Luxurique’s president and CEO, Naomi Mano, explained the aims of the business in a video interview with Kyodo News, the Japan-based news agency, in September.
Mano discussed her passion for sharing Japan’s culture and natural attractions with foreign clients and meeting the demands of discerning visitors.
She also offered an insight into the challenges and rewards of establishing relationships within some of Japan’s more traditional and rarefied worlds, such as the arts or artisanal crafts, in order to open them up to enthusiasts from abroad.
“It must be someone who shares the same level of passion to their art.,” Mano said. “Once the artisan realizes there are global people that appreciate their art, then they feel more comfortable to open up.”
With the world in the midst of a pandemic, Mano said the suspension of travel offered Japan an opportunity to reevaluate its approach to tourism and focus on the “pricelessness” of authentic, cultural experiences.
“Japan has got so much to offer, but Japan has to open up,” she said. “That’s what we can help build.”