Custom Trip/Travel Arrangements

All you need to do is to come up with what your next ideal vacation looks like. We’ll research and put a proposal together for your ideal vacation. Each one of you has a different ideal vacation and the goal may be the same every year and may be different. Our goal is to work with you and find what fits your ideal vacation.


How I Work

  • Think of your dream vacation – relaxing and energizing.
  • Contact Ippo Travel with your ideas – Tell us about your stories, ideas and whys.
  • We will work with you and to put a proposal together
  • A proposal will be sent to you with suggestions and options
  • Once we decide the final plan. Sit down and relax, we will do bookings and send you the final itinerary

What Ippo Travel can do for you:

With anything worthwhile, there are components to the project that we love to do and the ones that are not so exciting. I'd like to keep you doing what excites you about planning for your trip and I will do the rest.

Through my own travel experiences I have learned the best planning and traveling tips. One of the keys is well-planned logistics. Oftentimes people see a picture and decide that's their next destination, but to get there, they still need a plan. This requires a lot of research and calculation. If you have prepared your family trip before, you know it takes a lot of time, let me take the burden off of you.

The internet has made it easier to book your own travel, but it also created information overload, misinformation and outdated information. I will cut through the clutter and be your travel advocate.

Are you looking for a special and unique experience specific to your interests? I will work first to understand what kind of experiences are the best fit, because it’s YOUR trip.

Days don’t always need to be structured either. Meeting local people, exchanging travel experiences with others, visiting museums, stopping at a café or even bushwhacking a hiking trail can be worked into the agenda for you to explore the area and to immerse yourself into the culture.

I am well connected with local services in various areas of the world. When you work with me, you are working with local experts too.

With my combined project management and travel experiences, I also coordinate small group trips and wellness retreats. If you are considering putting a group together for a theme trip or retreat, contact me.

I offer “consulting only” service for trips to Japan. This just means that I will guide you through your travel planning. You get to fully participate in the planning process and book on your own, but with expert direction making sure you have it all covered.

Take your first step to make your dream trip come true. Send me an email or give me a call!

Sample Trips

Custom Trips

Japan

“I’d love to visit Japan! That’s the top of my list of places to visit. And I’d like to work with someone who is familiar with the culture, geography and language and put a special trip with cultural experiences for us.” We often hear people tell us about their strong desire to visit Japan, the Zen-like, quiet country, feel and see the history and meet local people. Unfortunately, planning a trip to Japan without any connections, insider knowledge, or language help leaves most travelers just visiting the popular tourist spots. What if, instead of just visiting, you could have an insider’s experience of Japanese culture? Ippo Travel’s mission is simple. We want to help you step off the beaten path of vacationing, and into the mindful way of life that has been practiced in Japan for centuries. With Ippo, which means first step, you’ll have opportunities to experience meditations with monks, eat traditional Shojin Ryori (temple meal), meditate in a Zen garden, learn traditional art, meet the artisans, and more.

Sample Itinerary:

  • Osaka Visit a local Buddhist temple and receive prayer. Explore inside Zen temple
  • Kyoto Stroll along the philosopher’s path. Experience zazen meditation and other cultural activities. Explore UNESCO World Heritage sites.
  • Kaga Stay at a old Buddhist monastery near Kaga hot spring. Enjoy meals with local ingredients. Experience fire festival at the monastery. Visit Japanese flak art center.
  • Noto Experience the country side of Japan. The peninsula extends into the Sea of Japan. Meet locals in the farming & fishing towns.
  • Himeji Stay at an old Buddhist monastery near Himeji Castle, one of Japanese Nat’l Treasurers. This temple is one of the Saigoku pilgrimage stops. Participate in activities with monks.
  • Kouchi—Shikoku Experience the countryside of Japan in the stunning shikoku Island known for its 88 temple pilgrimage. Meet locals and experience the local meals, crafts and see sunrise & sunset over the ocean.
Contact us to book now!

Journey In JAPAN

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Departing origination country to arrive in Japan on October 8th

You need more than a getaway.

You are invited to join us for a one of a kind trip to Japan.
Whether this is your first time of one of many trips visiting Japan, you will discover
something new.

Let’s begin your journey.

Itinerary

Day 1:
Arrive in Osaka Airport (ITM)
Day 2:
Ikeda, Osaka to Kyoto:
Visiting a local Buddhist temple and have the opportunity to explore what’s inside a Zen temple, meanings of each decoration, offering, instruments…etc. You’ll be welcomed with Japanese tea just like when you visit family or friends in Japan. And we’ll finish by receiving a blessing for a safe trip.
Lunch will be served at a restaurant which used to be a house of the local affluent family.
(Charter bus to Kyoto)
Accommodation in Kyoto (Mitsui Garden hotel, Kyoto Century or similar hotel)
Day 3 & 4: Kyoto:
Exploring UNESCO World Heritage sites in this ancient capital city with a licensed guide. Learn about the history where the Japanese started their rich culture. Private viewing of a well-visited temple. Also, have free time to explore your own Interests.
(Train to Tottori)
Accommodation in Kyoto (Mitsui Garden hotel, Kyoto Century or similar hotel)
Day 5: Yagami, Tottori:
Staying at a shukubo, a Buddhist temple established more than 400 years ago in the countryside of Tottori.
The temple is located in a rural area with many rice paddies. You will meet a local farmer and learn the process of Japanese rice making as you walk along the rice fields. You will also have an opportunity to meet local sculptor of Buddhist statues and explore the intricate process of the delicate artwork.
(Train to Takeda)
Accommodation at a Kotakuji temple in Yagami.
Day 5 & 7: Takeda, Hyogo:
Visiting Jokamachi (Castle Town) and staying in a remodeled Sake brewery. Enjoy exceptional meals with local ingredients, prepared by the chef with des Disciples et des Amis d’Auguste Escoffier.
Walk to the top of the castle town and take in lands where the 5 generations of feudal lords defended. Hiking to Takeda Castle ruin (a.k.a. Japanese Machu Picchu), meet locals and explore the area.
Accommodation in Takada Hotel EN
Day 8 – 10: Sanin National Park/Yuhigaura Hot Spring (Tango Peninsula):
Riding a local train through Sanin National Park towards Tango Peninsula.
Yuhigaura is known for its beautiful sunset over the Sea of Japan.
Visit Amano Hashidate, a sandbar covered with pine trees, considered as one of the three most scenic views in Japan.
Kumihama region used to be an “Ofuda-sho”, entry from one region to another, similar to the customs that we go through for international trips today. Because of the history, they still maintain the historical buildings that are open to visitors.
Accommodation at a ryokan
Options:
Tanba Pottery, bicycling and/or picking seasonal fruits, local craft…etc.
Day 11: Train to Kansai Airport
Accommodation near Kansai Airport
(Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport or similar hotel)
Day 12: Home bound or Jidai Matsuri extension

“It’s better to travel well than to arrive.”

– Gautama Buddha

Included:

• Meals: Daily breakfast and some dinners
• Lodging
• Ground transportation in Japan (trains and buses)
• Admissions (temple, castle…etc.)
• Pre-planned local activities/tours
• Guide

Not Included

• Airfare to and from Japan
• Alcohol beverages
• Personal purchases

Japan is a stunning harmony of movement and stillness.

From urban adventures to natural settings, Japanese culture honors the intersection of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

We invite you to experience and learn what is behind those beautiful photographs you see in books and magazines.
Discover the culture that is rooted deep inside the people of Japan.
Please email at kayoko@ippotravel.com or visit IppoTravel.com to sign up for the trip
Book Now