1. Introduction and Commitment

SHINN JAPAN Inc. is a Tokyo-based luxury inbound Destination Management Company (DMC) specializing in bespoke travel experiences for discerning visitors from Europe, North America, and Australasia. Our brand philosophy, expressed through three kanji characters, guides everything we do:
- 深 (SHIN/Depth): We go beyond surface-level tourism to reveal the profound layers of Japanese culture, nature, and craftsmanship.
- 真 (SHIN/Authenticity): We connect travelers with genuine cultural practitioners, artisans, and communities in their authentic settings.
- 心 (SHIN/Spirit): We design journeys that touch the heart, fostering meaningful exchange between visitors and hosts.

We recognize that the privilege of facilitating access to Japan’s cultural heritage, natural environments, and local communities carries a profound responsibility. This Sustainability Policy establishes our commitment to conducting business in a manner that protects and enriches the cultural, environmental, social, and economic fabric of the destinations and communities we serve.

This policy is supported by the CEO and top management of SHINN JAPAN and applies to all staff members, contracted guides, and supply chain partners.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all operations of SHINN JAPAN Inc., including:
- Office operations in Tokyo
- Design, planning, and execution of bespoke travel itineraries across Japan
- Management of relationships with suppliers, including accommodation providers, transport operators, activity providers, guides, and cultural practitioners
- Communication with clients before, during, and after travel
- Marketing, sales, and business development activities

3. Cultural Sustainability

As a DMC whose core offering centers on authentic cultural experiences, we consider the protection and respectful presentation of Japan’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage to be the cornerstone of our sustainability commitment.

3.1 Intangible Cultural Heritage

- We work directly with traditional artisans, tea ceremony practitioners, incense ceremony masters, and other cultural custodians, ensuring that tourism interactions respect their craft, time, and privacy.
- We establish clear access protocols for private workshops and studios, limiting visitor frequency to prevent over-tourism and cultural fatigue.
- We ensure fair compensation for cultural practitioners, recognizing the value of their knowledge and the time required to share it meaningfully.
- We actively support the continuation of endangered cultural practices by directing tourism revenue to practitioners and by raising international awareness of their significance.

3.2 Cultural Sensitivity in Tour Design

- All itineraries are designed with input from local communities and cultural advisors to ensure appropriate visitor behavior at sacred sites, private workshops, and community events.
- Our Travel Designers incorporate key cultural guidance into itinerary documents, and our guides provide on-site briefings to ensure respectful visitor behavior at culturally sensitive locations.
- Our Travel Designers and guides are trained in cross-cultural communication and sensitivity, with particular attention to the nuances of Japanese hospitality culture.

3.3 Respect for Local Communities

- We prioritize itineraries that distribute visitors across lesser-known regions, reducing pressure on over-visited areas and supporting rural economies.
- We engage with local festivals, ceremonies, and traditions only when invited and welcomed by the community, and we ensure our travelers understand their role as respectful guests.

4. Environmental Sustainability

We are committed to minimizing the environmental footprint of both our office operations and the travel experiences we design.

5. Social Sustainability

6. Economic Sustainability

- We prioritize local ownership in our supply chain, directing tourism spending to locally owned ryokan, restaurants, transport operators, and artisan workshops rather than international chains.
- We engage local guides and specialists who possess deep knowledge of their regions, ensuring that tourism income stays within the community.
- We support fair trade principles and ensure that all suppliers receive equitable compensation for their services.
- We actively promote lesser-visited regions and seasonal dispersal to distribute the economic benefits of tourism more broadly.
- Through initiatives such as the TAKUMI ROAD project, we contribute to the economic viability of traditional craft communities by connecting them with international visitors.

7. Supply Chain Management

We recognize that our sustainability impact extends throughout our supply chain. We commit to:
- Communicating this sustainability policy to all key suppliers, including accommodation providers, transport companies, activity operators, and guides.
- Developing sustainability criteria for supplier selection and evaluation, to be progressively integrated into our procurement processes.
- Incorporating sustainability clauses in supplier contracts, covering environmental practices, labor standards, child protection, and cultural sensitivity.
- Encouraging and supporting suppliers in adopting sustainable practices, including providing access to relevant training resources.
- Monitoring supplier compliance with our sustainability requirements and taking corrective action where necessary.
- Giving preference to suppliers who hold recognized sustainability certifications or demonstrate measurable sustainability commitments.

8. Customer Communication and Education

- We are developing pre-departure materials that include guidance on responsible travel behavior and cultural etiquette relevant to each client’s itinerary.
- We include sustainability-related information in our marketing materials, website, and client communications, presented accurately and without greenwashing.
- We offer clients the opportunity to engage in meaningful cultural exchange and community interaction, designed to benefit both visitors and hosts.
- We collect client feedback on sustainability aspects of their experience and use this to continuously improve our practices.
- We handle all client complaints through a documented procedure that includes sustainability-related concerns.

9. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

- We maintain a sustainability action plan with specific, measurable targets, assigned responsibilities, and defined timelines.
- We review this policy and our sustainability performance annually, updating targets and practices as needed.
- We track key sustainability indicators, including energy use, waste generation, supplier compliance, staff training completion, and client feedback scores.
- We report publicly on our sustainability performance through our website and Travelife sustainability report.
- We engage with industry networks, including JARTA (Japan Alliance of Responsible Travel Agencies) and Travelife, to share best practices and stay informed of emerging sustainability standards.

10. Legal Compliance

We comply with all applicable Japanese laws and regulations, including but not limited to:
- Travel Agency Act (旅行業法) and associated regulations
- Labor Standards Act (労働基準法)
- Act on Securing Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment
- Child Welfare Act (児童福祉法)
- Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act
- Act on the Protection of Cultural Properties (文化財保護法)
- Natural Parks Act (自然公園法)
- Personal Information Protection Act (個人情報保護法)