Grand Tour of Japan with Hong Kong City Stay

Please note whilst travelling through Japan, including between hotels and trains, there is no porterage included within your tour. This does not include any overnight trains that require an overnight bag.

Smaller groups may use public transport.

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

Please note that room sizes in Japan are generally smaller than those you may be used to.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

UK passport holders are not currently required to obtain a visa prior to departure. A tourist visa will be issued on arrival for a duration of 90 days when you show your passport (must be valid for at least six months from the date you are due to leave Japan). Visa, arrival and departure requirements are subject to change and obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveller and not Mercury Holidays. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding these.

Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your e-ticket and final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Check in baggage is included with your flight. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0871 360 2000, quoting HX313.

IMPORTANT: A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Please note that you should carry your invoice with flight details on it as you will need to show this at the airport.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Grand Tour of Japan is rated as Challenging. This is largely due to the amount of travelling on this tour. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. You will be walking around the sights, getting on and off coaches, boats and climbing steps which may be irregular. You will stay in variety of hotels throughout the tour. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.

Smaller groups may use public transport.

The currency in Japan is the Japanese Yen (JPY). You can purchase the currency before you travel but you will probably get a better exchange rate if money is exchanged when in Japan. You can buy Yen at foreign exchange banks and at the airport. Credit, debit and prepaid cards from international brands are accepted at a wide variety of places in the major cities within Japan. Outside of these, cards may not be widely accepted, although you will be able to withdraw cash in the local currency across the country at ATMs.

It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour in order to withdraw money in local currency.

The currency in Hong Kong is the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). We recommend that you exchange your currency before you leave the UK; however, ATMs are available throughout Hong Kong.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks. We recommend you bring along a minimum of GBP £700 per person to change to local currency. It is a good idea to try and maintain a supply of small notes and change in the local currency for tipping or small purchases.

Tipping Tipping is not compulsory and is at your discretion. However, Should you wish to tip in Japan . We would recommend to tip approximately £2 per person per day. This is a total of £30 per person to budget for tips on your trip. Tips will be collected at the end of your tour. Tips are accepted in the local currency.

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 10 and the maximum will be 35. If in the unlikely event there are less than 10 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

Smaller groups may use public transport.

There is no minimum number of travellers for this extension however the main tour passenger numbers will apply for the main part of the tour. If in the unlikely event there are less than the required number of people booked on your main tour date then you may be asked to change to a different date. A full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

We would like to inform you that local guides will not be used during your tour. This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival by your Tour Guide who will remain with you for the duration of your trip. Your guide will be on hand for the duration of your tour and will be able to provide you with some general information on each of the destinations/ attractions that you visit

Your add-on to Hong Kong is not escorted. Your time in Hong Kong will be at your leisure. Transfers are included.

Smaller groups may use public transport.

During this tour you will be on various trains ranging from Local trains to Bullet trains. There are some luggage restrictions on Japanese trains and so your main luggage may need to be transported overnight. It is advisable to take a smaller overnight bag with you for these days. Your guide will assist you in advance with this matter. All train carriages are booked with comfortable seats and air conditioning.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Japan. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Please keep in mind that room sizes in Japan are generally smaller than those you may be used to.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.
Please note Gluten free food is very limited in Japan and while every effort is made to assist you, this requirement cannot be guaranteed.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way.

If you are travelling within the below Japanese Public Holidays please note that celebrations can last a couple of days and during these times some businesses will be closed and coach, air and train travel may be affected. Tourist attractions will be open but may be crowded. Golden Week is usually between late April and early May. Obon Holiday is between usually in the middle of August

On your arrival in Sapporo you will be met by a representative from our local agent in Japan, JTB, holding a sign displaying ‘Mercury Holidays’. The Mercury Holidays/JTB representative will transfer you to your hotel on arrival where you will spend your first night.

Hong Kong City Stay: On your arrival in Hong Kong you will be met by our driver/representative in the arrivals hall, holding a sign displaying “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays driver/representative will show you to your transfer. If you are unable to locate the driver/representative, please call 00852 6533 1890.

Hong Kong City Stay: For your departure transfer from the hotel to the Airport you need to be waiting in the hotel lobby at your designated pick up time as informed.

If you need to contact JTB during your stay the details are:

JTB Global Marketing and Travel Address: Tokyo Front Terrace 6F, Hisgashi Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8604

Contact number: +81 (0) 3-5796-5431 (office day on Mon-Fri 09:30-18:00 apart from Sat&Sun and public holidays)

Emergency contact number: +81 (0) 70-2264-2119

Email address: kg01@gmt.jtb.jp

Hong Kong City Stay: Please find below the emergency contact details for HK Target Travel: Mon-Fri: 09.00 - 17.30, Sat: 09.00 - 13.00 Closed Sunday and Hong Kong public holidays Office: 00852 2312 1812 Emergency: 00852 9432 5300

Email: queenie.c@targethkg.com

For your arrival transfer - Driver contact details (Mr Eric) - (852) 65331890