Booking Conditions

These Booking Conditions govern your tour and form a binding contract. Read them before you book. By paying any Journey Curation Fee, Deposit, or other amount toward a tour, you accept them for yourself and every guest in your booking.

• We, us, our means Luxury Japan Travel Pty Ltd (ABN 46 164 972 758).
• You, your, guest means the person who makes the booking and each person named in it.
• Tour means the Published Tour or Custom Tour described in your proposal, invoice, or Confirmed Itinerary.
• Published Tour means a scheduled group tour with set dates and a set itinerary, as described on our website or in your invoice.
• Custom Tour means a Custom Tour of Japan, planned privately for your party and described in your proposal and Confirmed Itinerary.
• Tour Price means the total price for the tour, as stated in your proposal or invoice, inclusive of tax. Clause 3 states what it does and does not include.
• Twin Share means accommodation and pricing on the basis of two guests booked together sharing one room. Per-person prices are Twin Share unless stated otherwise.
• Single Occupancy means accommodation and pricing on the basis of one guest occupying one room, subject to the single-occupancy charge stated in your invoice.
• Journey Curation Fee means the non-refundable fee for a Custom Tour, payable before custom planning begins, as notified to you. It is credited in full to the Tour Price. It applies to Custom Tours only and has no application to Published Tours.
• Deposit means the amount stated in your proposal or invoice, payable to confirm a booking.
• Balance means the Tour Price less amounts already paid.
• Departure means the scheduled start date of your tour as stated in your Confirmed Itinerary, regardless of when or how you travel to the start point.
• Confirmed Itinerary means the itinerary we issue after a booking is confirmed.
• Supplier means any independent provider of part of the tour, including properties, restaurants, transport providers, air carriers, and specialists.
• Force Majeure Event means any event beyond our reasonable control, including act of God, natural disaster, severe weather, fire, flood, earthquake, epidemic or pandemic, war, terrorism, civil unrest, strike or industrial action, supplier failure or insolvency, and government or regulatory action or travel restriction.

2.1 The contract is between you and us. We plan and lead your tour ourselves and do not outsource its operation. The properties, restaurants, transport providers, and other businesses that host or provide individual parts of the tour are, however, independent Suppliers, and clause 15 applies to their services.

2.2 A contract is formed only when we have received the required Deposit (and, for a Custom Tour, the Journey Curation Fee) and have issued written confirmation. Until then, all prices, services, and availability may change.

2.3 If you book for others, you warrant that you are authorised to accept these Booking Conditions on behalf of every guest in the booking and to bind them to it.

2.4 Each guest's name in the booking must exactly match that guest's passport. Any cost or consequence of a mismatch is your responsibility.

2.5 A guest under 18 may travel only with a parent or guardian who is also a guest and who is responsible for them at all times. That parent or guardian gives every warranty and indemnity in these Booking Conditions on the minor's behalf. We do not accept unaccompanied minors.

2.6 Paying any Journey Curation Fee, Deposit, or part of the Tour Price confirms your acceptance of these Booking Conditions, including by electronic means.

2.7 We may decline any booking request, at our discretion, at any time before a contract is formed under clause 2.2. If we do, we will refund any amount you have paid toward that booking, and that refund is our only liability to you.

3.1 Your Tour Price is the figure stated in your proposal or invoice, inclusive of tax. It includes only the services expressly listed as included in your proposal, invoice, or Confirmed Itinerary; any service not expressly listed is excluded.

3.2 The Tour Price never includes international flights to and from Japan, and we do not arrange them. Arranging your flights, and any consequence of their delay or cancellation, is your responsibility. Airport pickups, drop-offs, and other transfers within Japan are included only where expressly listed as included in your proposal, invoice, or Confirmed Itinerary; any transfer not so listed is excluded, and arranging it is your responsibility.

3.3 Unless expressly stated as included in your Confirmed Itinerary, the Tour Price excludes: all beverages, including alcoholic beverages (clause 3.4); meals not listed; personal expenses, including minibar, room service, laundry, telephone, and spa or treatment charges; optional activities and experiences; porterage and luggage forwarding; gratuities beyond those stated; and any cost of arrangements you make yourself. Anything you order, purchase, or consume beyond the stated inclusions is at your own expense and payable by you at the time.

