancellations, Samurai Tours will not refund deposit payments or tour payments. Tour participants must contact the travel insurance provider directly for reimbursement of payments in the event of cancellations or changes.

Cancellations and Refunds

(in the case of Travel Insurance Opt-Out and International Customers) In the event you are unable to participate in the tour and we have not purchased travel insurance for you, the following cancellation fees will be applied:

After the 14 day grace period, deposit payments are non-refundable
30 to 60 days: 25% Cancellation Fee of the final payment amount
14 to 29 days: 50% Cancellation Fee of the final payment amount
3 to 13 days: 75% Cancellation Fee of the final payment amount
Less than 3 days or no-show: 100% Cancellation Fee

Change Fees

A fee of $50.00 per person per change will be charged for any alteration or revision made to a tour date after your two week grace period. A change of tour date or itinerary made less than 60 days prior to the tour date will be treated as a cancellation, and the standard cancellation fees will be applied. (See the Cancellation Penalty schedule above). Switching to a different tour will only be allowed once prior to the 60-day mark before the deposit is lost. (The provided travel insurance cannot be used to cover the change fee, but you are able to file a claim for cancellation fees.) No additions, alterations, or substations will be available after 30 days prior to your trip.

Participation

For the benefit of everyone on your vacation, Samurai Tours reserves the right to accept or reject any person as a tour participant, and to remove from the tour any participant whose conduct is deemed incompatible with the interests of the other participants.

Travelers Who Need Special Assistance

You must report any disability requiring special attention on your Tour Medical Form which you will receive in your confirmation packet. Samurai Tours will make reasonable attempts to accommodate the special needs of travelers, but it is not responsible in the event it is unable to do so, nor is it responsible for any denial of services by carriers, hotels, restaurants, or other independent suppliers. Be aware that outside the United States, facilities for disabled individuals are limited. We regret that we cannot provide individual physical assistance to a tour participant for walking, dining, getting on and off trains and other vehicles, or other personal needs. A qualified and physically able companion must accompany travelers who need such assistance. Any pre-existing physical (including allergies), mental, or emotional disability that may require attention or treatment must be reported in writing prior to the beginning of a tour. Each tour participant must complete and return our Medical Form which is included in your confirmation packet. Failure to return a complete and accurate Medical Form could result in expulsion from the tour at your own expense. Our tours use public transportation, walking to get around, and clients will be responsible for their own property, documents, and passes and tickets that we will provide. If you are not able to keep up or stay with the group for physical, mental, situational, or other reasons we may be able to accommodate you at an additional cost. These services could be extra time from the guide, an additional guide due to your slower pace, or tracking down your lost passport or train pass. If at any point you or the guides see that you are not going to be able to continue we can discuss any additional services we may be able to provide you with or the best way for you to return home at your own cost.

Young Travelers

Travelers who are less than 18 years old on the tour departure date must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Smoking

Samurai Tours will make every effort to accommodate your request for a smoking or non-smoking room. However, we cannot guarantee we will be able to accommodate your request. Often the hotels in Japan do not separate smoking from non-smoking rooms, and in some locations, the non-smoking rooms are very limited. However, the hotels and ryokans that we work with are very good at taking extra care for our tours- doing a deeper cleaning, airing out, and using a special deodorizer for the rooms.

Audio Receiver

To aid in hearing our guides, some of our tours utilize a wireless communications system. If you are provided with the use of these devices, you will be responsible for your receiver until we collect it from you. If you damage or fail to return your receiver you will be liable for the $100.00 replacement cost.

Price Guarantee

The price of your tour is guaranteed and will not increase. Prices do not include airfare. Included in the price of each tour: Accommodations for each night; all breakfasts and other meals as listed on this site; admission fees to destinations visited on the scheduled itinerary with the group, all transportation costs incurred during the scheduled itinerary with the group, travel insurance, transfers to and from the airport, Japan Rail rail passes appropriate to the tour itinerary as listed on this site and/or train tickets and our tour handbook.

