Choose a luxury Japan travel specialist by asking four things before you pay anything: how they are paid, whose name the bookings are made in, where they are based, and what happens on a day the plan breaks. A good specialist answers each in a sentence or two. Below are twelve questions in four groups, with what a clear answer sounds like and what should make you ask again.
If you are still deciding which kind of service you want, start with Japan trip planning services compared. This page is for choosing between people.
MONEY
1. How are you paid, and by whom?
A clear answer names a fee you pay, a commission suppliers pay, or both, and says which. Any of these models can be fine if it is disclosed. Ask again if the answer is that the service is "included" or "free", because it is being paid for somewhere.
2. Is the fee for the group, and does it change if the trip changes?
You want to know whether adding a traveller, a night or a more expensive room moves the fee. A fee tied to spend gives the person planning a reason to propose more spend.
3. What is the payment schedule, and how do I pay?
A clear answer gives a deposit, a balance date, and a named payment method. Ask to see the terms for changes and cancellations in writing before you pay the deposit.
BOOKINGS
4. Whose name are the reservations in?
If the reservations are in your name, you can contact the hotel yourself and the booking is yours. If they are held by an intermediary, ask who to call if something goes wrong.
5. Who do I pay for hotels, restaurants and guides, and at what price?
Either you pay providers directly at their own rates, or the specialist bills you and should be able to show each line. A single total that cannot be broken down is the one answer to be wary of.
6. What part of my trip can you arrange that I cannot?
A good answer is specific: a ryokan that releases its best rooms by phone, a counter that takes bookings only through people it knows, a temple hall opened outside public hours. Ask again if the answer is "exclusive access to anywhere", which no one in Japan can honestly promise.
KNOWLEDGE
7. Where are you based, and who answers during my trip?
Restaurants, ryokan and guides in Japan are arranged by phone, in Japanese, during Japanese business hours. A specialist in Japan can make those calls the same day. Ask for the name of the person you will reach, and how.
8. What would you leave out of my trip?
The most useful answer cuts something you asked for and gives the reason: one city fewer, a guide on two days instead of five. A specialist who agrees with every item on your list is taking an order.
9. Can you show me the reasoning behind the plan?
Any itinerary can name famous places. Ask why the ryokan sits on night six, why Tokyo comes first, why a particular afternoon is empty. A 14-day itinerary with the logic attached shows what that reasoning looks like.
10. How do you handle dietary needs with Japanese kitchens?
Many of the best counters serve a single menu prepared that morning. A good answer is that each restaurant is told in Japanese, ahead of time, and asked whether it can accommodate the need at all.
WHEN THINGS CHANGE
11. What happens if a train stops or it rains on a guided day?
A clear answer describes who moves what: the guide to another day, the indoor alternative, the dinner kept. If support during the trip is a line on a page rather than a person, this is where you find out.
12. What happens if I need to change the dates after I have paid?
Ask what happens to the fee and to each booking, and get it in writing. Providers in Japan set their own cancellation terms; a good specialist tells you those before booking.
HOW STAYGO ANSWERS THESE
We are based in Tokyo and reachable in your time zone while you travel. We are paid by you and only by you: Signature is USD 3,500 for your group for a trip of 7–14 days, the same for two people or six, and anything else is quoted as Bespoke. A 25% deposit starts the work and the remaining 75% is due 60 days before the trip, through Stripe. We book in your name, you pay hotels, restaurants, guides and drivers directly at their own rates, usually on site, and we take no commissions and add no markups.
Whether that is worth paying for depends on your trip, and is a Japan travel planner worth it sets out how to decide. The first four of these questions are also discussed in what a Japan travel concierge does.
SHORT ANSWERS
What should I ask a Japan travel specialist before booking?
How they are paid, whose name the bookings are in, where they are based and who answers during the trip, and what happens when a plan changes. A good specialist answers each in a sentence or two, before you pay a deposit.
What are the warning signs when choosing a Japan travel planner?
A single total that cannot be broken down, promises of access to anywhere, agreement with every item on your list, and no written terms before the deposit.
Should a Japan travel specialist be based in Japan?
For trips that depend on ryokan, restaurants, guides and changes on the day, it helps a great deal, because those are arranged by phone in Japanese during Japanese business hours. For a simple two-city trip it matters less.
How much does a luxury Japan travel specialist cost?
Models differ, so compare what the fee covers and how providers are paid, not only the fee. STAYGO's Signature fee is USD 3,500 for your group for a trip of 7–14 days, with providers paid directly by you; other trips are quoted as Bespoke.
ASK US ALL TWELVE
Send us your dates and the questions that matter most to you. We will answer them in writing before you decide anything.
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