FAQ

Take the Limited Express Azusa from Shinjuku to Kobuchisawa, about 2 hours. By car, use the Kobuchisawa, Nagasaka or Sutama IC on the Chuo Expressway. For each station and IC, see Access.

Yes. From the station, taxis or a chartered car are the usual way. In your itinerary, choose “Taxi / chartered car” to see travel times and estimated costs. Taxis are few, so book ahead (see Access).

Use the luggage space on the Azusa, coin lockers at Kobuchisawa Station, or delivery to your accommodation. See “Large luggage” on the Access page.

Each venue page has a “Facilities and services” section showing languages, Wi-Fi, group size, private rooms, children and dietary options as Yes / No / Checking with venue. To search by these, use the filters in Find places, such as “English OK”, “Wi-Fi” or “Private room”. To compare venues side by side, see the table on “Work from Hokuto”.

It means we are checking that item with the venue now. It doesn't mean “No”. Each venue page shows the date its information was last checked; please confirm anything important before you book.

Each venue page lists hours, regular closing days and seasonal closures under “Opening”. If you know your date, set “Open on” in Find places to see only places open that day. If your itinerary has a date, it warns you about any place that's closed.

See “Children” in the “Facilities and services” section of each venue page. In Find places, filter by “Children OK”. Tastings at breweries are not available to anyone under 20.

Restaurant and accommodation pages list vegetarian, vegan and halal options under “Facilities and services”, and you can filter by them on the Find places page. So far we have found no venue in Hokuto that states it serves halal food. If you need it arranged for sure, use the concierge form. Tabizen, a local Hokuto travel agency, will check with the venues and arrange it.

Each private tour and self-guided tour page lists its rainy-day alternative. For individual venues, see the venue page or filter by “Good in rain” in Find places.

Yes, but roads can be icy from December to March, and rental cars need winter tyres. Trails and venues that close in winter show this under “Seasonal closures” on their pages.

VELTRA is an online booking site for tours and activities, used by travellers worldwide. Our private tours are booked and paid for on VELTRA, in English and other languages, and you manage or cancel your booking there too.

Tabizen is a local travel agency in Hokuto. It takes bookings for activities and meals, and handles whole-trip requests through our concierge form, including places that only take bookings in Japanese, dietary needs and transport.

Each venue page shows under “Booking” whether you need to book and how (official site, phone or Tabizen). Venues marked “Japanese only” can be booked in Japanese only; if that's hard for you, use the concierge form and we'll book for you.

A venue's “Estimated price” is per person at that venue. A self-guided tour's reference price adds up the lowest venue, meal and tasting prices, plus transport shared by two people (lodging not included). Your itinerary shows venues and meals per person, and transport per vehicle, separately.

Each venue page lists payment methods and cashless options under “Price”. Some rural places take cash only, so carry some cash.

The policy of wherever you booked applies. For private tours, see the VELTRA booking page; for venues, see “Cancellation” on each venue page.

There's no sign-up. Your itinerary is saved automatically in this browser. It can be cleared, so use “Share” to make a link and email it to yourself.

Use “Share” on the itinerary page to make a view-only link. You can choose the language it opens in, so overseas guests get it in theirs. Contact details and notes are included only if you choose. You can also print an itinerary sheet.

Scan the QR code on site, or open it from the audio guide page. It's free (planned) and in 6 languages. No earphones? You can read the same story as text.

Drinking under the age of 20 is prohibited by law. Do not drive after drinking. Drivers can't drink. Bring someone who won't drive, or use a taxi or chartered car. In your itinerary and AI suggestions, this line appears under any day that has a tasting or drinking stop and a leg you drive in your own or a rental car. Nothing is blocked or rearranged. Taxi phone numbers are in “Taxis” on the Access page.

Call 119 for an ambulance. Nearby hospitals with English support and other contacts are listed under “Emergencies” on the Access page. They're also on the printable itinerary sheet.

There's no sign-up; itineraries are kept only on your device and in links. What you send through the concierge form is used only by Tabizen to arrange your trip. See the privacy policy.