Akashi Travel | FAQ about private and photo tours to Japan

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who are these tours for?

A: Everyone

Our tours are not only for photographers, but also for those who are interested in discovering a different and very photogenic Japan out of the beaten track. Participants can be people whose only tool is a mobile phone’s camera or a compact camera. At the same time, participants can also be amateur photographers with a reflex camera and multiple lenses in search of good photographic opportunities to unleash their creativity. The tour is full of photo opportunities for amateur photographers, and full of awesome experiences for everyone.

Q: What kind of accomodation will we have?

A: Mid-High and High class and handpicked hotels

During our photo tour to Japan we will combine nights in ryokans, traditional Japanese style inn, and western hotels. Ryokan with tatami room, kaiseki food and thermal baths, offers a myriad of photographic opportunities, from the beauty of the dishes to the minimalist aesthetics of the rooms. Whether they are traditional Japanese inns or western hotels, they are all mid-high and high class accomodations with good reputations, and some of them are picked by the tour leaders from their experiences.

The rooms will be twin rooms (with two beds), so participants who come alone will share a room with another single participant. There might be some nights with a single room if twin rooms are not availble. If you wish to stay in a single room for the whole trip, you must pay a supplement. But single room might not be available in some of the accommodations.

Q: What kind of food will we eat?

A: Sophisticated Japanese cuisine and local food

Restaurants are carefully selected to enjoy the varieties of Japanese food from sophisticated kaisei to homemade local food. Not to be forced to eat the same things together, some of the meals are not included. If breakfast or lunch is not included, since we normally go to a restaurant together for breakfast or lunch, you just choose what you would like to eat and you pay for it. If dinner is not included, each person can choose a restaurant to dine. If you don’t want to look for a restaurant, you can also go to a restaurant where the tour leaders go, and you just pay for what you eat.

If anybody has allergy or food intolerance problems, or is a vegetarian, we will try to make the necessary changes in the menus when it is possible.

©Akashi Photos

Q: Who are the tour leaders?

A: Toru Morimoto & Tina Bagué

They are both professional photographers with more than 20 years of experience behind them. Both have been traveling Japan together since 2002. Their photo project, The Japan Photo Project, started in 2010 when they decided to leave everything behind in Spain and spend a whole year of their life (365 days) photographing Japan from the northernmost island of Japan (Hokkaido) to the tropical islands of Okinawa, with a motorhome. As a result of this road trip, they published their first co-authored book “Japan/日本“ and “Imperfect Utopia“..

The fact that Toru Morimoto is Japanese and has lived half of his life in Japan and the other half abroad, and that Tina Bagué is Spanish and has traveled countless times to Japan makes them the perfect couple to guide and lead a small group of photo lovers and people who want to travel out of the beaten track in Japan. They organize a unique and unforgettable trip full of top-notch photographic opportunities and wonderful experiences during this adventure.

Q: Why don’t the Akashi Travel tours last more days?

A: Because we want to allow time for people to explore Tokyo and / or Kyoto

Akashi Travel tours are designed to discover the most rural areas in Japan, far from the traditional routes. So, none of our tours devote days to cities like Tokyo or Kyoto. Precisely for this reason we try to schedule tours less than 9 days, so participants can extend their trip to spend a few days in Tokyo or Kyoto just before or after the tour.

Q: Do I need a travel insurence?

A: Yes

It is mandatory to have a travel insurance before embarking on the trip, in order to have any hospitalization expenses covered if necessary. It is mandatory to give us a copy of travel insurance before the trip.

FAQ