Our people at InsideJapan Tours

At Inside Japan we think it is important to provide a fun, flexible workplace which helps all of our staff to develop.

We pride ourselves on offering all our staff opportunities to develop their skills. To help with this goal every member of our team has a Personal Development Plan. In their personal development plans they are able to choose the areas they would like to improve. They are then helped by their line manager to improve these skill sets.

Learn a little more about our work culture below and feel free to go to Inside Asia tours to learn more about our staff development plans across all our destination brands of Inside Japan, Inside Vietnam and Inside Burma, as well as our office culture around the world.

Investing in our people example

Staff development

At Inside Japan Tours we are dedicated to encouraging and aiding our staff's development. As part of this we have Personal Development Plans in place for all of our team. They select which of their skill sets they would like to develop, and are then supported in improving their chosen skills through training or peer-to-peer learning.

We are also keen to encourage staff development through external training. Our group tours ground manager, Tyler, made the most of this opportunity and studied for his Domestic Tour Conductors license. Below you can read a little about Tyler's experience.

"Studying for my Domestic Tour Conductors License was a really interesting experience. It gave me a sense of what my native counterparts are doing, and helped to improve my understanding of the local perspective on the travel industry.

The course mainly focused on Japanese travel law, with an emphasis on best practice for tour leaders while on the road. It was great to learn a little more about these subjects, but for me the main challenge was that the whole course, the exam and the 300 page textbook were all in Japanese.

Inside Japan covered the cost of the course, and gave me the time off to attend the classes and final exam, which I'm pleased to say I passed. I think the most interesting aspect of the course was seeing the Japanese approach to problems and comparing their responses to what mine might have been. It was a really good opportunity to share ideas and learn from each other.

We're hoping that in future more of our tour leaders will take on the challenge and get their licenses too."

As well as developing their skills, we want our staff to enjoy their time at work. To facilitate this we have a flexible working scheme, allowing our staff to apply to alter their standard working hours so where possible they can better fit them around their out of work commitments.

Our offices

UK Office

It is not all work at Inside Japan Tours, we also like to get together for some fun outside of work hours. Our Bristol office organise regular socials. Whether it is competing in teams in a treasure hunt around the city, or singing themselves hoarse at karaoke it is always a fun evening.

USA Office

As our America office is in Broomfield Colorado and so close to the Rocky Mountains they prefer to escape for a night or two together in a cabin in the woods, taking the opportunity to hike in the mountains and relax playing cards in front of a fire.

Japan Office

Our Japan office sponsor a local paddy field in Asuka Village, south of Kyoto. This means that twice a year members of the team get to spend a weekend away from supporting our customers on the ground, and instead work in the paddy, either planting or harvesting the rice.

As well as a fun weekend for our staff, it is a practical way for Inside Japan Tours to support this traditional rice growing method. Rice cultivation in paddy fields is fast dying out in Japan, with 1 million of the 2.5 million hectares of paddies lying fallow as more cost effective technical cultivation methods grow in popularity.

By sponsoring the paddy field we hope to play a part in supporting the farmers, and keeping the traditions of paddy farming alive.

Australia Office

Our Australia office is located in the sunny city of Brisbane, so the team there take any opportunity to make the most of the sunshine. So whether it's having a pre-Christmas barbecue, or drinks after work the team often get together outside of the office and make the most of Queensland's sub-tropical climate.