A Tokyo-based small group tour firm is dedicated to serving the demands of international tourists, many of whom choose to stay away from big groups due to COVID-19 anxiety and a need for more freedom than the standard large group tour affords.
The Japanese government is attempting to encourage luxury travel. Within the framework of the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan, which will run for three years starting with the fiscal year ending March 2024, it has set a goal expenditure level per person of 200,000 yen ($1,450).
Kumamon’s Path, a private, guided, small group travel company operating in the western Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto, was founded by Tokyo tour operator Otomo. The trip, which includes Kumamon, the prefecture’s advertising mascot, brings small groups of up to six tourists to places that are difficult for large groups to access.
There are 11 tours to choose from in the cities of Kumamoto, Hitoyoshi, and Yatsushiro that take advantage of the tour groups’ small size. The Kawashiri district in the southern city of Kumamoto is noted for its traditional handicrafts, including bladed tools, but few tourists have visited the district in the past, as the narrow alleys cannot accommodate large buses. Smaller groups can avoid such limitations, and tour guides help visitors find places for which little information is available.
The Kumamoto prefectural government has a “Kumamon Land” initiative aimed at luring tourists and businesses to the prefecture.
“It’s a private tour that allows tourists to walk around towns and have fun learning about Kumamoto and Kumamon,” Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima said at a regular news conference in February. “It will lead to increasing exchanges with people from overseas.”
Since its founding in 2017, Otomo has led more than 350 different kinds of guided tours around Japan. The firm has registered more than 1,100 guides. For a five to six-hour trip, a guide costs roughly 20,000 yen ($149) per group. Numerous topics are covered by Otomo tours. For instance, it worked with Tokyo’s Anime Tourism Association in 2019 to create a tour that takes visitors to places that are connected to a well-known anime brand.
“It was nice since we were able to hear tales about Japanese culture and how Japanese people live rather than just seeing tourist attractions,” one participant said.
In February, the total number of tours, which had temporarily dropped due to the pandemic, jumped fourfold compared with the pre-pandemic peak.
“Before the pandemic, everybody went to the same places, saw the same things, and bought the same things,” Otomo President Yuki Hiratsuka said. “After the pandemic, during which movements were restricted, people came in search of special travel experiences, more so than ever.” “Going forward, guided tours that respond to individual needs will become important.”
His company plans to begin services like those offered in Kumamoto, Shiga Prefecture, in western Japan, and the northern island of Hokkaido. It is working to find niche tourist spots.
There are other tour operators focused on small groups. Japan Tour Guide, based in the city of Oita, operates a matching service between tour guides and tourists. The organization started in 2014 as a volunteer group and last year set up a business in response to increasing demand.
Travelers are becoming more discriminating when choosing tours. “For example, they may ask to go to a standing sushi bar they saw on social media,” said JTG President Yujiro Kawano. “As there is little information about places that are not well known, more tourists need the help of guides who can lead them onto the right trains and give them tours of areas around their destinations.”
For a set monthly cost of 1,100 yen, Tokyo’s Knot World, which organizes small group tours for foreign visitors, launched a video streaming service for tour guides in 2022. The program includes distinctive training materials, such as a Buddhist monk’s talk on Buddhism.
Fumito Sasaki, president of Knot World, stated that “training programs for tour guides have been heavily skewed towards imparting knowledge,” adding that the company’s video training sessions emphasize topics like having guides explain things clearly to tour attendees.
Sasaki predicted that in the future, tour guides will need to possess a wide variety of talents, including communication abilities.
