Founder Megumi Masuda Interviewed by Toyo Keizai Online 

On September 23, 2026, Musubi's founder Megumi Masuda was featured in an interview article on Toyo Keizai Online, one of Japan's leading business media outlets.

≫ Read the article (in Japanese): Toyo Keizai Online

Article Overview

In this article, Masuda draws on her extensive experience as a licensed interpreter guide, having served royalty and global business leaders visiting Japan for over 20 years. She discusses the value that discerning travelers seek and the professionalism required to deliver it.

Key themes covered in the article:

• Decision-making under pressure in VVIP settings

Responding to last-minute requests not with "no," but with alternatives

• Crisis management in the field

Ensuring the safety of a group of over 30 French VIPs during the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011

• What affluent travelers truly seek

Not staged tourism experiences, but genuine encounters with local life and the people who live it

Behind the Article — What Musubi Does

The second half of the article touches on "developing local capacity to welcome travelers" — which is at the core of Musubi's current work.

Over 20 years on the front lines of interpreting, guiding, and travel coordination, Masuda came to a clear realization: the quality of luxury travel is determined not by where you go, but by who welcomes you.

No matter how rich the tourism resources, without a well-prepared local ecosystem — guides, accommodations, restaurants, experience providers — it is impossible to sustain high-quality travel experiences over time.

Musubi channels its VVIP field expertise into three pillars:

1. Building the Capacity to Host / Strengthening DMC Functions

We work with local governments, DMOs, and tourism operators to design systems that enable communities to welcome travelers on their own terms. Our work in Koga City, Ibaraki was featured as the only luxury-focused case in the Japan Tourism Agency's "Attractive Stay Content Development" demonstration project.

→ See our Case Studies for details.

2. Cultivating Guides / Training Local Operators

We provide training for interpreter guides and local tourism professionals, systematically teaching the field judgment described in the article — the ability to read situations and offer alternatives. Rather than focusing solely on language skills or knowledge, our training is built around the concept of "Guideability": creating meaningful dialogue between travelers and local people.

3. Hospitality Advisory for Local Partners

For operators exploring high-value inbound tourism, we offer hands-on advisory services covering everything from experience content design to hospitality flow optimization.

→ See our Services page for details.

Academic Initiatives

In July 2026, Masuda presented at the Asia Pacific Tourism Association (APTA) Conference in Fukuoka, framing the structure through which communities preserve culture while welcoming travelers as "Guideability." This ongoing effort aims to systematize over 20 years of field experience into academic knowledge, shared with researchers and practitioners worldwide.

→ See our APTA arcticle for details.

Contact

For inquiries about building local hospitality infrastructure, designing experience content, or training for guides and tourism operators, please reach out through our contact form.

Megumi Masuda
— Founder & CEO, Musubi Co., Ltd.

Nationally licensed guide-interpreter (Japanese national qualification) with over 20 years as a through-guide and travel company operator, and more than 1,000 tours designed and delivered.
Based in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, working in long-standing partnerships with local artisans, brewers, and cultural custodians.

Developer of the original frameworks "Guideability" and "Local Inclusion Design," presented at the APTA 2026 international conference.
Specializes in regional hosting capacity, DMC development, and guide trainings.

A trusted partner directly sought out by concierges at Tokyo's luxury five-star hotels, Masuda is a true pioneer in redirecting high-value international tourism toward regional Japan.
From organizing and operating the Japanese tour for a prestigious British classic car rally to curating bespoke regional journeys, she has consistently bridged the gap between urban luxury travel and authentic local experiences.

APTA 2026 Presenter
Originator of Guideability
Relational Luxury Practitioner