What If Something Goes Wrong? Tour Policies Explained

The first question isn't "will I get my money back?" — it's "will anyone respond when I email at 11pm panicking?"

Tour operators promise vague "contact us if you have concerns." We can be specific.

Who You Contact

All these channels route to the same concierge team — not a ticketing system, not an outsourced call center:

• Email: service@hinomaru.one

• WhatsApp: Direct message

• Website chat: Live chat on hinomaru.one

• Social media: Facebook or Instagram DM

Whether you email at 3am or message on Instagram, the same person sees it. This omnichannel routing means you don't have to remember "which channel did I use to book?" — all paths lead to your concierge.

Response Timing

Type	Timeframe	Examples
Routine	Within 24-48 hours	General itinerary questions • Preference updates a week out • Clarifications on what to bring
Urgent	Same business day	Flight delayed, tour starts tomorrow • Hotel address changed • Sick the morning of your tour • Guide hasn't arrived at meeting time

Large group tour operators run 24/7 emergency hotlines because they're managing hundreds of departures across dozens of countries. That infrastructure makes sense for their model.

Private tour operators use email and WhatsApp. This is industry-standard for private tours, not a deficiency. When you have a small team handling a limited number of daily departures in one city, direct messaging is faster and more personal than routing through call center scripts. (Our planning guide explains how the private tour model works.)

We respond quickly because we're small and focused. If you email us at 10pm Tokyo time about tomorrow's tour, someone sees it. We don't promise instant response at any hour, but we do promise someone will answer. All our guides speak fluent English, so communication is never an issue on tour day.

Real Scenario

A guest emailed us 36 hours before their tour: "My flight's delayed 6 hours. Can we still make this work?" We responded within 90 minutes with a revised plan: hotel pickup instead of train station meeting, later start time, rerouted itinerary to skip the time-sensitive morning market and focus on afternoon neighborhoods. Tour happened as scheduled.

Bad luck happens. The question is: are you punished for circumstances outside your control?

When Your Flight Gets Delayed

If your flight is delayed and you'll miss the tour start, contact us immediately. We'll reschedule at no charge if we can move the tour to another day during your trip. If the delay makes the tour impossible — you arrive late evening for a morning tour — you get a full refund.

The key is notification. If we know early, we can adapt. If the guide is already standing at your hotel waiting and you're still at Narita, that's harder to fix.

Medical Emergencies (You or Family)

Cancel up to 24 hours before your tour for any reason: full refund.

Get sick with less than 24 hours notice: we handle case-by-case. We're not asking for doctor's notes or hospital admission papers, but documentation can help if you want to explain the situation. Our default is: if you're genuinely sick or dealing with a family emergency, we'll work it out.

March 2024: A guest's mother fell ill two days before the tour. Guest provided hospital admission paperwork. We issued a full refund within 24 hours despite being inside the 24-hour window. We're not monsters.

When the Guide Gets Sick

If your assigned guide gets sick, we assign a substitute guide. If no suitable substitute is available in time, you get a full refund or the option to reschedule.

Guides don't cancel on short notice. When it happens, you're not stuck.

Weather and Natural Disasters

Tours proceed rain or shine. Your guide adapts the itinerary to include indoor alternatives if weather is unpleasant but manageable.

For typhoons or severe weather that we deem unsafe: we offer full refund or reschedule. If you decide conditions are too risky but we're willing to run the tour, standard cancellation policy applies — meaning if you cancel within 24 hours, you forfeit payment. (Our rain day guide covers how we adapt to weather.)

Natural disaster, government-ordered evacuation, or public emergency: full refund, no questions.

What "Outside Your Control" Actually Means

Situation	Outside Your Control?	How We Handle It
Flight delay	✓ Yes	Reschedule or full refund
Sick family member	✓ Yes	Case-by-case, documentation helps
Guide gets sick	✓ Yes	Substitute guide or full refund
Typhoon/natural disaster	✓ Yes	Full refund or reschedule
You changed your mind about Tokyo	✗ No	Standard cancellation policy applies
Overslept due to jet lag	~ Borderline	Contact us — we'll assess

When in doubt, email us. We'll tell you if it qualifies.

Buyer's remorse is normal. Post-booking anxiety peaks 1-3 weeks after you've paid. You committed real money to real dates, and your brain is searching for evidence you made a mistake.

This Is Normal

You just gave a stranger $500+ for a service that doesn't happen for weeks or months. This is how brains work when you commit real money to future dates. It doesn't mean you actually made a mistake.

