Highlights of Japan holiday

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This trip visits the main highlights of Japan in a short period of time. Most of the travel is by public transport which provides the opportunity to mix with the local population as well as keep the tour’s carbon footprint to an absolute minimum. We travel around Japan solely using public transport, including the fabulous high speed rail system and, in the cities, using the metro and public buses. This means that emissions are kept to a minimum and we get to mix with the locals going about their daily live. We also use locally owned hotels throughout the trip, ensuring benefit to the communities we are visiting.
Our tours are run by Japanese-speaking tour leaders who have all spent time living and working in Japan and been fully trained by us, including a strong focus on responsible tourism practices so they can ensure that our tours run in accordance with our code of practice.  This means that they encourage customers not to use single-use plastics and lead by example.  They pick up litter when they come across it and raise awareness of local environmental issues, as well as global ones such as the need to use water sparingly.  They take an educative approach to responsible travelling with a view to encouraging the people that travel with us to return home more sustainability focused than they left.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE

We have the opportunity to visit several local markets on this trip in Kanazawa and Kyoto, which is great for mixing with, and supporting, the local community. They are also superb spots for lunch with small cafes and restaurants offering dishes made from the fresh produce of the market. In Osaka we take a street food tour to taste the delicious fare offered by local stall holders. A fun experience which involves interacting with local people and supporting their small businesses.

Meeting the people is often a great highlight of a tour and our leaders are real facilitators; enabling us to meet and mix with the locals wherever possible – all the more fun when we are travelling off the beaten track. Our local leaders take us to small, locally owned and run restaurants wherever possible throughout the trip, ensuring that small businesses benefit from our visit, and that we enjoy a very authentic experience.

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY