Musubi: Curating unique Japan experiences for sophisticated travellers

This is official key news from Les Clefs d’Or Japan.

Sumiyoshi-san, a president of Les Clefs d’Or Japan kindly sent me their Key News about Ibaraki Koga FAM trip. We had great feedback from everyone on the tour.

Especially on the 27th of March, chief concierge of The Peninsula Tokyo and I had a meeting about nominating Koga tour on their private program.

How could I guess Koga can be nominated as a program for The Peninsula Tokyo?  As all we know, Ibaraki is a prefecture known as the most unattractive destination to go, but we have been chosen.

Why?

To this question might have answers how we could promote the destination outside “Golden route” and create new inbound tourism.

Personally, I was more than happy to take my lovely guests to my hometown where I was born. It just feels so good to talk about my city and take them around. I never thought that I could have an opportunity being a professional guide as well as a travel agency to organize and operate the tour of Koga, Ibraki. I thank for everyone who created this tour and being involved for planning, organizing and participating together. The suppliers are very good friends of mine who always thought about their hometown and Ibaraki with love and appreciation. We all hope our guests could sense the feeling being part of us.

Thank you so much for your special attention and time to read all this.

Please do take care of yourselves and stay safe at wherever you are now.

With very best wishes,

Megumi Masuda

Founder of Musubi Ltd.

My dream came true on the happy Valentine’s Day 2020.

I have been a professional licensed tour escort and guide for more than 15 years but never been taking guests to my hometown, called Koga city in Ibaraki.

No one really knows about this city. Even people from the same prefecture sometime wonder Koga is located in Tochigi? or Saitama? Indeed, with the local transportation like train, we never get to our capital city, Mito, without taking route on the local line in other prefectures.

However, this Koga has been chosen as a city of Ibaraki FAM trip in last February by local authority, Ibaraki international tourism office.

Perhaps, people might think, why???

That is a good question to start when it comes to plan a new tour for inbound tourism which supposed to be very interesting, attractive and eye-catching, but always important to have passion and love for their own city from their own people together.

This is what I have learned as being a full time staff of an inbound travel agency as well as a frontline, being a professional guide.

I have been dreaming of welcoming chief concierges from five star luxury hotels from Tokyo. And it became true. The guests for the Koga FAM trip were members of Les Clefs d’Or Japan, including the president herself.

The reason why having the concierge to be the guests is important is because I know that they are the professionals who understand the best hospitality and services. They sense what guests truly want to see, do and experience. They are also frontlines like guides.

If we can make a tour that all the chief concierges would feel very happy, it might mean that we can be very sure that the level and quality of hospitality and services are good, and that tour could offer their guests enjoyable holidays.

I would like to write more about this FAM trip, perhaps on the next blog.

Thank you so much for your special attention and time to read all this.

Please do take care of yourselves and stay safe at wherever you are now.

With very best wishes,

Megumi Masuda

Founder of Musubi Ltd.

TSUKUBA – sample program03 –

Mt Tsukuba shrine & Hiking, Lucky hand-made balloon rice cracker tour
筑波山神社とハイキング＆奇跡の手作りふうせんせんべい作り見学＆体験ツアー

TSUKUBA – sample program02 –

Japanese mama’s lunch at traditional farmer’s house & Seasonal pickles making tour
古民家ランチは日本の母の味、絶品！新鮮野菜の手作りお漬け物作りツアー

TSUKUBA – sample program03 –

JAXA Space Center & Tsukuba modern and old architectures tour
JAXA 宇宙センター&つくば学園都市建築ツアー

KASAMA – sample program01 –

Kasama Inari shrine cycling tour
笠間稲荷神社サイクリングツアー

KASAMA – sample program02 –

Kasama ceramic & artist after chestnut forest and under shining stars tour
栗林の先で星空の下の陶芸作家さん＆笠間焼ツアー

TSUKUBA – sample program –

Farmer’s house stays
農家ステイ

YUKI – sample program –

UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, Silk weaving technique tour
UNESCO文化遺産登録　結城紬ツアー

NIIHARI – sample program –

“Yabusame” horseback archery tour
流鏑馬ツアー