3.4 Beverages, including alcoholic beverages, are included only where, and strictly to the extent, expressly stated in your Confirmed Itinerary (for example, a stated pairing with a stated meal). All other beverages are at your own expense and are ordinarily payable by you to the venue at the time. Where we pay a venue for, or are billed by a venue for, any beverage or other excluded item you ordered or consumed, you must reimburse us in full immediately on request (clause 22.8). Under Japanese law alcohol may not be consumed by a person under 20; no alcohol inclusion applies to a guest under 20, and no substitute, credit, or refund is due in its place.

3.5 Where a booking is for Single Occupancy, the single-occupancy charge stated in your invoice applies.

3.6 Meals are curated. Included meals are pre-arranged. The restaurants, menus, and dishes are selected by us and by the venues' chefs and may change; menu choice and on-tour customisation are not available unless your Confirmed Itinerary states otherwise, and courses at a set-menu venue are the chef's selection. We are not liable for dissatisfaction with any meal. Where a disclosed dietary need or allergy cannot be safely accommodated at a venue, we may substitute or withdraw that meal for the affected guest under clause 11, and no refund or other liability arises.

4.1 For a Published Tour, a Deposit is payable to confirm your place. For a Custom Tour of Japan, the Journey Curation Fee is payable first; once you confirm the proposed tour, a Deposit is payable.

4.2 The Balance is due no later than 95 days before Departure. If you book within 95 days of Departure, the full Tour Price is payable at the time of booking.

4.3 If you do not pay any amount by its due date, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you with effect from the due date and apply clause 6.

4.4 You are responsible for all bank, transfer, card, and currency-conversion charges; we must receive the full invoiced amount.

4.5 Where you book through a travel agent, an amount is received by us only when the agent passes it on to us. We are not responsible for an agent's failure to forward any amount you paid to the agent.

5.1 Until you have paid the Tour Price in full, we may increase it to meet any increase in our costs outside our control, including airfares, fuel, transport and Supplier charges, taxes, government or park charges, and currency movements. We will not increase the Tour Price after we have received it in full.

6.1 Any cancellation or change must be notified in writing to bookings@luxuryjapantravel.com by the person who made the booking. It takes effect on the date we receive it, and the charges in clause 6.2 are calculated at that date. A cancellation communicated in any other way is effective only when we confirm receipt in writing.

6.2 On cancellation you must pay the charges below, calculated per person on the Tour Price:

6.3 You agree these charges are not a penalty.

6.4 The Journey Curation Fee and all bank and card charges are not refundable in any circumstance. You remain liable for any Supplier cancellation charge that exceeds the amount payable under clause 6.2.

6.5 Changes to a confirmed booking (including dates or names) depend on availability and Supplier terms; any non-recoverable cost is payable by you.

6.6 If, notwithstanding clause 6.3, a charge in clause 6.2 is held to be unenforceable, the charge payable instead is the sum of our non-recoverable costs and committed Supplier payments for your booking plus our lost margin on the tour, up to the Tour Price.

7.1 A Published Tour departure is a Guaranteed Departure only where we describe it as such on our website at the time you book, or expressly state so to you in writing at the time of booking. A Guaranteed Departure will operate regardless of the number of guests booked. Any other departure depends on a minimum number of guests; where that number is not reached, we may cancel or move it under clause 7.2, and will aim to tell you at least 45 days before Departure. A Guaranteed Departure does not limit clause 7.3 (alterations), clauses 10, 11 and 13 (fitness, disclosure and conduct), or clause 17 (force majeure).

7.2 In the unlikely event we cancel a tour before Departure, we will offer the nearest suitable alternative. If you accept and it costs more or less, the difference is payable or refundable. If you do not accept within 7 days of being notified, we will refund the amounts you have paid us, less the non-refundable Journey Curation Fee, and we will have no further liability to you.

7.3 We may alter any part of the itinerary, before or during the tour, and substitute arrangements of comparable standard, including any property, ryokan, restaurant, experience, activity, vehicle, or Tour Director, and including where a Supplier changes its terms, declines or cancels a reservation, or otherwise becomes unavailable. A named property, restaurant, experience, or person in any itinerary, proposal, or marketing material is a statement of intention, not a guarantee. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any cost, loss, or disappointment arising from such an alteration or substitution.