Passports and Visas

You are responsible for obtaining your passport, and for meeting all health and other requirements required by Japanese laws, orders and/or requirements. Non-US citizens must consult with appropriate consulates to determine if any visas are needed. If Visas are required, we can assist you with this.

Not Included in the Tour Price

Federal Inspection Fees for the U.S. Customs and Immigration; International Air Transportation Tax; Agricultural tax; Value Added Taxes, any other taxes; security fee; airport taxes and fees; passports; visas and vaccinations; laundry; telephone; minibar; alcoholic beverages except at the Welcome and Sayonara Dinners, porterage at airports; and all other items of a personal nature.

Safety

Please be aware that during your participation in tours operated by Samurai Tours, certain risks and dangers may arise beyond our control including, but not limited to, the hazards of traveling in undeveloped areas; travel by boat, train, automobile, aircraft, or other means of transportation; the forces of nature, political unrest, and accident or illness in remote regions without means of rapid evacuation or medical facilities. Samurai Tours will not have liability regarding provision of medical care or the adequacy of any care that may be rendered. It is understood that Samurai Tours will use its best efforts to ensure that adequate measures are taken.

Tour Itineraries

Tour itineraries are subject to change: Japan is full of surprises. We need to be flexible enough to take advantage of any changes in the Japan travel environment so we may provide you with the best possible tour. Sometimes attractions close with no advanced warning. In these cases, Samurai Tours will make its best effort to replace that attraction with another suitable and comparable replacement. Uncompleted portions of the tour itinerary are not cause for refund.

How To Make A Reservation

To reserve a seat on a Samurai Tours tour you must send us the completed Tour Registration Form. We offer our tour participants a 14 day grace period, during which time you are able to cancel your reservation request for any reason. If you make your reservation less than 60 days prior to the tour starting, the 14 day grace period is waived. After the 14 day grace period, we require a $500.00 per person deposit. We can accept Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover credit cards, and we accept checks, money orders, and PayPal. Once we’ve received your deposit, we will send you a confirmation packet. Your final payment is due 60 days before departure. Missing the final payment deadline may result in your being dropped from the tour. If you sign up less than 60 days before the tour starts, full payment will be due immediately. All tour participants are required to complete, sign, and return to Samurai Tours, a medical information form and a tour waiver/release form. These documents will be part of your confirmation packet.

Travel Insurance Coverage

Travel Insurance will be provided for each tour participant by Samurai Tours except for those cases when the tour participant decides to opt-out of travel insurance, and travel insurance will not be provided for our international customers. In each case when travel insurance will not be provided, the final invoice will be credited. The insurance provided will cover the entire cost of the group portion of the tour package. Travel insurance to cover the cost of airfare or other additional travel services will be the tour participant’s responsibility. Travel insurance will be purchased shortly after the “grace period” has been completed for all other tour packages.

Tours Cancelled by Samurai Tours

In the unlikely event your tour may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, the entire amount you have paid to Samurai Tours will be refunded. Once this occurs, Samurai Tours and its representatives have no further obligations to its tour participants.

Responsibility

The carriers, accommodations, and other suppliers providing tour services are independent contractors and are not agents, employees, or servants of, or joint ventures with, Samurai Tours or its affiliates. All travel documents for tour services issued by Samurai Tours are subject to the terms and conditions specified by the supplier and to the laws of the countries in which the services are supplied. If, after tour departure, the services included in the tour cannot be supplied, or there are changes in an itinerary for reasons beyond the control of Samurai Tours, Samurai Tours will make its best efforts to arrange for the provision of comparable services. However, Samurai Tours will not provide a refund if we are unable to provide a suitable replacement. Samurai Tours reserves the right to accept or reject any person as a tour participant, to expel any tour participant from the tour, or to make changes in the itinerary whenever Samurai Tours deems it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of the tour participants. The tour participant agrees that neither Samurai Tours or its affiliates shall be liable for any damage, loss (including personal injury, death, and property loss) or expense occasioned by any act or omission of any supplier providing tour services.