If you’re looking for the trip of a lifetime to Japan, you’re in the right place.
Japan is one of the most fascinating countries in the world, but getting beneath the surface can be a challenge for even the most experienced travelers. Our specialty is helping travelers embark on unique, memorable experiences – not just sightseeing or checking items off a list.
Japan is beautiful and clean and orderly, and not hard to navigate physically for the unfamiliar tourist. It is also a complex, many layered and highly structured culture in which there is much that is invisible to the uninformed. Boutique Japan, and its founder Andres Zuleta, addresses that gap with deep local knowledge and access… Read More
Boutique Japan helped us plan the trip of a lifetime. They made excellent suggestions, taking into account our interests. The itinerary, the accommodations, and the guides they arranged for us were all superb. Everything went smoothly thanks to their careful planning. We really benefitted from their detailed knowledge of and passion for Japan. We highly… Read More
We recently returned from a fantastic two-week vacation in Japan planned Boutique Japan. We had a group of nine very diverse people, from 25 to 79 years old, with most over 60. They were able to create a detailed itinerary that took into account everyone’s wish list, physical limitations and dietary needs... no small feat.… Read More
I couldn't have done this trip without you. Your guidance gave me and my family a lot of confidence that everything would be well planned. It was a real bucket list trip for us and the logistics of our adventure were flawless thanks to you. Your web presence helped us plan, and your local knowledge… Read More
Japan offers an incredible array of cultural and culinary experiences, from the sublime to the exhilarating. We don’t believe one size fits all, and design your trip just for you whether your interests lie in:
We meticulously arrange your trip around your unique interests, ideal travel pace, accommodation preferences and personal travel style.
Our sample Japan itineraries are here to inspire you. We can use them as a foundation for your bespoke trip, or design your trip completely from scratch. These are not fixed itineraries, and can be customized or altered in almost any way.
Curious about traveling to Japan with us? Here is some essential information about what it’s like to plan your trip with Boutique Japan.
Whether you usually plan your own trips, or normally work with a destination expert, planning a trip to Japan can seem overwhelming.
Our specialty is crafting bespoke trips for travelers seeking unique experiences. We’re here to help you get the most out of your precious time in Japan, without feeling like you’re rushing around – and make the process as fun and effortless as possible, so you can simply relax and savor every moment of your experience.
Your trip is designed completely around you – to focus on the aspects of Japan that most interest you – and we take care of all the essential arrangements so you can simply enjoy the experience.
See a real-life example of how we planned one trip from start to finish.
A trip with Boutique Japan includes the following (the exact details vary, as every trip is completely customized):
As explained on our About Us page, because of our focus on personalized service and bespoke itineraries, we actively limit the number of trips we work on at any given time.
The first and most important step in the process is to learn more about what you are truly looking for in this trip. We will delve into your priorities, interests, and travel style, and our understanding of what you’re envisioning will begin to clearly emerge.
From here we begin putting your perfect trip together, piece by piece. Because of how much attention we pour into each trip, the process may not be as quick as requesting a proposal from a larger company offering a less customized experience. It’s important to get the details right, but we work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
As soon as we’ve designed what you agree looks like the perfect trip, we’ll proceed to confirmation – and our brilliant Trip Prep team will guide you in the fun part of preparing for (and getting excited about!) your trip. We’ll have many more details about all of this as we embark on the trip-planning process.
Because of our focus on personalized service and bespoke itineraries — to ensure each trip gets the full attention it deserves — we specialize in complete trips (as opposed to “a la carte” services) of at least one week and longer.
Please also note that cost breakdowns are not available, and all products and services are sold as a complete customized package. Because of this it’s important to discuss any budget-related goals or constraints before we begin crafting an itinerary (for more on pricing, please see below).
Lastly, as passionate as we are about food and culinary experiences, we only offer restaurant reservations as part of private culinary outings with local experts, rather than on a standalone basis.
While no two of our trips are ever the same, they do tend to fall into one – or a mix – of the following three categories, depending on your interests, priorities and budget.
Please note that these are not fixed prices, but rather estimated guidelines based on our extensive experience arranging bespoke trips.
Our Classic trips feature carefully-selected hotels and ryokans, a mix of wonderful private guides and independent exploration, transport (usually by shinkansen) between all your destinations, and more. Prices start at about US $700 per person per day and up.
Our Boutique trips feature an optimal balance of comfort and luxury, including stays at lovely boutique and luxury accommodations, wonderful private guides and unique experiences, transport between all your destinations and private vehicles where most appropriate, and more. Prices start at about US $900 per person per day and up.
Our Luxury trips feature the absolute best Japan has to offer, including stays at Japan’s most incredible luxury hotels and ryokans, wonderful private guides and exclusive experiences, first-class transport between all your destinations and private vehicles where most appropriate, and more. Prices start at about US $1,200 per person per day and up.
We typically require a preliminary itinerary design fee, which allows us to dedicate our time and efforts to each of our clients, and give each trip the personal love and attention it deserves.
The amount varies depending on various factors (such as trip length, itinerary intricacy, etc.) and is fully applicable toward the final cost of your trip.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.