7.4 Any refund we make under these Booking Conditions is paid to the original payer, by the original payment method, in the currency paid, within a reasonable time, and net of any non-recoverable bank, card, and currency-conversion charges.

7.5 This clause does not apply to a Force Majeure Event, which is governed by clause 17.

7.6 Nature sets its own calendar. We do not guarantee any natural event or seasonal condition (including cherry blossom, autumn foliage, snowfall, wildlife, visibility, or weather) on any date or at any place. No variation in, or failure of, a natural event or seasonal condition entitles you to any refund, credit, or compensation, and to the maximum extent permitted by law we are not liable for any resulting loss or disappointment.

7.7 Outdoor and weather-dependent activities and events may be modified, relocated, or cancelled by us, a Supplier, or the event organiser, for weather, safety, or operational reasons, before or during the tour. Where this happens, clause 12.3 applies: the affected part cannot be refunded, re-booked, or re-scheduled, no credit or compensation is due, and to the maximum extent permitted by law we are not liable for any resulting cost, loss, or disappointment.

8.1 Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of your booking. Your policy must cover, at least, cancellation and curtailment, medical and emergency expenses including evacuation and repatriation, and loss of baggage and personal belongings, for the full duration and nature of the tour. This includes cover for any skiing, snow sports, or other adventure activities in your Confirmed Itinerary, which many standard policies exclude unless specifically added.

8.2 You must give us your insurer's name, policy number, and 24-hour emergency contact no later than the date the Balance is due under clause 4.2 (or, if you book within 95 days of Departure, at the time of booking). We may refuse to allow you to start or continue the tour if you cannot show adequate cover, and no refund is due if we do.

8.3 To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any loss, cost, or expense you could have insured against.

9.1 You are responsible for holding a valid passport, all required visas, and all documents needed for entry to and travel within Japan for the whole of the tour.

9.2 Japanese law requires you to carry your passport, and any visa, on your person at all times while in Japan. You must do so.

9.3 We are not liable for any consequence of your failing to carry these documents, or to hold correct documents, including any fine, detention, denial of entry or boarding, removal from the tour, or missed arrangement. No refund is due, clause 6 charges still apply, and you indemnify us under clause 16 for any cost we incur.

9.4 You must provide us with a clear copy of the photo page of each guest's passport no later than the date the Balance is due under clause 4.2. We handle passport information under our Privacy Policy: it is stored encrypted and deleted securely after your travel. If you do not provide it after we ask, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you and clause 6 applies.

9.5 You are responsible for informing yourself about, and complying with, government travel advisories, entry and health requirements, and any vaccinations that apply to you. We do not provide formal advice on these matters, and anything we say about them is general information only, on which you should not rely.

10.1 You warrant that you are in good health and physically and mentally fit to take part in the tour, and that you will tell us in writing of any change to your health or fitness before Departure.

10.2 Our tours involve walking, including on uneven ground and stairs and for extended periods. On a Published Tour, you must be able to take part without assistance, including walking at least five kilometres a day at a moderate pace, keeping pace with the group, using stairs and escalators unassisted, and managing your own luggage. On a Custom Tour, the physical requirements are those of the itinerary described in your proposal and Confirmed Itinerary, and you must be able to meet them without assistance except to the extent expressly agreed under clause 10.5.

10.3 We may require an assessment from a qualified medical practitioner. Where, acting reasonably, we consider you are not fit to travel, or require assistance we cannot reasonably provide, we may decline or cancel your booking, in which case clause 6 applies.

10.4 Language. Our tours are delivered in English. It is a condition of booking that a guest travelling alone can converse at a high level in English and, for a couple or pair booking together, that at least one of the two can do so. If this condition is not met and was not disclosed to us in writing before booking, we may decline or cancel the booking under clause 10.3, and clause 6 applies.

