The Japan Travel Optimiser is for you if you:
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Have a limited trip length but want to experience the very best of uniquely Japanese activities that locals genuinely enjoy.
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Want to have a good understanding of how much time you’ll need for each destination to make the most of your experience.
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Plan to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, or possibly Hiroshima but are unsure about which off-the-beaten-track locations to combine with them.
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Have a list of places to visit but feel uncertain about how to create a feasible and easy-to-navigate itinerary.
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Are interested in visiting Hokkaido or Okinawa but recognise that these destinations require a longer holiday and are open to exploring alternative options for beaches or somewhere you can avoid heat.
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Have identified several onsen hot spring destinations but are unsure which best aligns with your interests, the time of your visit, and the days you have in Japan.
Let me introduce myself.
I'm Miyuki, Licensed Guide + Japan Experience Creator.
I've been travelling around Japan since my childhood. I've travelled extensively both domestically and internationally, while making connections with locals and learning about their culture.
In the past 5 years, I've been in Japan's tourism industry, helping to create travel experiences as a tour guide and travel designer. I’ve also worked with local governments to raise awareness of less-visited areas of Japan.
Over the past 24+ months, I've helped families, couples and solo adventurers from the United States, Europe, and Australia to create their personalised itineraries, making their trips easier and more memorable.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll gain from this session:
Personalised recommendations aligned with your goals, seasonal highlights, and your holiday length.
Authentic, uniquely Japanese experiences that are harder to find on your own.
A solid framework for your itinerary, with the flexibility to explore at your own pace and rest when needed.
A diverse range of experiences showing Japan is more than just its big cities.
A sense of comfort while travelling, feeling like a part of the local community.
What my amazing clients are saying
This was the most valuable thing we ever did.
Miyuki has considerable experience with travel planning and understands how to pull together an amazing trip itinerary that aligns with travel time available and our family's needs and goals!
She shaped the trip really well for us in a way that I know we wouldn't have had. Her recommendations gave us a picture of Japan that wasn't a big city. We got to take the train into the country and navigate things on our own, which is exciting in itself.
It definitely felt like we were still making our own choices and had a lot of flexibility to do what we wanted. But, having a good framework definitely helped a lot. As well, getting a real understanding of how much time it would take to experience an area was crucial!
Hilary, Max and Sam from Boston
Think about the experiences that you would like to have and work with someone who can help you reach those goals, as opposed to just recommending a place where everybody goes.
A really great itinerary that was at a good pace, but kept us seeing all sorts of different things each day.
Claire from the United States
We're not necessarily people who are really used to just being in big crowds all the time, and so I was really excited about the idea of getting off of the beaten track. But I was also unsure of how that would work without knowing better Japanese.
Miyuki helped me come up with a really great itinerary that was at a good pace, but kept us seeing all sorts of different things each day. I'm glad that we didn't only go to the big cities. I'm glad that we mixed it up. Miyuki really did make the trip just super memorable and a lot of fun for all of us.
I felt really supported by the spreadsheet. It was so organized and was really helpful to have it all listed out.
Miyuki’s approach to dive into interests versus simply a canned approach intrigued me!
I was so intimidated with planning a trip to Japan - it seemed daunting and I didn’t want to limit myself to one or two cities. I loved Miyuki’s technique of learning your interests and designing the itinerary around that. I now have a much more focused and exciting itinerary that’s about experiences versus hitting major tourist spots.
Gene from
North Carolina
Let Miyuki relieve some of the pressure of planning the journey by helping focus your trip on what you will remember the most!
With a few key tweaks to your itinerary, your trip will become easier and
more enriching.
Here's what we'll work on together!
1. Review the overall framework
Confirm the main destinations where you will stay.
Allocate the appropriate number of days for each city or town.
3. Finess the details
2. Locate the best travel route
Determine the most efficient order of visits and the optimal timing for your travel schedule.
Identify the easiest travel route and transport options between the places you'll visit.
Evaluate if you can effectively manage all your planned visits through your trip.
Find out which activities require reservations and the best methods for booking.
4. find the best place to stay
Choose the right type of accommodation in a convenient location.
Plan the best way to travel hassle-free with your luggage.
special bonuses for you!
Let's uplevel your experience even further...
Japan Travel Planner & Priority Clarity Finder
A ready-to-use, fillable spreadsheet template to build your itinerary, with a priority clarity finder that helps identify your preferences and priorities.
Top 30 Destinations for Every Interest
A selection of city and off-the-beaten-path spots
—carefully chosen and measured by 6 key factors— to help you find the perfect places.
5 Onsen Spots in Quiet Rural Areas
5 underrated onsen hot spring destinations in tranquil rural areas, with unique appeals and recommended inns, helping you find the best option.
Money-Saving JR Passes & Quick Fare Calculator
I’ll guide you on how to determine if the JR Pass is worth it for your travel route and suggest 3 regional passes that will save you money.
These will also be valuable for your future trips to Japan,
saving you hours of research each time!
Here's the JTO's 3-step process!
Step 1: Define
Identify your interests and clarify your travel priorities by answering 7 simple questions in the Priority Clarity Finder.
Step 2: Design
Fill out your travel planner spreadsheet and craft your itinerary, using the bonus resources as needed.
Step 3: Determine
I’ll review your priorities and travel planner in advance. In a 90-minute 1:1 session, I'll provide personalised suggestions tailored to your interests and needs, helping you make the best decisions.
