Japan Living Arts

a japanophile for his entire adult life, steve beimel founded esprit travel & tours in the early 1990’s, as a u.s.-based tour company specializing in culturally focused tours to japan and catering to enthusiasts of the arts. over the years, he has worked with a wide range of masters of traditional culture. “the most fulfilling part of my japan-related life is working with so many amazing and talented men and women. it has been a great privilege for me to introduce guests from abroad to these people, in a true spirit of cultural exchange. “recently i have become very excited and energized watching japanese, of all ages, entering into a new “golden age” of culture, with time honored arts and crafts, moving rapidly and appropriately into 21st century life. “this inspired me to create the japanese golden age project with the support of a small group of friends, when i turned 70 last november. our golden age project has begun supporting this budding movement in the areas of crafts, archit