A well-planned Japan day, without the logistics taking over.
I plan small-group days around your dates, pace, and constraints. For an onsen visit, I choose a suitable available fit, confirm its current tattoo policy in writing, and guide you from the station through the visit.
Choose a short onsen visit, a full day beyond Tokyo, or a night built around the group. You handle direct bookings; I handle the route, calls, language, and handoffs.
Start with the experience that fits your day.
A tattoo-friendly onsen, and the rest of your day still yours.
A 2–3-hour, tattoo-friendly bath around Tokyo, scheduled around when the bath is actually open. I choose the venue, confirm its current tattoo policy in writing, and guide you from the station to the changing room. The rest of your day stays yours.
Transport, entry, food, drinks, and venue charges stay separate and are paid directly by you.
Venue, policy, etiquette, and a fallback if the bath cannot take the group.
Hosted visit, policy in writing, etiquette, language help, and a fallback.
Travel to the meeting point, bath entry, towels, food, and drinks.
More of what this can look like
- Meet near the bath and review the plan
- Walk in with etiquette explained before the door
- Take roughly 1–2 hours in the bath
- Debrief with a short walk nearby, or a drink after the bath
- A first onsen without a full-day commitment
- Tattooed guests who want the policy settled before they go
- Travelers with a few hours free in Tokyo
- Couples and small groups who prefer a calm pace
More ways to explore Japan.
Take the same practical planning into a full day outside Tokyo or a full evening in one walkable neighborhood.
Day trips outside Tokyo
A full day beyond Tokyo: local trains, a walkable route, and a rain plan. I handle the platform changes and the timing.
Transport, entry, food, drinks, and venue charges stay separate and are paid directly by you.
Trains, platform changes, last-train margin, lunch stop, and a rain route.
Planning call, written route, calls ahead in Japanese, and on-the-day support.
Train fares, meals, entry fees, and personal purchases.
More of what this can look like
- Chichibu & Nagatoro river gorge
- Okutama, Hatonosu gorge & Mt. Mitake
- Sawara canal town, Chiba
- Misaki · Jōgashima, Miura peninsula
- Nikkō, Kamakura, Ashikaga
- Second or third visits, once the famous list is done
- People who’d rather walk than queue
- Small families and groups of friends
Group nights in Tokyo
A planned night for groups: food, nearby venues, and a clear way home. I check venue requirements before you arrive.
Transport, entry, food, drinks, and venue charges stay separate and are paid directly by you.
Doors, dress codes, group rates, taxis, guest lists, and the last train.
Planning call, venue inquiries, translation, taxi routing, and a written way home.
Food, drinks, cover charges, taxis, and personal purchases.
More of what this can look like
- Yakiniku or izakaya first, with private-room options checked for your group
- Three or four rooms in one neighborhood: standing bar, dive, karaoke, club
- Club and lounge options checked ahead, including table or guest-list requirements where relevant
- Taxis flagged between stops, so nobody negotiates with a driver at 2am
- Onsen recovery the next morning, for whoever is still speaking
- I keep you away from touts, clip joints, and surprise cover charges
- I check tattoos and dress codes with each door before we walk to it
- The route avoids touts, surprise cover charges, and venues that do not suit the group
- Everyone gets home: last train times, and hotel names written in Japanese for the driver
Tell me what matters. I’ll handle the route.
The steps below describe the 2–3-hour onsen visit. Day trips and evenings get their own planning call after you inquire.
Send your dates, group size, tattoo situation, and any mobility or pace needs. Rough dates are enough to begin.
I find a suitable available fit, confirm the current tattoo policy in writing, call ahead to confirm the visit, and keep a fallback ready. You book and pay the bath directly.
We meet at the agreed station or landmark, walk in with the etiquette explained, and take the visit at a calm pace.
The 2–3-hour onsen visit starts at ¥26,000 per group. Full-day onsen routes start at ¥46,000; day trips start at ¥52,000; evenings start at ¥52,000. I confirm the final fee after your inquiry, once the date, route, and group needs are clear. I explain the change and cancellation terms before I take payment.
I’m a local companion and interpreter. You book and pay for your own train tickets and accommodation; I can recommend an inn and call venues in Japanese, but I do not book rooms, tickets, or accommodation for you. You’re paying for the planning, language support, and someone beside you on the day.
Tattoos, etiquette, and what to bring.
These answers are for the 2–3-hour onsen visit. Day trips and evenings get route-specific questions after you inquire.
Will my tattoos be a problem?
I contact each bath before your date and confirm in writing what they allow: full ink, partial, cover stickers, or private baths only. If a place won’t take us, we choose another. Bring cover patches for small pieces; I carry spares.
I’ve never been to an onsen. Is it awkward?
I walk you through it outside before we go in: shoes off, clothes in a basket, wash seated before entering, small towel out of the water, long hair tied up, and no phones. Baths are usually separated by gender; private baths are available if you prefer. Most bathers are focused on their own visit.
What should I bring?
Bring cash, a charged IC card, a small towel or coins to rent one, a change of underwear, hair ties, and shoes you can walk five kilometers in. Skip the swimsuit. In winter, bring a coat you can carry.
Do I need Japanese? Do you speak it?
You do not need Japanese for the route. I confirm details in writing, show you which counter or machine to use, and say when a venue needs another check.
Can we drink?
On day trips, yes, within reason. A cold beer on the train home is close to tradition. Skip it before or between baths, though: hot water plus alcohol is how people faint, and I would rather you didn’t. On evenings out it is the entire point, and I plan for it.
What if it rains, or a place closes?
Every route has a wet-weather version written into it before we go. Onsen are excellent in rain. If a facility closes unexpectedly, rerouting is my job, and I explain any direct-cost changes before we proceed.
Can you take kids, or someone with limited mobility?
Often, yes. Tell me on the form and I’ll build around it. Some gorge walks and older ryokan aren’t step-free, and some baths have age rules; the honest answer depends on the destination. I’d rather change the route than make someone struggle.
How far ahead should I inquire, and can I change dates?
Two to three weeks is comfortable; four to six in cherry blossom, Golden Week, autumn color and New Year. Ask as soon as you know your dates. I confirm the change and cancellation terms before I take payment.
Where do we meet?
For the 2–3-hour Tokyo onsen visit, we meet at a station or landmark near the confirmed bath. For the longer onsen routes and day trips, we start from Shinjuku, Tokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro or Asakusa depending on the destination. I send a photo of the exact meeting point, because "the west exit" is not a place.
Tell me what kind of day you want.
Send rough dates, group size, and what you have in mind. I’ll reply with a suitable experience, the current venue details where relevant, and a quote. You make direct bookings yourself; I do not book rooms, tickets, or accommodation for you.
I plan for the details that make a day feel easy.
The fee covers planning, calls, route changes, and the time it takes to make a day feel unhurried. I love showing people the river valley, neighborhood bath, small restaurant, or train platform they might otherwise miss. I check current answers with venues and say when something needs another confirmation.
A confirmed venue, a clear route, and the context you need before you walk through the door.