Japan Experience in the media
Newspapers and Magazines
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They're talking about us!
For over 40 years, Japan Experience has been setting the standard for tourism in Japan and promoting Japanese culture in Europe. We are regularly called upon by the French and international media for our expertise, our analysis of tourism in Japan and our in-depth knowledge of the country - travel trends, market news and travelers' expectations.
In this section, you'll find the latest articles and reports that mention us.
Press contact
For information, interviews or media partnerships, please contact us at: collaboration@japan-experience.com
Our key figures
Japan Experience is :
- Over 40 years of expertise
- 7 offices in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, Milan, Tokyo and Kyoto
- A team of around one hundred enthusiasts
- Over 300,000 travellers a year
- Over 450,000 subscribers to our newsletter
- A community of over 550,000 followers on our social networks
Our director, Thierry Maincent
Passionate about Japanese culture for over 30 years, Thierry Maincent is the founder of two ambitious projects: Japan Experience, a travel agency specializing in Japan, which he will acquire in 2019, and Irasshai, an 800 m² Parisian concept store dedicated to Japanese gastronomy and the art of living.
It all began during an internship at JCB in Tokyo, where our director experienced a "culture shock" worthy of Stupeur et Tremblings. Love at first sight for the archipelago was immediate. He returned via his national service, then launched his career in France, before devoting himself fully to Japan. Today, he travels there several times a year, cleverly combining work and personal exploration.
Thierry Maincent
@Les Echos
Our latest appearances
News
Japan Experience
In French
- Takeover of Japan Experience: the Marietton empire extends to the Rising Sun, Mister Travel, December 24, 2025
- Marietton Développement acquires Japan Experience, L'Echo Touristique, December 23, 2025
- Japan Experience changes scale and steps up its B2B game, TourMag, December 15, 2025
- Avoid cherry blossom at all costs: are there (really) cheaper times to travel to Japan?, Le Figaro Voyage, December 1, 2025
- 19,000 € tickets: Japan's prestigious luxury train opens a quota for foreign travelers, Le Figaro Voyage, November 3, 2025
- Japan Experience and Irasshai: from Tokyo to Paris, Thierry Maincent's entrepreneurial journey, Les Echos, October 23, 2025
- Japan: hot springs dried up because of prudish tourists? Autopsy of gaijin bashing, Le Figaro Voyage, April 14, 2025
- Tourist tax hike in Kyoto: combating overtourism in Japan or a political measure?, France 24, January 17, 2025
- Preview: Le Figaro climbs aboard the Mizukaze, Japan's luxury train and rolling palace, Le Figaro Voyage, November 24, 2024
- From Ishikawa to Fukui, a journey to discover a Japan untouched by modernity, Le Figaro Voyage, June 26, 2024
- With Komon, Japan Experience goes into publishing, TourMag, September 27, 2022
In English
Travelers in Two Minds About JR Rail Pass Price Increase, Tokyo Weekender, May 19 2023
Mount Fuji
@Tommy Silver on Unsplash
Irasshai
Irasshai: two entrepreneurs treat Paris to Japanese cuisine, Big Media, July 8, 2025
Paris: IRASSHAI, the Japanese concept store welcomes chefs in residence, Le Parisien, January 22, 2024
IRASSHAi, the place to be for lovers of Japanese cuisine, France Bleu, September 27, 2023
This unusual 800 m2 venue near the Louvre is the new rendezvous for Japan lovers, Paris Zig Zag, December 15, 2024
Irasshai
@Japan Experience
Magazines
In French
- Voyage Voyage, The Four Seasons of Japan, issue 18
- Kometa, If Japan were the center of the world, Issue 7
- Zoom japon
- Voyages et Découvertes Japon n°1
In English
- National Geographics
Books
- Guide Bleu Japon, Coll. Hachette, 2025
- Le Japon Autrement, Aimie Eliot, Gallimard, 2025
- Guide Petaouchnok Japon, Coll. Hachette, 2025
- En train au Japon, Aimie Eliot, Gallimard, 2024
- Guide Kotchi Kotchi, ed. Issekinicho, 2023
Television
- terminal F'' immersed in Japan, le Figaro Live, March 5, 2021
- Le journal de l'économie, companies, TV5 Monde, November 1, 2019
- Japanese cherry trees: a five-billion-euro market, TF1, April 13, 2019
Le Figaro Voyage
@Japan Experience
To find out more about Japan Experience, visit our About Us page.