What You'll Hear From Us

Within 24-48 hours after booking, our concierge will email or WhatsApp to start your consultation. This isn't a sales pitch. It's confirmation that someone real is paying attention to your booking.

During consultation, we'll finalize your pickup location, meeting time, group size, and preferences. You'll learn who your guide is. You'll have a chance to ask questions. Post-booking anxiety dissolves once this conversation happens, because it stops being abstract and starts feeling real.

If You're Genuinely Uncertain

You have up to 24 hours before your tour to cancel for a full refund. Use it if needed.

"I'm not sure" moments resolve once consultation happens and you see the plan taking shape. The uncertainty isn't "did I choose wrong?" It's "is this real or did I just send money into a void?"

We get it. After you talk to the concierge, you'll know someone's actually organizing your tour.

The "No Red Flags" Test

After booking, you should feel:

• Someone responded quickly to your booking

• Consultation felt collaborative, not scripted

• Guide intro felt like meeting a real person with a personality

If any of these fail, tell us. That's a legitimate concern, not normal post-booking jitters.

Life changes. Bookings should be able to change too — within reason.

Changing Tour Dates

Free if done 24 hours or more before your original tour date. We'll check guide availability for your new date and confirm. If your original guide isn't available, we'll assign a comparable guide.

Adjusting Group Size

Adding people: email us. We'll adjust the price and confirm the guide can accommodate a larger group. Guides handle up to 8 people comfortably. (Group size considerations affect tour dynamics.)

Removing people: price adjusted if you notify us 24 hours or more before the tour. For example, you booked for 4 people at $552, but one person can't make it — we'll adjust to the 3-person rate of $489 and refund the difference.

Itinerary Tweaks (Before and After Consultation)

Consultation exists specifically for this. Until 24 hours before your tour, your itinerary is flexible. Want to swap Asakusa for Shimokitazawa? Prefer food markets over temples? Tell us during consultation. (How customization works walks through the full process.)

After consultation but before the tour, you can still make adjustments if you let us know at least 24 hours out.

Once you're within 24 hours, only minor tweaks are possible. We can't reroute an entire day when the guide has already prepared.

What You Can't Change Less Than 24 Hours Out

Change Type	24+ Hours Before	Less Than 24 Hours
Tour date	Free modification	Guide day is committed — can't change
Tour duration	Adjust freely (e.g., 8hr → 6hr with refund)	Guide entire day blocked — can't shorten
Itinerary route	Fully flexible during consultation	Only minor tweaks (guide already prepared)
Location radius	Can expand (e.g., add Kamakura)	Too much logistical change

Why the 24-hour line? Guides commit their entire day to your tour and turn down other bookings. Once you're inside 24 hours, their day is blocked for you.

Real Scenario

Guest booked our 6-hour tour, then realized their teenager would be exhausted by hour 5. They emailed us 4 days before: "Can we do 4 hours instead?" We adjusted the booking to our 4-hour tour, issued a partial refund for the 2-hour difference, and rerouted the itinerary to focus on highlights. No drama. (Touring with families requires this kind of flexibility.)

This is the anxiety underneath all other anxieties.

If Your Guide Doesn't Show

If your guide doesn't arrive within 15 minutes of the agreed meeting time and you can't reach them, contact us immediately via email or WhatsApp.

Scenario	What Happens	Timeline
Guide no-show	We locate guide or assign emergency backup	Immediate
No backup available	Instant full refund	Same day
Guide arrives late	Tour extended by delay amount (no charge) OR tour shortened with pro-rated refund (your choice)	On the spot

Our quality guarantee: "If guided tour experience falls short of promised care and quality, we'll either refund in full or offer your next private tour free." A no-show absolutely qualifies.

Guides arrive 10 minutes before tour start time as standard practice. If they're not there by the start time, something went wrong.

What Our Coverage Includes

Hinomaru One maintains professional liability insurance covering guide services. This protects against:

• Guide negligence during tour activities
• Advice or recommendations that cause harm
• Professional errors in planning or execution

What Your Travel Insurance Should Cover

Tour operator insurance doesn't replace your own travel insurance. You should have coverage for:

Coverage Type	What It Protects	Why It Matters
Trip cancellation	Non-refundable costs if you can't travel	Flight changes, family emergencies
Medical expenses	Healthcare costs in Japan	Japan healthcare is expensive without insurance
Medical evacuation	Emergency transport home	Critical illness, serious injury
Personal liability	If you accidentally injure someone or damage property	Required in some situations
Baggage/belongings	Lost, stolen, or damaged items	Camera gear, electronics

What Neither Insurance Covers

• Injury during inherent activities: If you twist your ankle walking on cobblestones or trip climbing temple stairs, that's not negligence—it's the inherent risk of walking. Your travel medical insurance covers treatment; tour operator insurance doesn't apply.
• Pre-existing conditions: Medical issues that predate your trip require specific coverage.
• Extreme weather consequences: If you choose to proceed with a tour during a typhoon warning and have problems, that's assumed risk.

