About Us
Hi,
I’m Mariko Watanabe-Harumi, owner of Community Travel Service LLC. Let me introduce myself and my company.
I was born and raised in Japan. I moved to the U.S. in 1975, and founded Community Travel Service in 1982. In the early 90’s, when I hit the age of 40, I wanted to work that was more meaningful than booking air tickets, cars and hotels. Thus was born my dream of creating unique Japan tours.
In Japan, I worked for a large travel agency as an English-speaking tour guide. I escorted visitors from overseas to the standard tourist attractions. Guests stayed in large chain hotels, dined in banquet rooms, took chartered buses on whirlwind tours of famous temples and shrines. At the end of the tour, I would send them on their way with a deep bow, but in my heart I was longing to introduce them to the real Japan. I wished they could visit non-touristy venues, meet Japanese people in their everyday lives and learn about their arts, culture and traditions.
Thirty years later, I was ready to launch my plan. Where to start? I contacted travel agencies in Japan to see if they could develop alternative tours different from usual cookie-cutter sightseeing courses. It turned out that they simply did not grasp what I was looking for. I did extensive reading of travel literature and guidebooks, but these were not much help either. I concluded that I needed to set out on scouting trip myself to find the “real” Japan. My first such trip was taken in the fall of 1993.
The idea of a scouting trip sounds romantic and exciting, but in reality it can lead quickly to disillusionment. I experienced days of disappointment and often felt like I couldn’t find a clue. Other days, however, I would unexpectedly discover a hidden jewel of a village and encounter wonderful local people. Scouting trips is like a treasure hunt; it takes a lot of patience and luck.
In 1994, I started my dream tours. We traveled with a small group of 8 - 12 people. We stayed in a family-owned inn, mingled with local people in trains, buses and small restaurants. We hiked a hill to get to a temple deep in the mountains, went fishing with locals, and enjoyed a sashimi dinner party with the fish we caught. We also enjoyed fireworks with townfolk till late night. We visited farms, nursery schools and senior houses, and arts and crafts persons in their workshops. Our visits were often featured in local papers, radio and TV news, because we were such unusual visitors in the little village or town which receives few guests from overseas.
In 1998, I took a long break to go to school. In 2003, I started organizing Japan tours again with the same principle and same philosophy as before. After many scouting trips, I created the itineraries of our Kyushu, Shikoku, and Japan Sea tours. We also added a new program: Independent Japan Travel Service. I enjoy very much introducing our unique Japan tours and travel styles to people who are looking for real Japan experiences.
I hope you can join us!
Mariko Watanabe-Harumi
Owner
Community Travel Service, LLC
