From nights of karaoke to careers in travel: Anders Thomsen and Tobias Guld want to bring Japanese experiences to European adventures

Torii Travels helps young adventurers explore Japan in a whole new way. But the ambitions of the founders, Anders Thomsen and Tobias Guld, do not end there: “We want to be the leading travel agency in Europe for trips to Japan”

The air is buzzing with energy. The dim lit room is full of around 30 excited people sitting on red velour sofas with drinks in their hands. Opposite the entrance is a TV with song covers floating on the screen.

Suddenly, a sea of arms and eager hollering begins as the sound of drums being hit in a slow rhythm spring out from the speakers next to the TV. A bird starts whistling as the lyrics “hiya Barbie” and “Hi Ken” roll across the screen accompanied by the voices of Tobias Guld and Anders Thomsen.

The scene is an iconic in the Japanese nightlife – and one of the experiences that the two founders of Torii Travels want to pass onto future guests of the land of the rising sun.
It has been quite a ride for Guld and Thomsen. It still is, and their ambitions grow higher every day.

A unique product in a unique country

Torii Travels is a travel agency specifically providing working holidays to Japan for young people between the ages of 18 and 30 years old.

“We try to help people realise their dream by providing a balance of safety and adventure,” said Tobias Guld.

Going on a working holiday means that you will stay and work abroad for upwards of a year. Here you will be able to experience everything while earning money to fund adventures.

“We provide an experience of what it means to be in a different culture – and to not just scratch the surface for two weeks – creating a chance for our clients to really experience the local societies when travelling with us.”

How to be a successful entrepreneur and a student

Tobias Guld is still a student at Aarhus University, and doing his master’s is only part-time because he is focusing on developing Torii Travels. He spends a lot of time working on concepts for how they can help their clients settle more effortlessly when they arrive in Japan.

The company has grown a lot since Guld and Thomsen started it. Firstly, they have moved offices from the main building in The Kitchen to Level2, an office space and community managed by The Kitchen offered to startups with a steady revenue. Secondly, they have recently started hiring and now have two full-time employees.

It is safe to say that Torii Travels is an ambitious and blooming startup, but that does not mean that Tobias Guld or the rest of the team behind Torii Travels are resting on their laurels.
“Our goal is to be the leading travel agency in Europe for trips to Japan. We try to improve our concept every day – making it just 5 percent better constantly. We do not settle for second best”

Influenced heavily by his parents

People always want to know where a startup’s inspiration comes from, and if the initial idea must be good. The million-dollar question is “where did you get the idea from?”

For Tobias Guld, his passion for travelling, experiencing other cultures and meeting people comes from his dad who travelled throughout his youth.

“He has been all over Europe – from Portugal to Istanbul.”

He points out that his dad always talked energetically about his memories from travelling. “It influenced me to travel on my own.”

Therefore, when he finished high school in 2017, first he went on an interrail-trip and afterwards on a working holiday to Japan. Here, he got hooked on the culture, the people and the country.

And the rest, as they say, is history.