Save time & have a better time anywhere in Japan (since 1990) with my expert private custom Japan tours & travel services. Learn more! WhatsApp: +1-415-230-0579. Email me today!

My Japan travel services: transfers, restaurants, tickets

YJPT's Japan travel services are as precise as these women welcoming customers at Tokyo's prestigious Mitsukoshi Department store!

I provide a full range of custom Japan travel services including transfers from any A to any B, restaurant experiences, restaraunt reservations, tickets, interviews and studio visits with craftsmen & other "interesting" Japanese people, and more. My expert Japan travel services--all over Japan since 1990--are used by all of my clients without exception. Every client is different. My expert custom Japan travel services:

  • Are made for who you are and how you like to travel,
  • Save you time, lots of time (and money too sometimes),
  • Improve the quality of your travel time in all ways.
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If you are wondering what you can do with my self-guided services take a look a just a few of these amazing all-Japan self-guided travel stories from all kinds of past clients. And remember YJPT's self-guided travel options are 66% less than guided tours.

Most of my clients, as of late 2019 and now again in late 2022, favor a combination where most of their trip is self-guided but in two or three key cities they enjoy the extra attention and interaction that my licensed Japanese tour guides provide.

I provide transportation services for all budgets and needs anywhere in Japan. If you are elderly or don’t like to walk much I can hire a vehicle & driver for your needs. Or in big centers like Tokyo and Kyoto you can move around as much as you like by taxi using my bilingual guidance.

If Japanese cuisine experiences are important to you I provide a complete restaurant services (taxi to the restaurant and taxi back to your hotel is the most common option). See below to learn more.

And if you need special tickets or event bookings I can help you there as well. No matter what you need (as long as it is legal) my Japan travel services can save you time and improve trip quality time! Learn more!

Self-guided tour FAQs (design; delivery; types; expenses . . .).

Guided tour FAQs (start time and location; itinerary design; expenses; tips . . .).

And please note that I provide 24/7 support & assistance to all my clients: before you go & after you arrive in Japan. For a better understanding of YJPT's tour and service design and design process, expenses, and prices please see my compact but informative full service pricelist in JPY, all retail priced. Here you can see what I charge for what, what's included, expense guidelines for tours, transfers, restaurant experiences, and more!

Japan airport transfer options on arrival and when departing

For Narita International airport arrivals use the Narita Express trains!

I have 35 years of experience setting and facilitate airport transfers all over Japan. Options include private sedans & vans, public transportation to the destination city center and then a taxi from there. I cover all international and domestic airports in Japan.

Narita International arrival transfers: A large number of my clients start their trip in Tokyo, and Narita is probably still the biggest arrival airport in Japan (but Haneda nearby and Fukuoka are climbing fast). It takes about 60 min on the Narita Express trains (covered by the Japan Rail Pass) to reach JR Tokyo Sta., JR Shinagawa Sta. or JR Shinjuku Sta. and then generally a relatively short taxi ride to your hotel. Most of my clients prefer this transfer service style but some want door-to-door private sedans or vans. Generally speaking, it will cost you about Yen 20,000/one way by sedan or van into central Tokyo. I charge Yen 4,800/1-6 people/transfer to reserve the vehicle and specify the destination; add 5% for each person over 6pax. Note: a few of my clients land at Tokyo’s international airports and completely bypass Tokyo for Hakone | Mount Fuji, Kamakura or Shuzenji hot springs | Izu Penninsula. Haneda International arrival transfers: Transfers from Haneda International to your Tokyo hotel are similar to Narita arrivals but faster and less expensive (please ask). Kansai International arrival transfers: Identical to Narita arrivals as described above but the destination is either Osaka or Kyoto. The fast train from KIX is the JR Haruka Express (40 min. to Osaka; 75 min. to Kyoto). Note: some clients also proceed directly to Nara, Koyasan or the beginning of the Kumano hiking trails from KIX.

Transfers between any A and any B during your Japan trip

A Nozomi shinkansen bullet train en route to Kyoto.