10.5 Published Tours and Custom Tours are different. On a Published Tour we cannot provide individual assistance, mobility support, or material adjustment to the published itinerary; every guest must meet clause 10.2 without assistance. On a Custom Tour we may be able to accommodate a disability, mobility limitation, or other need, but only where it is disclosed in writing before the proposal is prepared, and only to the extent expressly agreed in your Confirmed Itinerary. Nothing beyond what is expressly agreed there is included or promised.

10.6 Undisclosed conditions at Departure. If you arrive for the tour with a condition, illness, injury, or need that was not disclosed and agreed under this clause and clause 11 (including a wheelchair or other mobility aid we have not expressly agreed to accommodate, or an illness that prevents safe participation), clause 11.3 applies in full, including immediate exclusion from the affected parts of the tour or the end of your participation, no refund, your liability for the full Tour Price and for our costs, and your indemnity under clause 16.

10.7 Illness or injury during the tour. If you become ill or are injured during the tour: you are responsible for seeking, and for the full cost of, all medical attention, treatment, medication, transport, accommodation, and every other resulting expense. We will provide reasonable assistance, but the tour and the group take priority; your Tour Director will not accompany you to medical appointments or remain with you in hospital, and the tour will proceed on schedule. If you are unable to make decisions and your emergency contacts cannot be reached, you authorise us to arrange medical treatment on your behalf at your cost. Where, acting reasonably, we consider that your condition prevents your safe participation or presents a risk to any other person (including an infectious illness), we may require you to miss the affected parts of the tour or to leave it; clause 12.3 applies to anything missed, and no refund is due.

11.1 You must disclose, in writing at the time of booking, all dietary requirements, all allergies and their severity, and all medical conditions relevant to the tour. If anything changes after you book, you must tell us in writing immediately.

11.2 We will use reasonable efforts to accommodate needs disclosed at the time of booking. We do not guarantee an allergen-free environment, and you remain responsible for your own safety, including carrying any medication you require.

11.3 If you do not disclose as required, or your disclosure is inaccurate or incomplete, and we become aware at any time of an undisclosed requirement, allergy, or condition, we may at our discretion exclude you from any affected meal, activity, or part of the tour, or, where it affects safety or the running of the tour, end your participation immediately. If we do: you remain liable for the full Tour Price, no refund is due, you are liable for any cost we incur (including arranging your departure), we are not liable for any cost or loss you suffer, and you indemnify us under clause 16. If you proceed despite our telling you we cannot safely accommodate a need, you do so entirely at your own risk.

11.4 If you refuse a reasonable request for a medical assessment, or fail to disclose as required, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you and clause 6 applies.

11.5 Medical information you give us is kept confidential under our Privacy Policy.

12.1 Your tour follows a planned schedule. You must be punctual and present for every scheduled departure, transfer, meal, and activity.

12.2 If you are late or absent, the tour will proceed without you. We are not obliged to wait, to delay the group, or to alter the itinerary for you.

12.3 Any part of the tour you do not use (including transfers, meals, nights, and activities missed through late arrival, early departure, absence, or choice) cannot be refunded, re-booked, or re-scheduled, and no credit or compensation is due.

12.4 If you miss a scheduled departure point, you must rejoin the tour at your own expense.

12.5 Luggage. You are responsible for your own luggage at all times. Your luggage allowance is stated in your Confirmed Itinerary, and you must not bring luggage exceeding that allowance, or any oversized item, without our prior written agreement. If you do, we may arrange forwarding or storage of the excess at your cost, or require you to arrange its transport yourself, and we are not obliged to delay the tour, hold any departure, or alter any arrangement to accommodate it. Any cost we incur under this clause is payable by you immediately (clause 22.8). Luggage forwarding, porterage, and storage form part of the tour only where expressly stated in your Confirmed Itinerary, and are Supplier services to which clause 15 applies. You must be able to manage your own luggage as required by clause 10.2.

12.6 Free time and independent arrangements. Parts of each day, and some meals and evenings, are unaccompanied. Whenever you are not in the direct company of your Tour Director or our staff (including during free time, independent exploring, arrangements you make yourself, and any time before the tour begins or after it ends), you are not under our care or supervision, anything you book or do is your own arrangement with the relevant provider, and to the maximum extent permitted by law we are not liable for anything that occurs during that time.