What my amazing clients are saying
Miyuki's advice and input was solid, meaningful and helped us make important changes to our itinerary.
Even though her specialty is central Japan and arranging special experiences in this area, and our vacation objectives were a far cry from this type of adventure for our first visit, she is so well-travelled and knowledgeable about travelling across Japan that her advice and input was solid, meaningful and helped us make important changes to our itinerary to accomodate for our limited time and travel between cities, and to make good choices on options.
Marjorie from the United States
Miyuki has your best interests at heart and is dedicated to ensuring your trip to Japan fully considers all Japan has to offer, and to make your time in her country as memorable and enriching as possible.
Lori and Alan
from New Jersey
Miyuki has made great recommendations, which made our journey much much better!
My challenge was to trim down the itinerary for a convenient travel time and an efficient visit. She has made great recommendations not to travel from town to town, from hotel to hotel, but to stay in one location and travel from that location, which made our journey much much better without having carried things around and we were able to see so many wonderful places. I highly recommend her!
Through working with Miyuki, I’ve learned about the local train system and ease of visit between cities.
We loved Miyuki's enthusiasm, ideas and honesty.
We were trying to design an itinerary with plenty of time outside of the big cities, but were overwhelmed with choices. We also wanted to hear insights from someone who actually lives and works in Japan rather than simply getting lost in an ocean of internet reviews. She really helped us narrow down our itinerary and suggested experiences I would not have thought of or found on our own.
Bria from the United States
We appreciated her emphasis on seasonal considerations for different locations.
Got questions? I've got the answers!
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Q: I'm interested! What should I do now?Awesome! Please complete this form as the first step. I'll review and be in touch shortly with the next steps. If you are the right fit for the program, you'll be invited for a 1:1 introductory session where you can share with me about your travel goals and you will also have your questions answered.
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Q: Am I the right fit for this program?This program is for you if you are willing to learn about Japan before your trip and to try out authentic Japanese experiences loved by locals. This program is not a done-for-you service and your initiative is the key to successfully creating your travel itinerary and completing every step of the process. I will help you through the whole process from setting your travel priority to designing your trip and completing bookings and will also provide the input and resources you need along the journey.
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Q: How far in advance should I enrol in the program?Based on my previous experience of working with my clients, 8 weeks should give you sufficient time to have your travel itinerary ready from scratch and complete bookings. It's however advisable to enrol in the program at least 3-6 months before your trip. Popular accommodations and cultural activities will be booked out a few months in advance so I recommend having your itinerary ready in time for the reservation to open so that you won't miss anything you want.
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Q: What's the process of working together over the course of this program?You'll be first asked to answer 7 simple questions and I'll make the first draft of your personalised itinerary based on your answer. During the first consultation session, I'll walk you through all the options I suggest and brief you about pros and cons about each option. Over a 8 week period, you are encouraged to do your own research, make decisions and complete bookings. If you're facing any challenges in regards to planning and bookings, I'm only an email away and will give you input, resources and all other support you need so that you can move your travel planning journey faster and with ease. You'll also receive self-paced content from the Japan Travel Essentials course every week so that you can build Japan travel knowledge effectively and complete your travel planning journey successfully. During the second consultation session, I'll help you finalise your travel plan and solve all your concerns so that you will be ready to create amazing experiences in Japan. You will have the flexibility to work at your own pace and complete the program within 8 weeks.
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Q: Do I get to ask questions outside of consultation sessions?Of course! Private chat support will be available over a 8 week period between the two consultation sessions. I will get back to you within 48 hours except for the weekends and Japan's public holidays.
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Q: When are the consultation sessions held?I keep my Fridays free for consultation sessions, so the available time slots will be: Thursday evenings in North America, Friday mornings in Europe and the UK, and Friday daytimes and evenings in Australia and New Zealand. I can offer some Saturday time slots if you are in a European time zone and if you have work commitments on Fridays.
Choose the best option for you and
I'll help create your personalised itinerary!
Turn your ideas into a personalised, well-structured itinerary through the 3-step process.
Best suited for you if you've already got a rough travel plan and want to have a solid structure for your itinerary, clarity on the next steps, and greater confidence for your trip to Japan.
A 90-min 1:1 itinerary creation session.
Schedule your session within 90 days after your purchase.
Full support in drafting your personalised itinerary, making bookings and getting ready for authentic Japanese experiences.
Serve you well whether you are starting out in travel planning or seeking to personalise your travel itinerary for more meaningful and enlightening experiences.
2 × 60-min 1:1 Japan travel consultation sessions and unlimited chat support over an 8-week period.
Flexibility to start the program anytime in the next 12 months with access to the Japan Travel Essentials course.
A Final Note from Me, Miyuki:
I know the trip you want isn’t about following the same popular destinations as other international visitors.
You want to make your trip truly memorable and enriching, and you've got some ideas for that.
If you’re not sure about how to make it all happen or whether your plans will give you the experience you're hoping for, I'm here to help.
I'll share all my local and expert knowledge on Japan, providing you with a solid framework, personalised recommendations tailored to your needs and interests, and the confidence to navigate Japan smoothly and easily.
It's time to transform your uncertain ideas into a feasible and exciting itinerary and experience the very best of Japan, just like the locals do.
Ready to make your trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience? Let’s do this together!