Why Lake West?
A quieter side of Kansai, next door to Kyoto.
Lake West Tourism begins on the western shore of Lake Biwa, in Shiga. We are close enough to Kyoto to reach it easily, and far enough from the crowds to let a journey slow down. The name says where we stand: west of the lake.
Within a short distance you find the lake itself, old temples and mountain paths, small inns, a working dojo, and a regional food culture that has never had to perform for anyone. This is the part of Japan that the Golden Route passes by — not because it lacks something, but because it asks for time rather than speed.
Japan is not only found in its landmarks. It is also found in the rhythm of a local town, the silence before practice, and the conversations that happen after dinner.
From the dojo to the journey.
Naoyuki Kishimoto
Founder & travel host · Sixth-Dan kendo practitioner and instructor
Naoyuki Kishimoto has spent a life in kendo, reaching sixth dan and teaching the practice. Before founding Lake West Tourism he worked in media — in broadcasting, production, and storytelling — learning how to find the story behind a place and the people who hold it together.
Those two threads are why this company exists. Kendo taught him that arriving with respect changes everything that follows. Media taught him that a place is only as interesting as the people you meet in it. A journey, designed well, can hold both.
- Founder of Lake West Tourism, based in Shiga
- Sixth-Dan kendo practitioner and instructor
- Certified General Travel Services Manager (総合旅行業務取扱管理者) — Japan’s national travel-operations qualification
- Former media professional — broadcasting, production, storytelling
Why kendo and travel belong together.
In the dojo you bow before you step onto the floor, before and after practice, to your teacher and to the person across from you. The bow is not a formality. It is a way of saying: I am a guest here, and I will treat this place and these people with care.
That is exactly how we think a journey should begin. Whether you have practised kendo for years or have never held a shinai, you can be shown the etiquette of the dojo with respect rather than as a performance — and the same attitude carries into every inn, kitchen, and conversation along the way.
What our tagline means.
“Begin with a bow” is not about choreography for visitors. It is about entering a place — a town, a temple, a family-run restaurant — as someone who has come to meet it, not to consume it.
It also shapes how we work as a company. We would rather arrange fewer journeys, carefully, than move people through Japan at volume. We say what we can do honestly, and we discuss the rest rather than promising it.
A small company, on purpose.
Being small is the point. It lets us stay close to the local rhythm, keep relationships with the people who host our guests, and design each journey around the travellers in it.
- Small-group and tailor-made journeys, paced thoughtfully
- Built on real relationships with inns, dojo, and local hosts
- Honest about what is confirmed and what needs discussion
- Open to working with overseas agencies, operators and local partners
Begin with a bow.
Tell us what draws you to Japan, and we will design the journey around it.