Community-Based Tourism, hosted by the people who live it
Updated: Oct 17
Community-based tourism brings visitors and local communities together, so that tourism directly supports the local economy.
©美山DMO
We, miit,inc., make it happen through people. We open the door to the individuals who shape their communities — craftspeople, cultural figures, athletes, students and business owners. Your guests meet them in person and learn first-hand how they live and work, and what they spend stays with the people who host them.
Who it's for
Travel companies, educational institutions and corporates.
When
All year round, on the dates that suit your group.
How
Every programme is tailor-made around your group's theme, size and goals.
Why us
Our roots are in Kansai. Years of working directly with its makers, business owners and local communities give us access few others can offer.
Community-based tourism, from the start
We don't resell experiences from a catalogue. Each programme is built with a local host — a thatcher, a swordsmith, a brewer, a monk — who decides how their work and their place are shared. They are paid fairly, groups stay small, and the visit happens on their terms. Our roots are in Kansai. Kyoto, Osaka and the villages around them are where our relationships are deepest, and where we can open doors that are usually closed to visitors. We also work alongside certified local businesses and Miyama, a Best Tourism Village recognised by UN Tourism.
One-day programmes:
A Private Welcome from our hosts
Start with one of these single-day programmes, where you know exactly who you will meet. Each one can be tailored or combined to suit your group. These are examples which we can offer to you. If there is a program or community-based tour you would like to arrange, please get in touch. We will reply by the end of the next day.
The thatched village, with a master thatcher
Walk through the thatched-roof village of Miyama with a local English-sepaking guide.
Miyama, Kyoto · 3 hours
Price:
1 pax ¥6,600~
©美山DMO
Inside a swordsmith's forge
A swordsmith welcomes you into the forge to show how a Japanese blade is made and what the craft demands.
Osaka· 3 hours
Price:
1 pax ¥37,000yen
2 pax ¥39,000yen
3 pax 51,000yen
4 pax 63,000yen
5 pax 75,000yen
including community guide(EN), local museum of old gun smith, craft studio visit, gifts from the craftsman
Tea kettles and tinware, with a 4th generation artisan
Tour the family's archive with the artisan whose family has made tea-ceremony kettles for generations, then craft your own piece in a tinware workshop.
Osaka · 4 hours
Price:
1 pax ¥65,000yen
2 pax ¥74,000yen
3 pax 82,800yen
4 pax 91,600yen
5 pax 100,400yen
including community guide(EN), local museum of tea kettles, admission of Japanese traditional house and craft studio, tin steel crafts workshop
At the koi farm, with a Nishikigoi breeder
Visit a breeder of Nishikigoi ornamental carp and see the ponds where some of the world's most prized koi are raised.
Niigata · 5 hours
Price:
1 group 120,000yen (Up to 6pax)
*Contact us for more participants.
including community guide(EN), local museum of Koi fish, studios part of Koi fish, admission to Koi farms, private car
Sumo training, up close
Watch wrestlers train at their practice ground, meet them afterwards and eat Chanko nabe with them.
Tokyo · 3 hours
Price:
1 pax 20,000yen
including community guide(EN), meal with Sumo wrestlers, admission to their practice room
Japanese society through Buddhism, with a local monk
Spend time with a monk at a local temple and discuss how Buddhist thought shapes everyday life and society in Japan.
Kyoto · 2 hours
1 pax 10,000yen
including community guide(EN), admission to a private temple, Meditation experience
Local economy and community, with students and young entrepreneurs
Exchange ideas with local students and young business founders, and see Japanese culture and community through the lens of the regional economy.
Osaka· 4 hours
1 group 200,000yen
including Presentation by business professionals, Venues, Networking etc
Beyond a day
Any of these programmes can become part of a longer journey. On request, we design multi-day tours across Japan around your group's theme, combining our Kansai hosts with stays in rural villages and partner regions elsewhere, with accommodation and transport arranged.
Who we work with
Travel companies
Add a ready-priced day with a named host to your Japan itineraries, or ask us to build a full themed tour.
Educational institutions
Give students direct conversations with makers, monks, entrepreneurs and village residents, built around your course objectives.
Corporates
Business tourism and team programmes that show how Japanese craft, family enterprise and local economies really work.
Who we are
miit, inc. is an Osaka-based company built on one idea: Exclusive Access to the inside of Japan. We create cultural experiences and business tourism programmes for travellers, educational institutions and corporates.
Why we can open these doors
We work directly with artisans and business owners across Kansai. These are relationships built over years of working together, not booking contacts — which is why our hosts welcome guests into places they rarely show to outsiders.
Why our community-based programmes run deep
Our team includes a specialist in community-based tourism who has practised it on the ground.
Waka Takamido,
Strategic Business Partner of miit
Waka studied town planning in England, then returned to her home town of Miyama, Kyoto, where she served as a board director of the local DMO. Her work there helped Miyama become one of Japan's first UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages in 2021. She later completed a master's degree in sustainable tourism in Scotland. Her network, built through this work, spans rural communities and tourism organisations in Japan and abroad, and she now develops our programmes with us.
All travel arrangements are handled through our licensed travel partner.
How to collaborate with miit
Get the details from miit
We will send an email to you within 1 day after confirming your inquiry.
Contents Planning & Pricing
Based on your requests, we plan the unique contents with the price.
Meet your local host in Japan
We will wait for your arrival in Japan and guide you to the inside of community.
Contact
Ready to step inside Japan? Whether it’s a single day with one of our hosts or a longer journey, just drop us a line. We will reply by the end of the next day.
To learn more about our Community-based tourism, please reach out directly:
Sakaguchi Takao, director, miit,inc.
Email: office@miit-info.com
About Miyama
Miyama is a rural village about 90 minutes north of Kyoto, where residents still live in thatched-roof houses and which was named one of UN Tourism’s Best Tourism Villages in 2021.
