About

At the same time, I was sharing Japanese culture in another way. From 2003 to 2014, I played the shamisen with Team Botan, an eight-member koto and shamisen ensemble. Dressed in kimono, we performed and held workshops for international audiences at embassies, international schools, universities, and other venues.
I loved seeing people become curious about Japan through music. Over time, travel and culture — two important parts of my life — began to come together.

At one of our workshops, I had an unforgettable encounter with Kaoru Kanetaka, whose television program about travelling the world I had loved as a child. When I was growing up, overseas travel was still uncommon in Japan, and she was a true pioneer. Her program opened a window onto a much bigger world for me.　Meeting her years later brought those memories back. Having travelled widely myself, I began to think about doing the reverse — helping people from around the world discover Japan. That idea eventually led me to establish Luxury Travel Japan in 2014.　

When travel came to a standstill during the pandemic, I used the unexpected pause to deepen my knowledge of Japanese history and culture. The more I learned, the more I realized how much there was still to discover about Japan.
I hope your clients will make discoveries of their own here — perhaps a new appreciation for the seasons, craftsmanship, simplicity, or even a different way of seeing everyday life.