Recommended Travel Insurance

For Japan trips, we recommend policies that include:

• $100,000+ medical coverage (Japanese hospitals are excellent but expensive)
• Medical evacuation coverage (flights home for serious conditions)
• 24/7 assistance hotline
• Coverage for adventure activities if you're hiking Mt. Takao or doing anything beyond city walking

Companies like World Nomads, Allianz, and IMG Global cover Japan well. Check that your policy explicitly covers Japan and read the medical evacuation terms carefully.

The Honest Bottom Line

Our insurance covers our professional liability. Your insurance covers your health, belongings, and trip investment. Neither replaces the other. If you're traveling internationally without travel insurance, you're taking significant financial risk regardless of what tour operators carry.

(Note: Tipping in Japan works differently than elsewhere — guides never expect tips, though gratuities for exceptional service are appreciated.)

If You Don't Feel Safe

End the tour immediately. Contact our concierge for pickup coordination if needed. Full refund.

This has never happened with our guides. If it does, we treat it as the emergency it is. Your safety is non-negotiable.

If the Chemistry Just Isn't There

This one's trickier. Chemistry matters, but mid-tour guide switching is logistically difficult.

If the guide is professional and knowledgeable but you're not clicking, you have options:

Option	What Happens	When to Use This
Tell the guide directly	Guide adapts on the spot	Issue is fixable with clearer direction (pacing, explanation style, tone)
Message our concierge mid-tour	We coach the guide in real-time	You're uncomfortable giving direct feedback
End the tour early	Pro-rated refund for unused time	Chemistry is fundamentally off, can't be fixed

Real scenario: Guest felt the guide was "talking too much history, not enough about daily life." Guest texted our concierge mid-tour. We texted the guide: "Guest wants more street-level insights, less dates and emperors." Guide pivoted. Tour finished strong.

Chemistry issues are fixable if we know about them. This is why we give you our contact info during the tour.

Tour problems are fixable in real-time if you speak up. Many travelers don't know they're allowed to.

You are.

What You're Allowed to Ask For

You're allowed to:

• Need a bathroom break? Say so.

• Tired and want to sit down for 10 minutes? Tell the guide.

• Not interested in the shrine we're approaching? Say "I'd rather skip this."

• Want to spend more time at this neighborhood because you're enjoying it? Ask.

• Want the guide to explain something more simply, or with more detail? Speak up.

The itinerary is a guide, not a script. Your tour is yours.

How to Tell Your Guide (Without Feeling Awkward)

Our guides are trained to adapt pace, route, and rest breaks based on your energy and interest. They can't read your mind, though. (If you have mobility concerns or need specific accommodations, our accessibility guide covers what's possible.)

If you're not enjoying something, that's not failure — it's information. The worst tours happen when people stay silent and suffer through.

Just say it plainly: "I'm getting tired, can we take a break?" or "This isn't really my thing, can we move on?" Guides prefer this to dragging you through something you're not enjoying.

When to Contact Us Instead of the Guide

If you're uncomfortable telling the guide directly — the issue is about the guide's behavior or style, not the itinerary — text or WhatsApp our concierge.

We can intervene without you having to confront the guide face-to-face. It's easier to tell a third party "the guide keeps rushing us and won't let us take photos" than to tell the guide directly.

You've read how we handle edge cases, post-booking anxiety, and mid-tour issues. Now here's the formal policy.

The 24-Hour Window

Cancel up to 24 hours before your tour start time: full refund.

Cancel less than 24 hours before: no refund.

The 24-hour window exists because guides are independent contractors who commit their entire day to your tour. Once you're inside 24 hours, they've blocked the day and turned down other bookings. We can't undo that.

How Refunds Get Processed

Refunds go back to your original payment method within 3 business days. We process through Stripe, so the timeline depends on your bank, but 3 days is typical.

You paid in full at booking. All major credit cards accepted. No deposit structure — just full payment upfront to secure the tour slot.

