Nicole Fall and Charles Spreckley co-founded high-end travel consultancy Bespoke Tokyo in 2006, and in that short time have attracted royalty, pop stars, billionaires and the famous, plus discerning travellers looking for a tailored-made holiday in Tokyo with a difference.

The company's insider bespoke urban safaris are wide ranging and can include finding vintage Chanel at rock bottom prices, to eating live, drunken fish. Finding amazing restaurants that fit a particular need is one of the company's strong points. I recently spoke to Nicole about the service and their favourite restaurants in Tokyo.

Why did you establish the company?
We spotted a niche in the market for an high-end travel consultancy that could create tailored itineraries and intelligently guided tours, that we have trade-marked Urban Safaris.

Why Bespoke? Life has become frenetic, fast paced and demanding so when people travel they expect the best their budgets can buy in order to get the break they deserve. Whether it's dining out, staying at the latest designer hotel or going to hidden stores that are not listed in regular guidebooks, visitors desire a vacation on their terms. For independent high-end travellers, traditional packages that lump people into touristy activities and standard experiences just don't make the grade anymore. The trend is towards customised travel that takes into account an individual's personal likes and desires, leaving the traveller with a multitude of stories to talk about when they get home.

Plus, my co-founder Charlie and I really adore living in Tokyo and wanted to share our passion for the country, so showing people around firsthand is a great way to share our knowledge.

How have you managed to attract royalty, popstars etc?

Our clients are mostly professionals, usually from the US because North Americans are accustomed to paying for high quality service, but all travellers share a common goal: they all seek a Japanese experience that is unique to them. We have welcomed couples, singles, families: most demographics. We have given safaris to those who have even spent a considerable amount of time either working or visiting Japan in the past because they know firsthand how difficult it is to connect to the pulse of the city in a short space of time and also how quickly the scene changes here.

We've managed to attract royalty and pop stars through word or mouth and some of the luxury hotels in Tokyo pass on Bespoke Tokyo's details when they have VIP guests who need a service that starts where the hotel's own concierge ends. After all, a hotel concierge cannot take a guest out, but we can be trusted to take care of their guests.

What type of requests have clients made?
Client requests have been fairly broad but I'm proud to say we have been able to deliver each time. Whether it's dietary related or for a really special occasion like an anniversary, we've so far been able to manage itineraries that are completely customised to a client's needs.  We've guided single people through to groups of 70. By the time we even meet the client, we've spent hours and days researching and planning their itineraries because much of what we do is behind the scenes. Our guests mainly request night safaris, shopping, some cultural activities, finding stores they couldn't find themselves, and of course ideas on where to eating.

Our clients tend to be very down to earth, eager to explore the real Tokyo outside of the limo. They enjoy fine dining and shopping, but are equally eager to experience street food, Tokyo's famous transport system and busy stations, perhaps a bowl of ramen noodles. In short, they want authentic experiences, not just luxury for the sake of it.

That said, we have organised safaris for people who want to experience Edo Tokyo, eat the most weird and exotic food Japan has to offer (horse sashimi, whalemeat, live prawns, small fish in sake), a fashion insider's safari where we took a girl celebrating her 18th birthday to meet a fashion designer, an author of a book on Japanese street fashion and then to a fashion college, and a recent request was to see underground Tokyo -- literally, sewers!

How is that you are able to recommend places that are not found in the average guide book?
Our biggest asset is our knowledge of the city, the places we go to that people just don't know about, and our ability to look at Japan from an outsider's eye -- see the wonderful, fascinating and bizarre, and explain them in terms other foreigners can understand. People can check the internet for blogs and listings but honestly, our clients are searching for authenticity and they want good taste, and you can't sense authenticity or good taste accurately over the internet. Additionally, we have created a brand that is trusted and respected for showing clients the real Tokyo. In fact we turn down clients if we genuinely think we can't deliver a good experience.

How much do you charge?
Our rates are Y10,000 per hour for individuals or leisure travellers plus a booking fee of Y10,000, or a flat rate of about Y250,000 for a day including luxury car with driver, lunch and unique gift. That price includes all the pre-planning time and organisation and the actual safari on the day for up to three people. Additional people are charged incrementally. For unguided safaris or for when travellers seek suggestions on days that they are not with us we charge a reasonable cost for itinerary planning. We also work with licensed travel agents to carry out any bookings.

For more information: www.bespoketokyo.jp

Bespoke's Recommended Restaurants in Tokyo

Matsugen
Cuisine: Japanese (soba and more)
Location: Ebisu
Cost (per person estimate only, based on moderate alcohol consumption): lunch 2,000 yen, dinner 8,000 yen
English: Yes (menu/spoken)
Japanese cuisine specialising in soba noodles at lunch, with interesting accompaniments and assorted dishes for dinner, as well as a good sake selection.
http://www.pewters.co.jp/shops/matsugen/index.html

Tamasaka
Cuisine: Japanese (kaiseki)
Location: Aoyama
Cost: lunch 5,000 yen, dinner 20,000 yen
English: No
This tiny gem in the backstreets of Aoyama has a beautiful interior designed by Ichiro Sato, a wellknown restaurant designer, and serves a simplified version of Kyoto
cuisine.
http://www.tamasaka.com/index.html

Mutsukari

Cuisine: Japanese
Location: Ginza
Cost: dinner 30,000 yen
English: Yes (spoken)
With a stunning design and superlative, elaborate food, a meal at Mutuskari is an event to be savored. They also serve a good selection of wines.
http://ponygroup.com/mutsukari/eng/

Taku
Cuisine: Sushi
Location: Nishi-Azabu
Cost: dinner 30,000 yen
English: No
An innovative sushi restaurant with a welcoming atmosphere, Taku was rewarded with two stars from Michelin last year. It also serves a selection of wine and champagne.

Totomasa
Cuisine: Japanese
Location: Ginza
Cost: dinner 10,000 yen
Credit Cards: Visa only
English: limited
This tiny, authentic restaurant near Ginza serves top-quality sashimi, chicken and other daily specials. The chef decides what you eat, after checking your tastes. The atmosphere is unpretentious and the soundtrack quite retro.

Dal Matto
Cuisine: Italian
Location: Ebisu
Cost: dinner: 15,000 yen
English: No
The twenty-something Japanese chef of this little Italian restaurant in Ebisu has a passion. There is no menu; the food depends on what's freshest at the market that day.