My scripted bilingual transfer instructions can be used to move from any A in Japan to any B anywhere in the country. These scripts generally included all the following stages: 1. Calling a taxi to your hotel with specific instructions to take you to the nearest useful train station | subway station | port. 2. Instructions for buying train | subway | ship tickets on the go (and in advance for certain situations). 3. Taxi instructions for getting from your arrival station to your next hotel.

Tokyo to Kyoto transfers (280 miles or 450 km): Thanks to the shinkansen bullet train getting to Kyoto is really easy. Simply jump a taxi from your hotel to the nearest Tokyo bullet station (JR Tokyo, JR Shinagawa) and 2 hours and 20 minutes later you are in Kyoto if you take the fast Nozomi bullet trains (departing every 15-20 minutes). If you have a Japan Rail Pass, which you can now buy online @jrailpass.com with confidence, then you have to use the slower Haruka bullet trains (2 hrs 40 min; one departure an hour!). Tokyo to Takayama transfers: 1. Taxi to a Tokyo bullet train station (JR Tokyo or JR Shinagawa). 2. Bullet train to Nagoya (1 hour 40 min on the fast and frequent Nozomi trains).

Kyoto to Hiroshima transfers: Most of my clients and therefore most foreign travelers do Hiroshima as a day trip from Kyoto. By fast and frequent Nozomi bullet train (often a change of platform is required at JR Shin-Osaka Sta.) the travel time is 1 hour and 40 min (and 10 minutes on the slower less frequent JR Rail Pass covered Hikari bullet trains). Kyoto to Koyasan transfers: This is one of the more complex transfers in Japan requiring a JR inter-city train to Osaka, then a subway or taxi ride to Namba, and then a ride on the private Nankai express train, and then cable car and a bus or a taxi to the 9th-centure spiritual center of Koyasan. My super useful A to B transfers handle this entire process with precision and can be designed to be a little slower but a lot more relaxing for people with too much luggage or too much uncertainty or stress about moving around in Japan.

Expert restaurant suggestions, reservations & cusine experiences

We design dinner evenings and daytime cuisine experiences all over Japan from street food to luxury locations.

My restaurant experience & reservation services are amazing because I'm a restaurant experience expert who really understands the food experience hopes and needs of my clients. Advantages: Many high value, though not necessarily expensive, Japanese restaurants do not handle reservations in English but take them in Japanese without hesitation by telephone. The exception to this rule are the most expensive and famous sushi “shrines” in Tokyo that generally will only deal with the concierge staff of 5-star hotel in Tokyo. For YJPT these are all problems that I solve on a regular basis. I speak & write Japanese well and I understand client’s wishes and preferences when made clear during the design process. What you get with a YJPT restaurant reservation: It includes the reservation, getting to the restaurant in a taxi or by train or subway and on foot, and getting from the restaurant back to your hotel or to another location. The choices are all yours!

Street food & fresh markets & PovLux cuisine experiences: Some culinary experiences have less to do with reservations and more to do with geography and, more importantly, timing! I design street food + fresh fish & produce market experiences for 2 hours, 4 hours or 8 hours (for really serious foodies!). And I also create foodie experiences that take you from street food and markets to one or two high-end settings in the course of 2-4-6 hours. The lux highlight locations are usually not just about food but also include old garden settings or killer views from modern buildings. Authentic settings and cuisine experiences where other foreign tourists are absent or rare: The restaurant scenes in Japan are legendary and some of the best places are never mentioned in the guidebooks. These are some of my favorite places! With all my “insider” knowledge of Japanese cuisine venues, I regularly suggest certain restaurants in places like Kyoto and Tokyo that really offer incredible value, which often includes surrounding historical ambiance. To learn more please email me!Cuisine experiences that begin with a historical | cultural tour and end at a restaurant (or vice versa): In big cities like Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka it is often a really good idea to stroll to your dinner (breakfast or lunch) destination. Some clients like to eat early and then walk the exotic night streets after dinner. Either way, YJPT has you covered, and I often design “dinner packages” like these. Learn more!

