The most common travel disputes in Japan involve lack of transportation — Taiwanese operators: Too many Chinese tourists, hard to book tour buses

Reported by LLYen Yng and Chooh Huan-Chun, EBC News / Taipei

Taiwanese people love traveling to Japan, but travel disputes in Japan actually rank the highest. The most common issue is arriving in Japan only to find no tour bus available, forcing travelers to take taxis. Travel agency operators explain that in recent years, mainland tourists have been flocking to Japan, making it extremely difficult to secure tour buses, which leads to such situations.

Going on a trip to Japan and traveling around by tour bus as a group — anyone who has joined a tour group abroad has probably had this experience. But if you arrive in Japan only to find there’s no tour bus, or you’re suddenly downgraded from a large bus to a small one, or even forced to spend extra money taking taxis, it can really spoil the fun.

Lin Cheng-Yeh, General Manager of Japan-Hua Travel Agency, revealed,“In previous years, mainland tourists in Japan mostly stayed in relatively low-grade hotels. Now they stay in all kinds of hotels, including even five-star ones, which they’ve pretty much taken up entirely.””

Travel industry insiders explain that as mainland tourists increasingly favor Japan as a travel destination, local hotel rooms and tour buses have become in short supply, driving prices up accordingly. Being able to secure a bus is considered lucky; it’s not uncommon to hear about travelers being left in the lurch at the last minute.

Lin Cheng-Yeh said, “For example, the daily cost of a (tour) bus might have been around 80,000 or 90,000 yen before, but when demand is very high and you simply can’t find a bus, some operators charge up to 200,000 yen a day.”

As a result, the Product Quality Assurance Association reports that the region with the highest number of travel complaint cases from Taiwanese travelers is Northeast Asia, specifically Japan and South Korea, followed by Mainland China and Hong Kong/Macau, then Southeast Asia, Europe, and domestic travel. Even so, travel to Japan remains extremely popular.

Lin Cheng-Yeh said, “On one hand, group travelers are increasing, and on the other hand, independent travelers are growing even more. For Japan, it’s probably going to be quite difficult to see a sudden decline in popularity anytime soon.”

Travel industry operators explain that due to the exchange rate, shopping in Japan is currently quite cost-effective. To avoid travel disputes, it’s essential to sign a standard contract before departure. If the itinerary or hotel is changed at the last minute, you can try to negotiate on the spot; if that fails, make sure to keep evidence and file a complaint after returning home to protect your rights.