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Arigato Japan Food Tours becomes Arigato Travel 

More services and experiences for inbound tourists in Japan.

TOKYO, JAPAN – During the last three years, the team at Arigato Japan has expanded its portfolio, services and projects in addition to its culinary experiences. That’s why they’ve decided to create a more global brand to capture their passion for sharing the best of Japan with the world, and they are proud to officially announce their new name “Arigato Travel“. 

Of course, their specialty and origin story remain focused on culinary-inspired experiences and activities and they love to use food as a gateway to introduce to their guests how amazing Japan is. In addition to their regular gastronomy tours, they have been providing unique custom and personalized experiences related to history, artisan activities and regional culture in locations around the country. They also can provide custom luxury tours and experiences for high-net-value clients who have different requirements and expectations.

In addition to that, they also offer team-building events, corporate tours and activities, professional guide training, content and media support, consulting programs for Prefectures all over Japan, support for travelers and so much more! A bit of everything supporting inbound travel to Japan. 

A new mascot, Umachan
“Working in Arigato Travel has been a pleasant, huge, and interesting adventure. I came from Mexico seven years ago with some knowledge of Japanese culture, but practically zero experience with Japanese cuisine. I have learned so much from the Arigato Travel Team, and in response to that, I put my heart into everything I do for them and with them.” says its creator Alexandro Renee. “Being a tour guide is a passion that I really enjoy and training other guides makes me deeply happy, but creating, designing, and doing any kind of art is what I truly love and it brings purpose to my life. That’s why, as soon as I noticed that Arigato Japan Food Tours (at the time it was before the Arigato Travel rebrand) didn’t have a mascot, I insisted that we needed one.

“In the beginning, the company was completely focused on food, so of course, the first ideas I had were different cute characters based on the most popular and traditional Japanese dishes like sushi or ramen. They are very well known around the world thanks to movies, anime, manga, and more so they would be instantly recognizable, as well as representative of what we do.

But then I realized that it was not just about food, I wanted to create a mascot that could best represent the heart of Arigato Japan, based on their logo and its colors, as well as the happiness, kindness, and passion we as guides are always sharing with all of our guests. We are always looking to create unforgettable and delicious memories for them. 

I already had the elements in mind that I would add to the mascot–The torii gate, the gray, white, and red colors from the logo, and the clothing. But I still needed the most important part–the face and body. Should it still be a Japanese dish? A representative Japanese animal? A person? A Shintoist god or yokai (Japanese mythological creatures)? Or something totally new?

Finally, during one of our work trips the CEO of Arigato Travel, Anne Kyle, brought her son Gabriel and daughter Bella. Then everything instantly became clear. I pictured Gabe’s energy and nice hairstyle mixed with the super cute face and smile of Bella. So the 2nd idea was formed in my mind. I really liked this idea. It was cute, made me smile just by seeing it, and already had some of the important elements I wanted it to have. But… I was not completely pleased with it yet. It was very conventional and still needed the Yuru Kyara touch.
In Japan, “Yuru Kyara” (Japanese Mascots) is really a big thing. Each region in the country has its own (it is estimated that there are around 1,200 local area characters), without even mentioning the countless product and corporate mascots. They are so popular and such a huge part of modern Japanese culture that even different governmental offices have one, and maybe one of their most common characteristics is that they are dressed in unique clothes and wear funny or striking hats. During a visit to Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, I saw a mascot with an Edo Period Castle as a hat, then I thought “That’s it! I’ll use the torii gate as a hat.” That was the final Yuru Kyara touch I was looking for. Thus, the third idea was born.”

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Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.

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