All-Japan ticket reservations and advance purchase tickets

Buying a JR shinkansen ticket (or other train or boat tickets) on the go or in advance is what my A to B transfers are all about!

Sometimes you need to buy tickets or make reservations in advance. This is especially true for bullet train tickets | reservations to and from Kyoto in super peak season. This is equally true for JR Rail Pass holders (who can reserve train seats in advance) and travelers leaving Kyoto for direct departure from Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport or Narita International. Events, shows, special tickets: I facilitate the purchase of any kind of tickets (shows, museums events, special events, etc.). I charge Yen 4,800/arrangement/1-6 people; add 5% for each person over 6pax. If the tickets need to be sent to your hotel when you arrive in Japan, I charge an additional Yen 1,500 for the private courier sending fee to your Tokyo hotel (or any other hotel in the country).

Private geisha banquet dinners in Kyoto with an interpreter

We offer unique kaiseki dinner performance banquets with geisha | geiko | maiko in Kyoto's world famous Gion district!

I have special connections for setting up private dinner banquets with private dance & singing performances by maiko and geiko in Kyoto (not possible in Tokyo unless brought in specially from Kyoto, which is possible but terribly expensive). For geisha banquets for parties of more than two people please enquire for pricing.

Kyoto geisha | maiko dinner experiences from start to finish: 1. Generally, the experience begins with a 30-45 min stroll with your guide | interpreter for the evening in the famous Gion historical district, where you will learn more about the unique geisha | maiko culture and its current state. 2. Entry to a special Gion district traditional kaiseki banquet restaurant setting (often with private garden views) where you will sit down for dinner (kaiseki haute cuisine usually) and interact with a real maiko | geisha for 60- 90 minutes. 3. The maiko or geisha will perform authentic song and dance “numbers” which you can video or photograph and show to family and friends back home! This experience is certainly not affordable for everyone but some request it and pay "extra" to experience this hidden side of ancient Kyoto. Maybe you will too!

My full service pricelist in JPY, retail prices, and what's included, expense guidelines for tours, transfers, restaurant experiences and more!

Japan corporate business travel, conference event services since 1990

The triple ying yang or dao in stone: travel services for business, pleasure or both!I, Ian Martin Ropke, provide Japan corporate business travel services and meeting, incentive, conference and meeting (MICE) services anywhere in Japan (since 1990). As founder and owner of Your Japan Private Tours, I, Ian Martin Ropke (Canadian; age 59), personally plan, coordinate and handle all client requests for Japan business travel, MICE travel and business representation in Japan for North American companies (US and Canada). All of my Japan corporate business travel services and MICE travel services are customized to the specific cultural and budget constraints of the client. I can help you and your company executives do business and MICE better in Japan. Learn more! Email me today!

Your Japan Private Tours provides, plans and creates comprehensive solutions for corporate business travel planning and services anywhere in Japan (since 1990). This includes planning, coordination and logistics for excursions, city walking tours, BLeisure travel options, and programs and activities for accompanying family members. Over the years, I have worked with many international corporations such as Google, Microsoft, BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace), Astra Zeneca and Hewlett Packard. All of my solutions for Japan business corporate travel are carefully designed and customized for each and every client. Learn more!

I also offer international companies, especially from the US and Canada, business representation services in Japan. My B2B representation services are focused primarily on communications, promotion, and to some extent sales. I understand these issues well and can offer a wide range of solutions, each suited to the client’s specific needs and budget limitations. Learn more! See below.

I also provide solutions and services for Japan meeting, incentive, conference, exhibition (MICE) travel. My business and MICE services include advice and assistance for every need. This means everything from getting things set up before you arrive in Japan, hiring interpreters and arranging conference event facilities, to expert transportation logistics, restaurant banquet reservations, and leisure incentive travel design. The Japan MICE solutions and service sector has few non-Japanese consultants and most Japanese MICE coordinators do not understand the cultural and creative nuances that international companies expect. I approach all these problems and needs by carefully listening to the client, including their cultural biases, and designing for any and all budgets. Learn more! See below.