12.7 Venue rules. Ryokan, onsen, restaurants, temples, and other venues enforce their own rules of entry and conduct, including dress codes, age limits, and tattoo policies at onsen and bathing facilities. Refusal of entry to a guest, or a condition placed on a guest's entry, under a venue's own rules is not a failure by us; clause 12.3 applies to anything missed, and no refund is due.

13.1 Acceptable conduct is required of every guest at all times. You must follow the reasonable directions of your Tour Director and our staff and Suppliers; observe the laws, customs, and etiquette of Japan, including at properties, ryokan, onsen, temples, and restaurants; and respect the people, culture, and property of the places visited.

13.2 You must treat your Tour Director, our staff, your fellow guests, our Suppliers and their staff (including chefs, restaurant and property staff, drivers, and activity providers), and the Japanese people you encounter, with courtesy and respect at all times. The following will not be tolerated under any circumstance:

• (a) inappropriate, explicit, discriminatory, prejudicial, defamatory, abusive, or threatening language or conduct;
• (b) physical or verbal abuse, harassment, or sexual misconduct;
• (c) disruptive conduct, or conduct that makes any person referred to in this clause uncomfortable;
• (d) anti-social conduct, including manipulating, monopolising, or attempting to monopolise your Tour Director, our staff, or your fellow guests, or dominating the group; and
• (e) conduct, including conduct arising from the consumption of alcohol, that affects the safety, comfort, or enjoyment of others.

13.3 Smoking is permitted only where expressly designated. The possession or use of any illegal substance is prohibited, and we may report it to the authorities.

13.4 If, in our or your Tour Director's reasonable opinion, you breach this clause, or your conduct is unlawful or unsafe or causes or is likely to cause danger, distress, or material disruption to others or to the tour, we may at our discretion issue a warning or require you to leave the tour with immediate effect. Serious conduct may result in immediate removal without warning.

13.5 If you are required to leave, you must make your own onward arrangements at your own expense, you forfeit all monies paid, no refund is due, and you are liable for all costs we incur as a result, including the cost of your removal (clause 22.8). We will not accept any future booking from you.

13.6 You are liable for any loss or damage you cause to property of ours or of a Supplier, and you must meet that cost at the time.

14.1 You acknowledge that travel carries risks that are inherent and outside our control, including the conditions of the places visited, weather and forces of nature, physical activity, illness, and the acts and omissions of Suppliers and other third parties. You take part of your own choice and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, accept these risks.

14.2 Some parts of the tour are recreational services that involve physical exertion or physical risk, including walking and hiking, onsen bathing, and, on some itineraries, skiing and other snow sports, cycling, water-based activities, and other adventure or outdoor activities described in your Confirmed Itinerary. To the maximum extent permitted by law, including section 139A of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), we are not liable for any death of, or physical or mental injury to, any person arising from the supply of those recreational services.

14.3 You acknowledge these activities carry obvious and inherent risks of physical harm that cannot be eliminated even with reasonable care, and you voluntarily assume those risks.

15.1 Nothing in these Booking Conditions excludes, restricts, or modifies any guarantee, right, or remedy you have that cannot lawfully be excluded. This clause prevails over the rest of this document.

15.2 Where the law permits us to limit our liability for failure to comply with a guarantee, our liability is limited, at our option, to supplying the relevant services again or paying the cost of having them supplied again.

15.3 Subject to clause 15.1, and to the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability arising out of or in connection with the tour is limited to the Tour Price you have paid us, and we are not liable for any indirect, consequential, punitive, or exemplary loss, or for loss of enjoyment, opportunity, profit, or savings.

15.4 Subject to clause 15.1, we are not liable for the acts or omissions of any Supplier. Any claim relating to a Supplier's own services must be pursued against that Supplier, and you will not pursue the same loss against both us and a Supplier.

15.5 Your baggage and belongings are at your own risk at all times.

15.6 The protections in clauses 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, and 17 extend, to the maximum extent permitted by law, to our directors, officers, employees, and agents, and to any related body corporate performing any part of the tour, each of whom may rely on and enforce those clauses as if named in them.