Payment Security

Your card details never touch our servers. Here's why that matters:

Security Layer	What It Means	Why You Should Care
Stripe processing	Payments handled by Stripe, a PCI Level 1 certified processor	Stripe processes $1 trillion+ annually for companies like Amazon, Google, and Shopify. Your card data is encrypted and tokenized—we never see your full card number.
PCI DSS compliance	Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard	The same security standards required for banks and major retailers. Stripe maintains this certification through independent annual audits.
No card storage	We don't store payment details	Even if our systems were compromised (they're not), there's no card data to steal. Stripe holds your payment info, not us.
Secure checkout	HTTPS encryption on all payment pages	Your connection is encrypted end-to-end. Look for the padlock icon in your browser.

What happens when you pay:

1. You enter card details on Stripe's secure payment form (hosted on their servers, not ours)
2. Stripe validates and tokenizes your card
3. We receive a token representing your payment—never the actual card number
4. Stripe charges your card and transfers funds to us

If something looks wrong: Our checkout page should always show Stripe branding and a secure connection (https://). If you see anything different, don't proceed—contact us directly.

Modifications vs. Cancellations

Changing your tour date or time 24+ hours before is a free modification, not a cancellation. You're not getting money back; you're just moving the booking.

Only full cancellations trigger the refund policy.

Why 24 Hours Matters

When you book, we block your guide's calendar for your chosen date. Guides can't take other bookings for that day. If you cancel with 48 hours notice, we can potentially rebook the slot. At 24 hours, it's too late.

This isn't us being rigid. It's us expecting you to be as committed as we are. If you're not sure about your dates, don't book yet. Once you book, we're holding that day exclusively for you. (Our booking lead time guide helps you plan timing.)

Our minimum booking window is 18 hours before tour start. If you're booking same-day or next-day, you're automatically in the non-refundable window.

For peak seasons (cherry blossom in late March/early April, autumn foliage in November), we recommend booking 2-4 weeks ahead. Not because of price — prices don't surge — but because guide availability fills up.

Now that you understand what happens if things go wrong, here's what happens when things go right: See our tours.

This page focuses on one question: "What happens if something goes wrong?"

Not Covered Here

• How booking actually works, from choosing a tour to receiving confirmation

• What to expect on tour day, from guide meetup to tour conclusion

• How pricing works, what's included, and how costs scale with group size

• How to customize your itinerary during the consultation process

• What questions to ask when vetting operators — we cover that here

What This Page Is For

This page helps if you're thinking:

• "I want to book but I'm scared something will go wrong"

• "I've booked and now I'm panicking"

• "What happens if [specific bad thing] occurs?"

If you're still deciding whether a private tour makes sense for your trip, start with our worth-it evaluation.

Still Have Questions?

Email service@hinomaru.one. We respond within 24 hours.

What's the cancellation policy for Tokyo private tours?

Industry standard is free cancellation 24-72 hours before the tour. Most operators offer full refunds if you cancel within this window. Inside 24 hours, bookings are typically non-refundable since guides have blocked their calendars.

What if my guide cancels?

Quality operators have backup systems. Companies with employee guides can reassign. Freelance-dependent platforms may struggle with same-day replacements. Ask before booking: "If my guide becomes unavailable, what's your backup process?"

Does rain affect the tour?

Tours proceed unless there's dangerous weather (typhoon). Guides pivot to covered options—underground shopping, museums, covered markets. You see a different Tokyo, not an inferior one. Rain isn't grounds for refund or cancellation.

What's a satisfaction guarantee?

Policies vary. Some offer full refunds if you're unhappy. Others offer partial refunds or credit for future tours. Some offer nothing—your remedy is a negative review. Ask specifically: "If I'm not satisfied, what happens?"

How do I contact someone if something goes wrong during the tour?

Quality operators provide direct contact (WhatsApp, phone) during the tour for real-time issues. Platform-based bookings may route through customer service queues. Ask before booking: "If I have an urgent issue on tour day, how do I reach someone who can help immediately?"

We prioritize response capability over refund percentages. All contact channels route to one concierge team, so whether you email or message on Instagram, the same person sees it. Real-time guide monitoring means mid-tour issues get handled in minutes, not addressed with after-the-fact apologies. Post-booking consultation starts within 24-48 hours, before anxiety has time to spiral.

At Hinomaru One, we design culturally rich, stress-free private Tokyo tours for first-time and seasoned travelers. Unrushed. Insightful. Always customized.