Japan is well known for its challenging, unique business culture. And for this reason, foreign companies and business executives should plan well ahead and rely on local business consultants, planners and experts. It is not a casual business culture in any way and preparation and formal communication protocols are essential. And English, even today, is not widely spoken or well understood in Japan. This also adds extra challenges. I have been helping foreign individuals, families and companies get things done smoothly and professionally since 1990.

My full service pricelist in JPY, retail prices, and what's included, expense guidelines for tours, transfers, restaurant experiences and more!

Learn more! Or email me today at yourjapanprivatetours AT gmail DOT com. Or text me on Whatsapp @ +1-415-230-0579.

Learn more! Email Ian today!

Japan corporate business travel planning and services since 1990

Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990) has been assisting business travelers, companies, and meeting, incentive, conference, event (MICE) travelers all over Japan for over 30 years! I, Ian Martin Ropke (founder and owner since 1990), have been a professional Japan travel expert and designer since 1990. I work closely with all clients and offers a full range of business travel services and MICE services for any budget. Doing business in Japan or traveling in Japan is known for its challenges. Get your business and travel needs taken care of before you arrive. I can save you time and improve the quality of your time in Japan. The choices are all yours! Learn more!

If Bleisure travel or business class travel services are what you need, I can plan your entire time in Japan from arrival to departure for who you are and how you like to travel. And in addition to taking care of your work needs, I also can plan and design for the needs of your partner and children, if they go to Japan with you.

I provide full personal attention for all your needs: before you go and when you are in Japan. Learn more!

Over the past 30 years, I have worked with a wide range of Japan business trip and conference event clients. I have a lot of experience with clients who are generally considered to be the most difficult and most challenging to work with. Some were individual executives at corporations like Volvo (2008), Fannie Mae (2007), Google Maps (2018) and Continental Tire (2018). However, most of my business clients were BLeisure travelers (often traveling with family members) including a billionaire sugar magnate from Mexico, steel company owners from Argentina, and a sheik from Dubai. For the following work projects, I was hired directly by the corporation to help their executives and or representatives have a better time in Japan (for work and pleasure).

1. BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace): From 2003 to 2009, Your Japan Private Tours was in charge of a 7-day cultural immersion program for BAE's top global executives (25-30 executives: all managing directors of BAE subsidiaries). BAE Systems was a client in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. The 7-day program mostly took place in Kyoto but in 2009 it was split between Tokyo and Kyoto. I rented a Buddhist temple near the Westin Miyako Hotel (where the participants stayed every time) for each week-long seminar. I also provided all interpreters, guides, audio visual equipment, access to tea ceremony teachers and maiko | geiko | geisha, all transportation needs, banquet dinners, and private travel arrangements for some individuals before and after the seminar.

2. Hewlett Packard: I personally handled a 3-day tour break for a 12-person team from the Singapore office (HP's Asian headquarters). They chose my services because they found the ideas from JTB (Japan's biggest tour operator) to be too superficial and lacking in creativity.

3. Prudential Financial: I was hired to be a guest lecturer and tour guide for Prudential Financial's annual international board meeting which takes place in a different country every year. The 2001 board meeting took place in Tokyo and Kyoto, with about 40 participants from all over the world attending.

4. AstraZeneca Estonia: AstraZeneca Estonia hired me to coordinate a group of 24 participants (mostly doctors) from Estonia attending a major medical conference in Tokyo and Kyoto in the spring of 2009. I booked all the hotels for the group in Tokyo and Kyoto, handled all the transportation (in Tokyo, from Tokyo to Kyoto and in Kyoto), special banquet dinners in both Tokyo and Kyoto, and designed multiple half day excursions in Kyoto with local tour guides.

5. A major Japanese medical equipment supplier: In 2016, I coordinated a 6-day trip for 30 doctors from Spain attending a major medical conference in Japan. The conference was sponsored by a huge medical equipment supplier headquartered in Tokyo. My work for this client was very similar to the AstraZeneca project (see above).

