Private journeys into the Japan you won't find in a search bar.
Private groups of one to six
Bilingual guide and interpreter
Artisans we know by name
Planned from arrival to departure
What we do
Four ways to travel with us
Book a single afternoon with a craftsman or let us plan the whole trip. Everything is private, and everything is led by a local who speaks both languages.
01
Signature Tours
Ready-made days with a set route and price, from Meiji Jingu and Shibuya to old Asakusa. Every one is fully customizable.
02
Experiences
Hands-on time with artisans, athletes and growers. Ukiyo-e printing, sumo practice, tea fields and more.
03
Custom Trips
Tell us your dates and interests. We plan and book the trip around you, and you choose whether we guide you for a day, the whole journey, or not at all.
04
Guide & Interpreter
Already have plans? Bring one of our bilingual guides to a studio visit, a business meeting or a family trip. For local insights and language help.
Coming next: hotels, rail and restaurant bookings, handled by the same team that plans your days.
Heritage & Craft
Kintsugi with a lacquer artist
Mend a broken plate with urushi and gold at Hariyo Urushi, a Tokyo lacquer house since the Edo period.
Heritage & Craft
Ukiyo-e woodblock printing
Print your own image at Takahashi Kobo, Tokyo's oldest working ukiyo-e studio, guided by the sixth generation.
Heritage & Craft
Morning sumo practice
Sit a few metres from the ring as wrestlers train at a Ryogoku stable, with every drill explained as it happens.
Heritage & Craft
A day in the tea fields
Walk the terraced fields of Wazuka with a family of growers, then taste this year's leaves in their kitchen.
Active & Immersive
A night at the ballpark
Cheer with the fans at Jingu, Tokyo Dome or Belluna Dome, with a guide who explains the rituals in the stands.
Active & Immersive
Tokyo running tours
Choose a distance and a route, from the palace loop to the Sumida River, with a guide who runs beside you.
Active & Immersive
Kumano Kodo day hike
Cedar forest, worn stone steps and a grand shrine at the end of a private section of the old pilgrim road.
Who we are
Two siblings, raised in Japan, who kept coming back
We are half American and half Japanese. We grew up in Japan, then spent years living in other countries. When we moved back, we noticed how many visitors left having seen only the surface: the famous shrines, the busy crossings, the same handful of restaurants.
The Japan we love is quieter and harder to find. It is the printer who still mixes pigment by hand, the tea farmer who pours you a second cup, the stable master who lets you watch practice at seven in the morning. You can't find those through an app or a search. We make the introductions, stay beside you, and translate every word.
Julia & Casey
The founders, Tokoro Travel
A conversation
A call or a few emails about who is travelling, what you are curious about, and how full you like your days.
A written plan
A day-by-day itinerary with the experiences, hotels and transportations we recommend, and the reasons behind each choice.
We book everything
Studio visits, guides, drivers and tables. All you have to do is give us the thumbs up.
We are with you
Your guide meets you on the first morning. Between visits, one message reaches someone who knows your plan.
Begin here
Tell us when you are coming. We will plan the rest.
Send your dates and a few lines about what you would like to see. One of the founders will write back personally.