John Hu
The most important part of my job is to listen to travelers and then make suggestions that can be included in their trip. This takes time but the results are worth it. I can then arrange a trip with an eye on every detail — from their room within a given hotel to the exact train route they take. I also carefully vent all of the activities and guides we include in our trip and then monitor them to ensure that the quality level is maintained. The goal is to maximize enjoyment with the limited amount of time the visitor has in Japan.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
" I specialize in many things: Japan's pristine nature locations, Food tour, Walking tour, Wine tasting tour, City sightseeing, Anime, Japanese Culture Experience. Whether you want to plan your family trip with your lovely kids, a honeymoon trip, or your wedding anniversary, I have the confidence to plan a satisfactory itinerary for you."
How did you get involved in travel?
"After graduating from China when I was 18, I went to Japan and studied at Nagoya Institute of Technology. I love traveling, exploring and discovering. I visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Takayama, Kanazawa, Hokkaido, Hiroshima, Okinawa, etc... during my college career.
I thoroughly enjoy the feeling of excitement and freedom when being in a new environment. Traveling has opened up my world up to things that I could not have imagined before it and has matured my world view.
The tipping point was when I was in Takayama and I saw a large tour group coming out of a bus, they looked so tired and disconnected! I knew there had to be a better way, and I have been in the travel industry ever since. So after leaving college, I joined Odynovo Tours in pursuit of my dream and became a professional tour customizer."
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"One of my fondest travel experiences was climbing to the top of Mt Fuji. I was living in Nagoya at the time so it was a long bus ride just to get there. From a distance, Mt Fuji is an amazingly majestic mountain, but up close it is a large pile of lava rocks! This was a bit disappointing, but the climb was worth it.
We starting the climb from the 5th station in the early afternoon and climbed until the 8th station were we had a very basic but also very good dinner. We then slept for a few hours before starting the climb to see the sunrise. Too bad it was raining and did not stop until we got above the clouds. Then, it was like being on the edge of the world as all I could see was clouds. The view from our mountain hut’s balcony was just cloud, it was otherworldly. We got to the top, enjoyed a beer (who carried the beer to the top?!) enjoyed the views and then headed back down. The path down was steep so we did not really walk down but did a kind of skip or like the men on the moon.
At the bottom, we had a very nice meal, took a hot spring bath and then headed back to Nagoya for the night. It was a long two days but completely worth it."
John's favorite itineraries and travel advice
Top itineraries and travel advice
Family itineraries
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Beautifully Curated Trip
Japan
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Oct 4 - Oct 18, 2023
