About

Japan, planned by someone who knows it from the inside.

I'm Kumiko. I live in Japan, and I plan trips to Japan — personally, day by day, for travellers who want the country to feel easy, not overwhelming.

How Bento Kumiko began

I first shared Japan through food. In 2020 I opened Bento Kumiko in Valence, France, cooking authentic Japanese bento. Life brought us back to Japan, and the catering kitchen closed — but people kept asking me to plan their trips. That is how this became my work: first for family and friends, now for travellers who want a trip planned the way I plan for the people I love.

I have lived in Paris, Brussels and London, and travelled in several countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. I know what it feels like to arrive somewhere new, tired, with luggage, not speaking the language — and I plan for that. Hotels near the right station, journeys that make sense, honest budgets, and restaurants and makers worth travelling for.

Based in  Japan Speaks  Japanese (native) · English · French Lived in  Paris · Brussels · London

A travelling family

Planning for travellers, like one.

Behind Bento Kumiko is a family that travels. This site began as the place we shared our favourite places in Japan, and that is still at its heart: every restaurant, stay and artisan I recommend is somewhere I have been, loved, and would send my own family to. No paid placements, ever.

Travelling as a family teaches you what really matters on a trip: short walks from the station, rooms that work, days that are not overloaded, good food without stress. I bring that care to every trip I plan.

And it is not only for families. Whether you travel as a couple, on your own, with friends or with your family, my goal is the same: to help you have the best possible trip to Japan.

What I do — and what I don't do

A planner, not a booking agent.

I plan your whole Japan trip, and I deliver it as a travel book to read and get excited about, plus an app you follow day by day while you travel: routes with Google Maps links, stays, transport, costs, and where you sleep each night.

Stays

I search and propose the best hotel for each place, balancing location, price and convenience. I don't make the booking — you book directly, so you stay in control and pay the hotel, not a middleman.

Transport

I plan all of it, from taxi and bus to train, and I tell you exactly which pass and which type of ticket to buy, for efficiency and cost. You buy the tickets; I make sure you buy the right ones.

Budget

You get a costed day-by-day budget, so there are no surprises—like my illustrative historic 15-day sample: ¥233,255 for 2 people at the time—about $1,480 in total (roughly $740 each). This is an example, not a current quote.

The details

The things that make a trip work: luggage forwarding where it helps, so you can travel light, and station-to-hotel directions spelled out clearly for every stay.

Not booking

I don't book or pay for your hotels, transport or activities — my proposals are based only on what is best for your trip.

Price: being finalised. Enquire and I'll confirm the price for your trip before we start.

How working with me goes

Five steps, two rounds of your feedback.

  1. 1

    You enquire

    Through the enquiry form, answering a few questions about your trip.

  2. 2

    A call, only if it's needed Optional

    If you'd like to talk your trip through, we'll have a call — and I may suggest one if I need to clarify something. If not, we skip it and I start planning straight from your form answers.

  3. 3

    First draft

    I build your itinerary and send you a first draft. You give your feedback.

  4. 4

    Second draft

    I revise it, and you give your final feedback.

  5. 5

    Delivery

    The third version is your final trip: your travel book and your app, ready to follow day by day.

See the work first

Look at a real trip I planned.

The 15-day travel book Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Okayama, Shirahama, Tokyo—with an illustrative historic ¥233,255 costed budget for 2 people (about $1,480 in total at the time; not a current quote). Read the travel book → The daily itinerary The same trip in the form my guests follow each day on the ground. See the daily itinerary → All my Japan maps My public maps and collections — the places I love, personally visited. Browse my maps →

What guests said

In their words.

There was a lot of thought and planning that was put into this and we truly appreciated this… All in all, a very good experience that we can't stop talking about.”

— Everyln & Fabiola, guests on a 15-day Japan trip planned by Kumiko

One honest lesson, now in every trip I plan

In Kyoto, my guests found getting from the station to their hotel confusing, having assumed it was by the main station. So station-to-hotel directions are now unmissable in every trip I plan.

Read more from my guests →

Languages

English and French — Japanese is my mother tongue.

I work in English and French, and Japanese is my native language. For now, this site and my first clients are English-speaking — French-speaking travellers are very welcome too.

Favourite places: the places on this site are still the heart of Bento Kumiko — my Japan, personally visited. Browse by city on the Blog: Kumamoto · Kyoto · Osaka · Nagano. Japan only.

Ready when you are.

Tell me about the trip you dream of, and I'll reply personally. Price confirmed for your trip before we start — no pressure, no obligation.

Plan my Japan trip → Enquire