Team

Why us

The person who prices your program
is the person who runs it.

NEXUS was founded in 2025 by people who have spent their careers arranging travel in Japan for companies overseas. Norihiko Hayashi, our Executive Director, has more than fifteen years in the industry — in group operations, in international sales and in overseas promotion for Japan. We are small by choice, we work with you in English, and the same people stay with your file from the first proposal to the final invoice.

Executive Director

Norihiko Hayashi林範彦 / from Shimane, Japan

Norihiko has been arranging travel in Japan for overseas clients since 2010. He started in group operations — hotels, coaches, restaurants, attractions — then moved into international sales, developing markets across Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and the West. He went on to manage sales teams, set up overseas branch offices and, at his previous company, to lead the sales division. He has worked the operations side, the selling side and the training side, which is what our planning and our supplier relationships are built on.

2009AP Company Co., Ltd.

2010Tokyo Asean Service (now TAS Co., Ltd.) — a Japan DMC

Arranged group programs in Japan: hotels, coaches, restaurants and attractions.
From May 2011, international sales — opened new markets in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka.
From 2013, sales manager: team management, training, planning and sales strategy; also developed the Middle Eastern and Western markets.
Set up overseas branch offices and hired local staff. Worked with the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), prefectural governments and overseas television productions.

2020HAS International — Head of Sales (a Japan DMC)

Recruitment, training and management of the sales team. Worked with JNTO, prefectural governments and overseas television productions.

2025Founded NEXUS Co., Ltd. — Executive Director

BOARD MEMBER

Masao Hirase平世将夫 / from Tokyo, Japan

Masao moved into travel in 2016 and became CEO of a Japan DMC the following year. He launched a business dedicated to preserving Japan's historic and cultural assets, and operated a heritage temple lodging and machiya townhouses in Kyoto. He has also led overseas promotion for Japanese prefectures and, with the Ministry of the Environment, for Japan's national parks — so he knows the receiving side of this business as well as the sending side.

2016Director, TAS Co., Ltd. — a Japan DMC

2017CEO of the same company

Launched ReValue, a business dedicated to preserving Japan's historic and cultural assets, and operated a heritage temple lodging and machiya townhouses in Kyoto. Led overseas promotion for prefectural governments and, with the Ministry of the Environment, for Japan's national parks.

2025Founded NEXUS Co., Ltd. — Board Member

Before travel, Masao worked in staffing and technology — sales and business planning at Intelligence Ltd. (now Persol Career), and enterprise sales at Drecom. He also serves on the boards of companies outside the travel industry.

The team

The people who will actually
handle your program.

EXECUTIVE OFFICER

M18 years in the industry

Responsible for tour operations and management at NEXUS. M has worked in sales and operations at Japan DMCs since 2008.

HEAD OF OPERATIONS

EAccommodation & arrangements

Leads all arrangements, beginning with accommodation. After working in international sales at a major Japanese accommodation group, E joined a Japan DMC in 2022 to take charge of arrangements.

How the team is made up

Sales

Colleagues who have spent ten years selling Japan to the United States, Europe and Australia, others who have built their careers in sales at Japan DMCs, and a European member of staff. Different markets, different backgrounds.

Operations

Built around people with more than ten years of hands-on arrangement experience at Japan DMCs.

The person who prices your programis the person who runs it.

The people who will actuallyhandle your program.

How the team is made up

Ready when you are.

The person who prices your program
is the person who runs it.

The people who will actually
handle your program.