Why wak
WAK JAPAN was founded in order for the founder, Michi Ogawa’s strong will to promote grass-root level international exchange and to provide highly skilled housewives with opportunities to demonstrate their skills to this society.
- What Michi found most memorable in her few years overseas was chances to meet with local people rather than stunning views or gorgeous architectures.
- However, in the mid-90’s in Japan, there were not enough chances for housewives to demonstrate their abilities due to old-age and insufficient career experiences.
- It has been 12 years since the company was established, and now we see over 100 women are actively working for WAK JAPAN. We continue to provide these excellent housewives with chances to introduce Japanese culture to overseas visitors.
WAK JAPAN can most flexibly address a variety of our customers’ needs.
- You can visit Local residents’ traditional house which foreign travelers cannot normally access to. Professionals in tea ceremony and flower arrangement, etc. directly give you instructions. You will be able to experience contact with local people (Kyoto, Tokyo), too.
- We can offer a wide variety of programs: from a typical programs such as tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, to other not-very-common ones such as home-cooking, paper craft, Koto playing, sake-tasting, Taiko(drum) beating, and Kendo (Japanese fencing).
- Our short course programs take many customers (normally up to 10 people). It can be a good opportunity for customers from different parts of the world to share a program.
- By utlizing WAK JAPAN’s local network with places of historic interests, WAK JAPAN can arrange visits to temples/shrines which are not normally open to the public.
- WAK JAPAN continues to provide more interesting programs by encouraging many places which have been primarily for domestic visitors to open to foreigners as well.
Why WAK JAPAN can provide high quality cultural experiences?
Company Profile
| Company Name | WAK JAPAN Co. |
|---|---|
| Address | 761 Tenshucho, Takakura-dori, Nijo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan 604-0812 |
| Established | Established on May 02 1997 |
| Capital | Capital 5,0 million yen |
| Managing Director | Michi Ogawa （Message） |
| Business Contents | Introduction of cultural experiences, Arranging interpreter/translater, Publishing |
| Banks | Kyoto Bank, Kyoto Trust Depository, Mizuho Bank. |
| Membership | Kyoto Cultural Exchange Convention Bureau, Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kyoto Tourism Association, Kyoto International Tourism Promotion Board |
| Other | Michi Ogawa is Director of NPO Kyoto Culture Visit |
About Us
| 1998 | Introducing culture experiences at a local people’s homes was the 1st program to use people’s homes in travel business and drew attention from 1999 till now: Lectures on “How to explaining Japanese culture in English” has been held twice every year, and it is being held now as well. WAK JAPAN provide various kinds of lectures/seminars on English language and Japanese cultures for WAK’s instructors and attendants so that they can continuously improve their skills. |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Started getting inquiries on spouse programs. This allowed us to improve our skills to handle groups as well as increase the number of group programs we can handle. We are now able to arrange tea ceremony experience for 150 people and calligraphy experience for 150 people at the same time. |
| 2002 | Started special programs for VIPs and movie celebrities. |
| 2004 | Moved the office from my home to a room in a condominium in the city center. We opened a Japanese room inside the office for short experience courses for those wishing to enjoy cultural experiences in a casual manner. |
| 2006 | Started introducing culture experience at a Machiya (tradtional town house). A lot of Machiya are being taken over by high-rise building and disappear. I made this program as using Machiya as a venue would play an important role in the preservation of a beautiful landscape of Kyoto. |
| 2008 | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry designated WAK JAPAN as a honorable business model utilizing local resources. |
| 2009 | Moved the office to a new location in tradtional “Machiya”(Traditional wooden town house unique to Kyoto. Welknown for its beautiful lattice facade, and the narrow frontage with long depth, our Machiya can let clients enjoy “Culture Experience Short Program” in a more relax yet authentic tradtional atmosphere. |
We will continuously strive to offer absolute satisfaction to people having come to WAK all way from their home country.