6. Microsoft Game Development Division: I provided Kyoto logistics and communication support for a series of meetings with a local video game software developer.

Japan business representation services for international companies

Your Japan Private Tours has recently added representation services for foreign international companies because of the huge drop in international business travel during Covid that has evolved into a new way of dealing with foreign markets and industries related to Japan. The post pandemic world is different now but trade and commerce and research continue to be top corporate priorities. Japan, as the world’s 3rd largest economy, is a key market for countless foreign companies and businesses. I understand this and offer a full range of retail price solutions and strategies.

My Japan business representation services can help your company and your company’s team save time and money. I can make your work needs in Japan easier and smoother. And my services are a lot less expensive than flying business class and paying for a good hotel. If you or your company needs this kind of assistance please let me know how I can help.

Japan MICE services for meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions

Japan is a popular country for large international business meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), and I provide expert services for all MICE business, organization and travel needs. The most active areas for Japan MICE travel are conferences, often hosted by Japanese industry players, and exhibitions. Japan is also a popular location for international board meetings that usually includes incentive travel options.

Japan’s conference industry is one of the biggest in the world and most conference take place in Tokyo or Kyoto. Many foreign conference visitors come in groups of 10-20 people who are looking for a unique and personalized experience before, during and after conference activities. I am experienced in these areas and offer insider solutions to Japan conference travelers. This includes logistics, dinner and banquet reservations, mobile communication services, interpreters, guides and customized itinerary planning (see list below).

Since 1990, I have worked with and assisted many MICE travelers all over Japan. My past clients include pharmaceutical companies visiting Japan for conferences and groups of doctors attending medical conferences. I also assisted Prudential Life Insurance with their 2001 international board meeting in Tokyo and Kyoto. I have also worked in this area with BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace), Hewlett Packard, and other notable global companies.

Japan corporate business travel & MICE services from A to Z

The list of services below is by no means comprehensive but it does cover the most common services required for business travel and MICE travel. If there is something else you or your company require, please let me know.

-Travel arrangements and reservations for bullet trains and local transportation passes and hired charter vehicles

-VIP executive services

-Bleisure travel services

-Door-to-door transfers & airport meet & greet

-Site inspections

-Event planning

-Special programing for accompanying family members

-Licensed interpreters

-Local guides and local travel planning guidance

-Local mobile communication solutions

-Logistics & navigation services: From airport transfers and hired cars, vans and buses to self-guided bilingual logistics for local travel.

+24/7 support for program changes and emergencies

Japan business travel and MICE service challenges and how I can help!

Doing business and traveling in Japan is not as easy as it is in other countries. Japan, believe it or not, is different. Japanese people think differently about business and Japanese business culture is still very conservative and formal. For example, beards or facial hair are not allowed in big or medium size corporations. So when you see a man with a beard getting into his car, you notice quickly that most of these cars are luxury vehicles. The man with the beard is either the founder or owner of his own company or he is an artist or designer that is independent and successful.

Japanese business culture is particularly resistant to fast deals or casual interactions. Everything must be prepared and OKed well in advance. This usually means 6 weeks to 10 weeks. Japanese business culture is very hierarchical, and decisions take time. And few Japanese individuals working in the business world have autonomy or free reign. Therefore, advance preparation and action is always the best way forward for doing business in Japan or traveling in Japan.

The Japanese are also shy and do not feel comfortable speaking English (even if they can!). This can cause all kinds of problems and discomfort and time wasted. However, the Japanese are very good at reading English and if spoken communication is not working you can always get better results by writing it down.

The challenges of traveling easily and efficiently in Japan are also largely because few speak English well. And Japan is an extremely complex mixture of dense metropolitan areas and unspoiled countryside. Moving from A to B, whether in Tokyo or off-the-beaten track, isn’t easy for first time visitors. This results in more time wasted and that is what business and MICE travelers would like to avoid the most. My logistical services and vehicle & driver hire services are incredibly precise and can be designed as self-guided bilingual instruction sets (on your smartphone screen as a PDF).