Plan your Trip to Japan
Your journey doesn't need to start with an itinerary
You may already know exactly where you want to go in Japan. Or you may simply have some dates, a few ideas and a sense of the sort of holiday you’d like.
Either is a perfectly good place to start.
We don’t expect you to work out the route before you contact us. That’s an important part of what we do.
We start by understanding you: what interests you, how you like to travel, your preferred pace, the type of accommodation you enjoy and what you hope to get from your time in Japan. From there, we can work out the most appropriate way to help you plan and arrange your journey.
Either is a perfectly good place to start.
We don’t expect you to work out the route before you contact us. That’s an important part of what we do.
We start by understanding you: what interests you, how you like to travel, your preferred pace, the type of accommodation you enjoy and what you hope to get from your time in Japan. From there, we can work out the most appropriate way to help you plan and arrange your journey.
1. Start with a conversation
Tell us when you’re thinking of travelling, how long you have, who is travelling and your approximate budget.
If you already have particular places or experiences in mind, tell us about those too. But don’t worry if your ideas are still quite broad.
We’d rather understand what you want from your time in Japan than ask you to arrive with a list of destinations.
If you already have particular places or experiences in mind, tell us about those too. But don’t worry if your ideas are still quite broad.
We’d rather understand what you want from your time in Japan than ask you to arrive with a list of destinations.
2. We get to know how you like to travel
Two people can visit exactly the same places and have very different holidays.
That’s why we want to understand more than where you want to go. We talk about the pace you enjoy, previous holidays you’ve particularly liked, your accommodation preferences, your interests and how much you want organised for you.
Some people want more private guiding and arranged experiences. Others want greater independence, with carefully chosen experiences at particular points in the journey. Most want a balance of the two.
Understanding that balance helps us create something that feels like your holiday, rather than our version of what everybody should do in Japan.
That’s why we want to understand more than where you want to go. We talk about the pace you enjoy, previous holidays you’ve particularly liked, your accommodation preferences, your interests and how much you want organised for you.
Some people want more private guiding and arranged experiences. Others want greater independence, with carefully chosen experiences at particular points in the journey. Most want a balance of the two.
Understanding that balance helps us create something that feels like your holiday, rather than our version of what everybody should do in Japan.
3. We work out the journey
You don’t need to work out how all the places fit together.
We consider which destinations genuinely suit your interests, how long each deserves and how the journey works geographically.
We also look at the practical details that can make a considerable difference once you’re there.
Sometimes we’ll suggest somewhere you hadn’t considered. At other times, we may recommend leaving something out because including it would make the journey unnecessarily rushed.
The aim isn’t to fit as much of Japan as possible into the time available. It’s to create a route that feels natural, well paced and worth travelling.
We consider which destinations genuinely suit your interests, how long each deserves and how the journey works geographically.
We also look at the practical details that can make a considerable difference once you’re there.
Sometimes we’ll suggest somewhere you hadn’t considered. At other times, we may recommend leaving something out because including it would make the journey unnecessarily rushed.
The aim isn’t to fit as much of Japan as possible into the time available. It’s to create a route that feels natural, well paced and worth travelling.
4. We develop the details
Once the overall direction is right, the journey begins to take shape in detail.
Accommodation, transport, private guides and experiences are considered as parts of the same journey rather than as separate bookings.
We also think carefully about where your budget is best used. Sometimes a particular ryokan, guide or private transfer will make a real difference. Elsewhere, a less expensive hotel may be better located, the train may be the better way to travel or having an afternoon entirely to yourselves may be more valuable than adding another experience.
The objective isn’t to spend as much as possible. It’s to make good decisions about the money you have chosen to spend.
Accommodation, transport, private guides and experiences are considered as parts of the same journey rather than as separate bookings.
We also think carefully about where your budget is best used. Sometimes a particular ryokan, guide or private transfer will make a real difference. Elsewhere, a less expensive hotel may be better located, the train may be the better way to travel or having an afternoon entirely to yourselves may be more valuable than adding another experience.
The objective isn’t to spend as much as possible. It’s to make good decisions about the money you have chosen to spend.
5. We are there while you travel
The planning doesn’t simply stop when you leave the UK.
Our team in Japan is there to support you while you’re travelling. Because your arrangements have been made in Japan, there are people on the ground who know your itinerary and can help if something needs attention while you are away.
You still experience Japan independently, but with knowledgeable English-speaking support in Japan when you need it.
Our team in Japan is there to support you while you’re travelling. Because your arrangements have been made in Japan, there are people on the ground who know your itinerary and can help if something needs attention while you are away.
You still experience Japan independently, but with knowledgeable English-speaking support in Japan when you need it.
Ready to start planning?
You don’t need a finished itinerary. You don’t even need to know exactly where in Japan you want to go.
Tell us a little about yourselves, when you’d like to travel, what interests you and what you would like to get from your time in Japan. We’ll also ask about your approximate budget so that we can recommend an approach that makes sense for your trip.
Tell us a little about yourselves, when you’d like to travel, what interests you and what you would like to get from your time in Japan. We’ll also ask about your approximate budget so that we can recommend an approach that makes sense for your trip.