Bento Kumiko · Japan only

Japan, planned personally.

I'm Kumiko. I live in Japan, and I plan trips the way I've planned them for family and friends for years — carefully, day by day. Tell me what you love, and I'll build you an itinerary you can actually follow: where to stay, how to get there, what it will cost, and what not to miss.

Plan my Japan trip See a sample trip

● Personal planning, not packages. Every place I recommend is one I know and love — no paid placements, ever.

A tunnel of vermilion torii gates at Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto

KumikoYour planner, in Japan

Planned in Japan · I plan, you book directly · Every place personally visited · English & French

About 久美子

Japan, from the inside.

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.

I have lived in Paris, Brussels and London, and travelled in many countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. I know what it feels like to arrive somewhere new, tired, with luggage — so I plan for that: hotels near the right station, journeys that make sense, honest budgets. We're a travelling family, and that care goes into every trip I plan — for couples, friends, solo travellers and families alike.

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

Tell me about your trip →

What I can do for you お手伝い

One service, done properly.

A custom Japan itinerary — planned by me, delivered as a travel book and an app you follow day by day. I plan, you book directly: you stay in control, and pay the hotel, not a middleman.

A plan that fits you

No set tours. Your route is built around your dates, pace, interests and budget — whether that's 5 days in Kyoto or 15 days across Japan.

The details, worked out

I research where you should stay and propose the best locations for price and convenience — you book directly. And I plan all your transport, from taxi and bus to train, telling you exactly which pass and which type of ticket to buy, for efficiency and cost. Plus luggage forwarding, so you can travel light, and a realistic day-by-day budget.

A travel book — and an app

You receive your trip as a travel book to read and get excited about, and as an app you follow day by day on the ground: routes, times, Google Maps links, costs, and where you sleep that night.

A shinkansen bullet train waiting at a station platform in Japan — Every journey planned — which train, which pass, which ticket. You just enjoy the ride.

Price: being finalised — enquire and I'll confirm the price for your trip before we start. No surprises.

How it works 流れ

From first message to final trip.

Two rounds of your feedback are built in, so the trip is exactly right before you travel.

1

You enquire

You send the enquiry form, answering a few questions about your trip: dates, who's coming, what you love, your rough budget.
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

First draft

I build your itinerary — route, stays, transport, budget — and send you a first draft. You give your feedback.
4

Second draft

I revise it, and you give your final feedback — the last round of changes.
5

Delivery

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

Sample trip 見本

See exactly what you'd get.

A real trip I planned: 15 days in Japan, for 2 people — planned day by day, with routes and Google Maps links, carefully located stays, travel passes, and a full costed budget.

Osaka大阪 Kyoto京都 Hiroshima広島 Okayama岡山 Shirahama白浜 Tokyo東京

Sunrise light falling on the path through the Arashiyama bamboo grove in Kyoto

The great vermilion torii gate standing in the sea at Itsukushima shrine, near Hiroshima

¥233,255 For 2 people at the time—about $1,480 in total for the whole 15-day trip (roughly $740 each). Illustrative historic cost only—stays, transport, food and visits were worked out day by day. This is not a current quote.

Read the travel book See the daily itinerary Browse all my Japan maps

The travel book is for reading and dreaming. The daily itinerary is the same trip in the form guests follow each day on the ground.

Testimonials 声

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 the 15-day Japan trip above, planned by Kumiko

Hotels thoughtfully chosen for location — one very close to the station in Osaka, one near the Disney parks with airport buses and a small kitchen.
A beautiful Airbnb they'd never have found alone.
A spending estimate of around £100 a day (excluding flights) that proved workable.
Learning they could forward their suitcases ahead — “travel light” became their biggest lesson.

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 my itineraries now make station-to-hotel directions unmissable — for every stay, every time.

Pour notre premier voyage au Japon, nous pensions à un séjour court, fort en souvenirs. Les enfants voulaient de l'aventure, les parents voulaient découvrir les uniques attraits de la culture Japonaise. Kumiko nous a préparé soigneusement une sélection d'hotels, de restaurants ainsi que les sites principaux à visiter. On a découvert un excellent restaurant basque, on s'est amusé à Universal Studios Japan, et on a aimé les hotels qu'ils ont choisi, et plus. Je recommande!

Heri R. · Canada Travelled with his wife and their 2 kids

Their words are on their way — this space is saved for them.

Ready to plan your Japan trip?

Tell me when you're thinking of coming and what you dream of seeing. I'll reply personally — no pressure, and no obligation. If you'd like a call to talk it through, we can have one — it's entirely optional.

If the form does not load, open the enquiry form directly on Tally.

Price is confirmed for your trip before we start — it's being finalised, and nothing is ever booked without you. I work in English and French; Japanese is my native language.

Something special 特別な時間

A touch of the beautiful, when it counts.

I love beautiful things — a quiet tea room, a lovely garden, a hotel bar with a view. From time to time, my family and I treat ourselves to a very nice place, and I love helping my guests do the same.

This is not a luxury trip. Most days stay simple and sensible, and your budget stays honest. We just choose one or two moments to make special — and plan the rest around them, so they fit comfortably inside the budget we agree together.

An afternoon tea in a beautiful Kyoto hotel
One special night in a ryokan or a hotel you'll remember
A small, beautiful pause — a tea house, a garden, a view — in the middle of an ordinary day

It's always your choice. If you'd like a moment like this in your trip, tell me — and if not, we simply don't add one.