The programme
The Japan creator programme: tiers, eligibility and what we check
Your follower count on one primary channel decides your tier. Hosted tiers start at 150,000 followers; below that we consider a single activity case by case, and above five million we build the trip with you. Everyone needs their own blog or website, must be 18 or over, and passes a verification of reach and audience.
| Tier | Followers (primary channel) | Hotel | Transfers | Activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotlight | Under 150k followers | None | None | Normally one activity or tour |
| Rising | 150k–249k followers | 1 night · 3-star or equivalent · daily breakfast | Return airport, private licensed vehicle | One sightseeing visit, activity or tour |
| Established | 250k–499k followers | 2 nights · 4-star or equivalent · daily breakfast | Return airport, private licensed vehicle | Tours, sightseeing or an activity every day |
| Signature | 500k–1M followers | 4 nights · 4-star or equivalent · breakfast | Return airport, private licensed vehicle | Tours, sightseeing or an activity every day |
| Authority | 1M–5M followers | 5 nights · 5-star or equivalent · breakfast | Return airport, private licensed vehicle | Tours, sightseeing or an activity every day |
| Bespoke | Over 5M followers | Built individually | Built individually | Built individually |
150k–249k followers
Rising
- Hotel
- 1 night · 3-star or equivalent · daily breakfast
- Transfers
- Return airport, private licensed vehicle
- Activities
- One sightseeing visit, activity or tour
Your pick from our catalogue, matched to the niche your audience actually follows you for.
250k–499k followers
Established
- Hotel
- 2 nights · 4-star or equivalent · daily breakfast
- Transfers
- Return airport, private licensed vehicle
- Activities
- Tours, sightseeing or an activity every day
Not a single outing — a programme built around what your channel is known for.
500k–1M followers
Signature
- Hotel
- 4 nights · 4-star or equivalent · breakfast
- Transfers
- Return airport, private licensed vehicle
- Activities
- Tours, sightseeing or an activity every day
Enough time to move between destinations rather than shoot one base, so the trip carries a real narrative.
1M–5M followers
Authority
- Hotel
- 5 nights · 5-star or equivalent · breakfast
- Transfers
- Return airport, private licensed vehicle
- Activities
- Tours, sightseeing or an activity every day
Island days, cultural itineraries, venue sessions — planned around the destinations and the content your audience comes to you for.
Spotlight · Under 150k followers. We still reply — and still consider a single activity or tour.
Bespoke · Over 5M followers. Above five million, we build the trip with you — including multi-destination trips across Asia.
How many followers do I need to be hosted in Japan?
Hosted tiers start at 150,000 followers on your primary channel: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or an equivalent blog audience. We use one channel, the one your audience actually follows you on, rather than adding platforms together. The tier cards above show exactly what each band includes in Japan. Hotel classes read "or equivalent" because Japanese hotels and ryokan are not rated on the same star scale as other markets.
Who qualifies?
- You are 18 or over. Some venues set their own rules on top, and alcohol in Japan is legal only from 20.
- You have a primary channel with an audience you built yourself, plus your own blog or website — this applies to every applicant, Spotlight included.
- You publish travel content regularly and can show recent work that reflects how you would cover Japan.
- You are willing to disclose the collaboration clearly to every audience you publish to.
What do we check before saying yes?
We look at real reach, engagement quality, where your audience lives, how well your niche fits what we can host in Japan, and the quality of your past travel work. We ask for recent insights screenshots and check them against your public profile. Audience geography matters because it decides which disclosure rules apply to you and whether the trip makes sense for our trade partners.
What ends an application?
Bought followers, engagement pods, and past sponsorships that were not disclosed. Any one of these ends the conversation, whatever the follower count. We would rather host fewer creators whose numbers hold up.
Spotlight and Bespoke
Spotlight is for creators under 150k. We still reply, and we still consider a single activity or tour — a Nara morning or a Dotonbori food night, for example — without hotel or transfers. Bespoke is for creators above five million: we build the trip with you, and it can combine Japan with Thailand, South Korea or Indonesia.
Capacity and seasons
We host a limited number of collaborations each month in Japan. Cherry-blossom weeks, Golden Week, the autumn-leaf peak in Kyoto and the New Year period fill first and hotel availability is tight, so flexible dates improve your chances. Applying at least three weeks before travel is the minimum; for spring and autumn, earlier is better.
On request, we can issue a letter stating the value of the hospitality you received, for your own tax records. We do not give tax advice — ask your own adviser how it should be treated where you are resident.