No. 1 Travel Agency (Tokyo)

I called the No. 1 Travel Agency in Tokyo to buy a Tokyo-Shanghai round trip (I'm in the U.S.). They seem to have the best deal by far, about $200 less than the internet and Chinese travel agents. My question is that they told me it would take 1 week to issue the ticket! They said that my seat is confirmed and they took my credit card information, so I'm extremely confused. Has anyone else experienced this and did it work out? I've never used this agency before and it's my first time to Japan so I'm a little scared now.

Tickets are never issued on the spot by travel agencies, they have to go through a ticketing agency. No. 1 travel has been around a long time and has always been reputable- I have used them myself a number of times.

dont worry. you can trust Japanese people and the company like no-1 travel

Hi, i would be interested to find out how you or anyone else went with using this service.
Im currently in Sydney and will be flying to Japan (arriving in Narita) on the 18th Feb 2010. I plan to fly out to seoul next day for 1 week before spending the rest of my holidays back in Japan. When i searched on the No.1 Travel website they had special tickets - Unspecified Airlines ticket for SEOUL (Round Trip/7days, FIX). what does this mean? i must return after 7 days? and given i fly out the day after i arrive in tokyo, would i need to book the tickets in advance from Sydney? Then pick them up at their office? Doesnt seem to say what are the departing and returning times for the flight.
If anyone has experience and can assist that would be appreciated. Thanks!

aiden,

Unspecified Airlines ticket for SEOUL (Round Trip/7days, FIX)
That means it's a bargain return trip ticket, you cannot specify which airline you want (for example, ANA, JAL, Korean Air, or Asiana), you can maybe put in your "preferred" time of flights (for example, early morning, early afternoon, etc.) but since it's a bargain it's not guaranteed you get the time you want. All you do is specify departure and arrival dates (you need to make the round trip within a 7-day period), and you cannot change the dates/time once you book. There is probably some purchase due date for you to enjoy this fare.

I don't have experience with that particular travel agency, so you need to check their payment terms/ticket dispatch or pick-up, etc. If they use "e-ticket," you don't have to worry about picking up the physical tickets from their office. It would be best to inquire directly with them.

No.1 Travel Agency has been around as long as I rmemeber, I see them advertising everwhere and my Korean friends have used them. They're ticket consolidators pretty much you get cheap tickets with many restrictions (like no changes after booking etc), but never heard of them ripping people off.

I'm the person who originally posted the question about using No. 1 Travel for a Tokyo-Shanghai round-trip. I live in the U.S. and No. 1's prices seemed far better (by $200) than anything I was seeing here. My advice is to call them directly at the Tokyo office. When you call, tell them what you're looking for and that you're calling from the U.S. I got transferred to an agent who spoke English. He was able to help me get my trip purchased. Be patient--it took me a few calls. My credit card didn't go through at first since my bank stopped the charge because it came from an international source. We had to wait 12 hours for it to clear and try again (it worked the 2nd time). However, the agent was super friendly and responsive, and I was able to save a ton of money so I thought it was worthwhile. Also, at first I only had an electronic itinerary, though the agent assured me that I would be able to board the plane with it. The e-ticket isn't issued until a certain time before the flight, so I was pretty nervous until I got it with the confirmation number in my email, but it all worked out. From all I read online No. 1 Travel is reputable and cheap, and that was my experience. I used Skype to make the international calls and so all the calls added together probably only cost me $1. My advice is to just call them and ask and they'll answer all your questions. Good luck!