[Nippon Travel Agency Co., Ltd.] Publication of “Travel Agent: Japan’s First Travel Agency, Nippon Travel Agency and Minami Shinsuke,” a novel depicting the life of the founder who started group tours, commemorating the 120th anniversary of Nippon Travel Agency’s founding.
Nippon Travel Agency, Inc. Press Release: October 21, 2025 Commemorating the 120th anniversary of Nippon Travel Agency’s founding, the novel “Travel Agency: Japan’s First Travel Agency, Nippon Travel Agency and Minami Shinsuke” is published, depicting the life of the founder who started group tours. Image
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/4858/957/4858-957-e5ec22ebddc28c9d79d7e54cc3a21a5a-371×542.png The founding story of a man who dedicated his life to “travel support” Nippon Travel Agency was founded in 1905 (Meiji 38) in what is now Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture. Founder Shinsuke Minami planned Japan’s first group train tour to Mount Koya and Ise Shrine, and three years later, in 1908 (Meiji 41), a group tour to Zenkoji Temple aboard a chartered special train from the Japanese National Railways, marking the beginning of the travel industry in Japan. And in an era when the concept of group travel didn’t even exist, Shinsuke decided to make a living by “arranging travel arrangements.” This book, “Travel Agent: Japan’s First Travel Agency, Nippon Travel Agency, and Minami Shinsuke,” tells the story of the origins of travel in Japan, which has supported people’s desire to travel through the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods, overcoming the hardships of war, the period of rapid economic growth, and up to the present day. This moving novel by award-winning author Waka Kawaji, based on historical documents and extensive interviews with those involved, is woven with rich human emotion. The cover illustration was created by animation master Gisaburo Sugii, also known as the director of the film “Night on the Galactic Railroad.” It depicts Nippon Travel Agency, which has grown alongside the history of railways, moving forward into the future. ■Book information Book Title: Travel Agency: Japan’s First Travel Agency, Nippon Travel Agency, and Minami Shinsuke Author: Waka Kawaji Price: ¥2,090 (¥1,900 tax) ISBN 978-4-408-53888-4 280 pages, 46 size paperback Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha
https://www.j-n.co.jp/books/978-4-408-53888-4/ Available in bookstores and online bookstores nationwide from Thursday, October 23, 2025 (eBook available). ■Content introduction During the Meiji era, Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, was in the midst of a railway line opening. Minami Shintaro, the village mayor, dedicated himself to the opening of the station and began selling boxed lunches. His son, Shinsuke, inherited his ambition and, as a way of giving back to the local people and the railway, organized a group pilgrimage to Ise Shrine and Zenkoji Temple. This coincidentally marked the beginning of group travel in Japan. He eventually came up with the idea of making a business out of arranging trips… This is the biography of Minami Shinsuke, founder of Nippon Travel Agency, depicting his struggles and turbulent life as a travel agent! ■Author profile Waka Kawaji is a writer. After graduating from the Department of Cinema, College of Art, Nihon University, she worked at CBS Sony and then worked for the Directors Guild of Japan. While there, she studied Edo customs under the tutelage of Edo-period painter Kazuma Mitani. In 2003, she won the Shogakukan Bunko Novel Award for “Autumn Goldfish.” In 2018, she won the 3rd Hokkaido-related Book Award, the 25th Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Award, and the 13th Funahashi Seiichi Literary Award for “Gainamon: The Life of Matsuura Takeshiro.” Her other works include the “Kuniyoshi School Ukiyo-e Zoushi” series, “Dozeuya Sukeshichi,” “Playful Spirit: Ito Jakuchu,” and “Nipponchi! Meiji Ukiyo-e Zoushi of the Kuniyoshi School.” Copyright ©
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