@japan-ikigai-trip
Designing trips through Japan that keep the best places off the record
About
Japan Ikigai Trip designs personal trips through Japan for travelers who want more than the famous sights. Travelers tell us how they want to feel, and we design and book the whole journey, with every stay and experience in places we’ve been to ourselves. We don’t publicly name the places we take people, so they stay quiet and still themselves. It’s a mystery trip to everyone but the traveler, who chooses when to find out where they’re going. Founded by Yuriko Mamiya, born and raised in Tokyo.
Tokyo, Japan · Asia/TokyoBuilder interview
In their own words—what they care about, how they work, and the conversations they hope to have.
What happens to a place once it gets famous. I spent eight years at a Japanese TV station filming all over the country, and travel has always been my biggest hobby, so I’ve seen how quickly a place changes after it’s featured. Kyoto is the clearest example. The other problem is planning. Most visitors spend hours researching and still end up in the same crowded spots, because the places worth finding are rarely written up in English.
Travel that’s good for everyone it touches. Travelers get a trip made for them alone, without the research and booking work. The small inns, makers and restaurants they visit get guests who arrive with care rather than in crowds. And when travelers discover new sides of Japan, the people they meet often see their own country in a new way too.
I was born and raised in Tokyo, and my parents took me traveling in Japan and abroad from a young age. After eight years at a TV station filming all over Japan, I had visited all 47 prefectures and eaten at more than 5,000 restaurants. Friends from around the world kept asking me to help plan their trips to Japan, and I kept thinking there had to be a better way, both for travelers and for the places they visit. Japan Ikigai Trip is my answer to that.
Seeing a side of Japan they couldn’t find on their own, without spending weeks planning it. Many are on their second or third trip and are tired of queues at the landmarks. Others are first-timers who want a few days in Tokyo or Kyoto and the rest somewhere quieter. They tell us how they want to feel, and we design and book the journey around it.
In Japan, small inns, makers, guides and restaurants who would rather welcome a few guests well than many at once. Beyond Japan, travelers who’d rather feel a place than tick it off, and writers and researchers working on overtourism and more sustainable ways to travel.
Some places are better kept off the record. A place, once named, begins to change, so we don’t post or publish the names of the places we take people. For us, keeping them private isn’t a gimmick. It’s how these places stay themselves.
Visit our website (japanikigaitrip.com) and reach out by email or WhatsApp from there. Tell me what you’re working on, and I’ll get back to you. If you’re planning a trip to Japan, the Mystery Trip Questionnaire on the site takes about 10 minutes and is free.
Published work
| Project | Description | Can help with | Looking for | Tags | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Ikigai Tripby Yuriko Mamiya | Japan Ikigai Trip designs fully customized private journeys across Japan… | Private, self-guided trips through Japan’s quieter places, des… | Small inns, makers, guides and restaurants in Japan who’d rath… |