Arigato Travel

A Japanese food-tour company that grew into a travel agency

Arigato Travel runs its own walking food tours in Japan and, on a larger scale now, plans custom trips around the country. The homepage calls it "Japan's premier Culinary and Cultural Tourism company," and its footer gives its standing as a "Land Operator and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Registered Travel Agency No. 2-8620." The food tours run in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Shizuoka, according to the homepage, which also presents the Mt. Fuji area as a destination; the "Why Book With Us" panel counts "46 Walking Food Tours in 7 Culinary Destinations." Its guides are listed by city on the team page under Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima. The destination blurbs set the tone: Osaka is introduced as "The Kitchen of Japan," Kyoto as the ancient capital and, in the site's words, home to 35% of the country's National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, and Hiroshima as the "World's Peace Capital" and home to "one of the world's top sake towns."

The about page tells the origin story. Beginning January 20, 2016, the company "started as a 1-woman show": founder Anne Kyle "performed the first 300 tours herself," and the business grew into "a team of over 70 people." The team page shows management, travel-operations, concierge, finance and marketing staff alongside the guides, and the company describes itself in job listings as a Destination Management Company that "specializes in crafting bespoke, multi-day luxury travel experiences for foreign visitors coming to Japan."

The media page fills in the history. Press items from 2020 and 2021 refer to the business as Arigato Japan Food Tours, and during those years it ran online experiences such as a virtual green tea teatime, a live online hanami and virtual Tokyo and Mt. Fuji tours, which the BBC Travel Show covered. An April 2021 item reports the company expanding "to hosting 40 tours around Japan" with experiences in Shizuoka, and an August 2020 item records a TripAdvisor "Travelers' Choice" award.

The food tours and other trips

The homepage says it offers "45+ unforgettable culinary experiences" and names the Asakusa Twilight Tour, the Gion & Kaiseki Kyoto Tour, Osaka Shinsekai Street Food, the Best of Hiroshima Food Tour and an Allstar Food Tour. The testimonials add a Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho and Golden Gai Food Tour in the evening, a Dotonbori food walk in Osaka, and an Uji tea tour near Kyoto that included green tea soba, a matcha experience, Ujigami shrine and Byodo-in Temple. The job listing for guides says tours "range from 3 hours to ½ and full-day tours with the majority being 3-hour walking food tours."

The about page sets out what the food tours are meant to deliver: "Authentic Local Eats," with "specialties and regional dishes beyond the tourist map"; "Culinary Adventures" that "Uncover the history, culture, and meaning behind each dish"; "Cultural Insights" on "Japanese dining etiquette and customs"; and "Make Every Hour Count: Maximize your limited travel time with curated routes and hidden gems." It also calls the tours a "Fun, Social Experience" shared "with fellow travelers and food lovers."

Beyond the food tours, the menu lists Tour Themes, Multi-Day Itineraries, Partners & Special Tours, and a Tailored Travel service that promises "custom itineraries," "full-service bookings" and "curated non-food experiences." The homepage mentions private sake tastings with a master brewer and "Additional Private Luxury Services" with "VIP access to exclusive venues." Other services in the menu are inbound tourism consulting, corporate events and team building, and personal travel consulting. The Mt. Fuji area is described as "under-explored by travelers" and "home to the best tea in Japan," and the media page records a 2022 partnership with Tourism Shizuoka Japan.

How the tours run

The guides are bilingual Japanese and long-term foreign residents, according to the careers page, which says the company is recruiting guides "able to conduct tours in English, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, and French" and gives training to every guide. The team page describes the guides and support staff as "talented, well trained." The careers page also says the company is "open every day," tours "on national holidays and weekends," and closes "for a short period over the shogatsu holiday season." Tours generally stay "within the downtown and surrounding areas."

The testimonials give a sense of the day: a guide meeting a group "promptly at the agreed location and time," an evening walk in Shinjuku with several food stops that ended at a karaoke bar, and a reviewer noting that the guide was accommodating to 2 people in the group with shellfish allergies. For custom multi-day trips, the concierge job listing describes on-trip support for guests by WhatsApp and a "Guest Road Book" for each itinerary.

Booking and terms

The homepage links "SEE ALL TOURS" to the tour catalog, and the menu carries separate FAQ, Terms and Conditions and Cancellation Policy pages. The homepage and about pages do not show prices, group sizes or meeting points, so each tour's own page and the cancellation policy need checking before booking. Tailored trips run through the personal travel consulting service and a contact form. The site shows "5/5 on Tripadvisor & Google with over 4,000+ reviews" and "Over 100,000+ happy guests," and the footer notes a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and Traveler's Choice.

What to check, and who it suits

The homepage and about pages do not settle the practical details: price per person, the maximum group size, where each tour meets, and how dietary needs are handled beyond the testimonial about allergies. Anyone traveling with a strict diet or with young children should check the specific tour and the FAQ first.

Arigato Travel suits food-curious travelers who want a guided evening or afternoon of eating in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto or Hiroshima with someone who explains the dishes and the etiquette, and the team page lists many guides in each of those cities. The blog, which covers places such as Nikko, Ueno, Shiga and autumn-leaf timing, is useful reading for the rest of a trip. Travelers planning a longer, higher-budget trip can hand the whole itinerary to its tailored-travel team. People who only want a restaurant list, or who are looking for a self-guided option, will get less from it.