Michi Travel Japan

A Japanese custom-travel company for international visitors

Michi Travel Japan is a Japanese travel company that designs private, tailor-made trips in Japan for travelers from abroad and also runs one-day private tours with its own certified guides. Its founder and CEO, Seiichi Chada, writes on the staff page that he founded the company in 2006 to serve international travelers who wanted personalized trips, a need he says the travel industry then failed to meet. The CEO's message says the company puts its emphasis on serving non-Japanese speakers, and the homepage describes a Custom Travel Service that covers consultation, a personalized itinerary, and arrangements for luxury accommodation, transportation, special experiences and private guided tours. Its coverage is the whole country: the accommodation menu is organized by Hokkaido, Tohoku, around Tokyo, Central Japan, Kansai (Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo), Western Japan (Setouchi, Sanin, Shikoku) and Kyushu, and the travel information pages add Okinawa, Izu and Hakone, Nikko, Hida Takayama, the Noto Peninsula, Ise and Kumano, and Mount Koya. The founder says on the staff page that he has visited all 47 prefectures.

The site is aimed at travelers who want a planner rather than a group departure; the homepage speaks of "sophisticated travelers from around the world" and fully customized luxury tours built "from scratch by listening to your interests and needs".

Sample itineraries and themes

The Custom Travel menu lists themed sample plans that serve as starting points rather than fixed departures: Highlights of Japan, Highlights of Western Japan, Hokkaido and Kyushu custom travel, Unspoiled Traditional Towns, a Gourmet Tour, a tour of traditional art, architecture and culture, a Japan Garden Tour, Rural Charms of Northern Japan (Tohoku), a Contemporary Art & Architecture Tour, Bonsai Tours, Honeymoon in Japan, Family Vacation in Japan, a trip to Northern Kyoto described as "Kyoto's off-the-beaten gems", and a trip to Japan's national parks. The homepage singles out the honeymoon plan and the family vacation, saying Japan is an ideal destination for a private family trip. Two more samples sit under the accommodation menu: Off-the-beaten Ehime and a Soft Adventure Tour in Ehime. Business Solutions and corporate incentive events round out the list, with the homepage offering special programs for incentive groups and special-purpose tours.

One-day private tours

For travelers who want a guide for a day rather than a whole trip, the site lists one-day private tours in Tokyo and Kyoto, day trips from Tokyo and in or from Osaka, and private tours in Nara, Nagano, Hiroshima and Miyajima, Kanazawa, Sapporo, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Himeji, Asuka Village, Takamatsu, Nagasaki and Kagoshima. There is also a Shikoku Pilgrimage one-day experience in Ehime. The homepage says "Our certified tour guides" lead these tours. The staff page shows where that certification comes from in its own team: the founder, a senior travel consultant and a client service member are each listed as a Certified National Guide, and the senior consultant says she started with the company as a tour guide.

The site also offers Connect Your Home to Japan, which the homepage describes as a private online workshop of Japanese culture that can be joined from home.

Who plans the trip

The staff page introduces the team one by one, most of them travel consultants and client service staff, with notes on their backgrounds: years abroad in the US, Europe and Australia, earlier careers at a trading firm, a luxury Tokyo hotel and a major Japanese travel agency, and personal specialties from family travel to sake, craft beer and regional food. The executive officer, who joined in 2007, says family trip planning is one of her strengths. The founder lists an MBA from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Kyoto University, and says he was born in Nara and studied in Kyoto. The homepage's features list mentions coverage in the book "1000 Places to See Before You Die", on CNBC World and in Conde Nast Traveler. The site also carries a Japan travel blog, regional travel information pages, client testimonials and a FAQ.

The About page explains the thinking behind the service. The CEO's message argues that Japan is not easy to explore beyond surface sightseeing, even for experienced travelers or residents, without good information, travel experience and a command of Japanese, and that a travel concierge helps. It says the company serves travelers from overseas and also people living in Japan who want to travel around the country. The stated mission is to create personalized trips that guests will remember, and to help promote the preservation of Japan's culture, aesthetics, lifestyles and scenery. The founder adds that in recent years quieter regions such as Shikoku, San-in, Hokuriku and Tohoku have drawn him, and several consultants describe their own home regions, from Nagasaki and Kumamoto in the south to Nagano and Akita, as places they like to show guests.

Booking and terms

Planning starts with a consultation: the founder invites travelers to tell the consultants their expectations, and the contact page is the entry point. Accommodation is part of the service, with a page on the reservation process and tips, and the homepage offers help choosing hotels and ryokan. The footer links to Terms and Conditions and a privacy policy.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The overview pages do not publish prices, deposits, payment methods or cancellation rules for either custom trips or one-day tours; those sit in the Terms and Conditions or come with a proposal. Sample itineraries give themes and regions but no durations or prices, and the site does not state a group-size range for custom trips. Travelers with mobility or dietary needs will need to raise them during the consultation, since the site does not address them.

Michi Travel Japan suits travelers who want a Japan specialist to plan a private trip around a specific interest, such as gardens, bonsai, food or contemporary architecture, or to reach quieter regions like Tohoku, Shikoku or Sanin, with luxury hotels and ryokan arranged. Its well-traveled consulting team and nationally certified guides are strengths. Travelers looking for a fixed-price, scheduled group departure will find the model different from what they want, but for a custom Japan itinerary it covers the whole country.