15.7 Any claim arising out of or in connection with the tour or these Booking Conditions may be brought only against Luxury Japan Travel Pty Ltd, and not against any of its directors, officers, employees, or agents personally, or any related body corporate's personnel. Each of those persons may rely on and enforce this clause.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you indemnify us against any claim, loss, damage, cost, or expense we suffer arising from your breach of these Booking Conditions, your negligent, unlawful, or unsafe acts or omissions, your failure to disclose under clause 11, your failure to hold insurance under clause 8, or loss or damage you cause under clause 13, except to the extent caused by us. Where a guest is under 18, the parent or guardian who books gives this indemnity on their behalf.

17.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any failure or delay in performing, or for any change to or cancellation of, your tour caused by a Force Majeure Event.

17.2 Where a Force Majeure Event affects your tour, we may suspend, reschedule, or cancel it, offer a credit, or refund the amounts you have paid less any costs we cannot recover from Suppliers. We are not liable for any other cost or loss you incur, including flights or other arrangements you booked yourself.

18.1 All itineraries, travel guides, written materials, photography, and other content we provide or publish are our property and confidential to us. Our itineraries embody our planning, routing, selections, and know-how, which have commercial value to us.

18.2 They are provided solely for your own personal use on a tour operated by us. You must not copy, share, give, sell, publish, or otherwise make them available to any other person, and you must not use them, or allow anyone else to use them, to plan, arrange, or undertake independent travel, whether your own or another person's.

18.3 You acknowledge that a breach of this clause would cause us harm not adequately compensated by damages, and that we may seek injunctive relief in addition to any other remedy. This clause continues after the tour ends.

19.1 We may use photographs, video, or other media made by us during the tour for our own promotional purposes.

19.2 If you do not wish your image to be used, tell us in writing before the tour begins and we will make reasonable efforts to comply.

19.3 When sharing your experience publicly, you must respect the privacy of your fellow guests, your Tour Director, and our staff, and must not publish identifiable images of them without their consent. We may ask you to remove published content that is unlawful, that breaches this clause, or that is materially false about us, and you must make reasonable efforts to comply. Nothing in this clause restricts you from sharing your honest opinions of your tour.

We handle your personal information under our Privacy Policy, which forms part of your agreement with us.

21.1 If something is not right during the tour, you must tell your Tour Director at once. If you do not, it may affect your rights under this agreement.

21.2 If it is not resolved, you must write to us with full details within 30 days of the end of the tour.

21.3 The parties will attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute by negotiation before commencing proceedings, except where urgent relief is needed.

21.4 Before initiating any payment-card dispute or chargeback, you must first raise the matter with us under this clause. A payment-card dispute or chargeback pursued in breach of this clause, or without a valid basis, is a breach of these Booking Conditions, and you are liable for the costs we incur in responding to it (clause 22.8).

22.1 Entire agreement. These Booking Conditions, your proposal or invoice, and our Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between us and replace any earlier representation or discussion.

22.2 Changes. We may update these Booking Conditions from time to time and will publish the current version on our website. The version published at the time you make your booking is the version that governs your booking, and it continues to govern it, unchanged, through to the end of your tour. A later update applies only to bookings made after it is published.

22.3 Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable, it applies to the maximum extent the law allows, and the rest continues in force.

22.4 No waiver. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.

22.5 Assignment. You may not transfer your booking without our written consent. We may perform our obligations through Suppliers and other members of our group.

22.6 Notices. Notices to us go to the contact below; notices to you go to the email in your booking. An email notice is effective when sent, unless the sender receives an automated non-delivery message.

22.7 Interpretation. Headings do not affect interpretation; the singular includes the plural; and "including" means "including without limitation".

22.8 Amounts you owe us. Any amount payable by you to us under these Booking Conditions is a debt due to us, payable on demand unless another time is stated, and we may set it off against any amount we would otherwise refund to you.

22.9 Survival. Clauses 6, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22.8, and 23, and any clause that by its nature should survive, continue after the tour ends or this agreement terminates.

These Booking Conditions, and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them or your tour, are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia. The courts of Queensland have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any right you have that cannot lawfully be excluded to bring proceedings elsewhere.

Luxury Japan Travel Pty Ltd · ABN 46 164 972 758 · bookings@luxuryjapantravel.com