I went to the Jade Tours on Elgin Mills Rd Richmond Hill because it was the closest location that was selling JR (Japan Rail) passes for immediate pick up. I had checked online/called a few places and the pass was selling for $333 total uniformly. I was in a rush so I didn't get a chance to call Jade to confirm their prices before driving over. When I got there the woman asked if I was quoted a price, and I answered honestly: "no, but I called a number of places and they all gave the same price". She goes off somewhere and comes back with $356. I was already there so I begrudgingly pulled out my wallet and she goes "oh and we don't take credit unless you want to pay an additional 4%". I didn't buy it, at this point mostly out of annoyance. It's possible that some places have additional service fees, but from my past experiences, the JR Pass prices are more or less uniform based on that week's FX rate. So there shouldn't be more than a $10 difference between locations for the same week's quote. So I think they were trying to rip me off. read more

My partner and I had a terrible experience with Jade Travel. We had purchased a travel package through Jade Travel with an itinerary going from Toronto to Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, and then returning to Toronto. At the airport in Hong Kong, as we were trying to check into our flight to Taipei, I was informed that I was not allowed onto the flight due to Taiwan restrictions on passport expiry (Taiwan requires a passport with over 6 months duration until expiration at the time of entry). My passport was set to expire in 5 and a half months. Jade Travel had not warned anyone in our group of six about this requirement for entry into Taiwan. As a result, I was stranded in Hong Kong for an additional 4 days. I contacted Jade Travel that evening to make arrangements to resume my itinerary to Tokyo, and ask our travel agent, Jacqueline Hau, why she had not informed us of the Taiwan passport requirement, to which she replied that she had "asked if our passports were valid," which they were given that they would not expire for months after our return to Canada. We explained our situation and our immediate need to re-route our itinerary to go from Hong Kong to Tokyo (skipping Taipei), for which she charged us for new tickets as well as re-routing penalties. We authorized payment over the phone and confirmed the credit card information. The next day, we woke up to emails from Jacqueline stating that she was waiting for payment confirmation for our new tickets and that the seats were NOT being held for us. We were forced to wait the entire day for Jade Travel to open (due to the time difference, of which Jacqueline was made aware of in our conversation the previous evening) and reconfirm that we indeed needed to leave Hong Kong. Jacqueline knew that we were stuck in Hong Kong due to the passport limitation that she never informed us of, that we needed new flights to re-route our itinerary, and still did not think to hold our tickets, despite the fact that we authorized payment over the phone with her. We have never had such a stressful, frustrating, and overall terrible experience with a travel agency before. Every travel agency that we have ever gone to in the past has always checked our passport information, reminded us of any special requirements needed to enter the country, and has held flight tickets for even unconfirmed itineraries to ensure a successful trip. Jade Travel did none of these things. Moreover, not once did we receive an apology from Jade Travel, so in the future, they will receive none of my business. Please don't make the same mistake I did in booking with Jade Travel. read more

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents and make an update from the previous poster in 2017. Called Jade tours today (April 29, 2019). They quoted me $766 for 21 day pass and the lady told me their price does depend on the current exchange rate. Looking around on-line, other companies that are in the Toronto area are charging in the $717-719 range. So, I'm also not sure why the huge discrepancy in price. They do issue the rail pass immediately, but I'm not leaving until the summer so I don't need it in a rush and will probably go with one of the other companies elsewhere. read more