Ready, Jet, Go!
Skip the queues and fly in style with Sky Trek Japan.
While Japan’s iconic bullet trains are well loved for their speed, punctuality and cleanliness, it’s hard to beat a private jet for stylish travel—especially when it comes with a close-up aerial view of Mount Fuji en route to a secluded Japanese inn in the mountains.
Club Member Matthew Tappenden learned this firsthand when he was whisked away to Nagano Prefecture by Sky Trek on a sleek Cessna Citation CJ2+.
Based in Tokyo, the licensed luxury travel company flies individuals, business travelers and beloved family pets on private planes and helicopters to 90 domestic and international destinations. Especially popular are Sky Trek’s tour packages that include a three-day retreat at luxury resort Sankara Spa on Yakushima Island and aboard Guntu, Japan’s first floating ryokan, in the tranquil Seto Inland Sea.
Tappenden opted for an overnight stay at luxury ryokan Tobira Onsen Myojinkan, nestled in the forested mountains just outside Matsumoto City. Comfortable and beautifully outfitted without being ostentatious, Myojinkan exemplifies the quality of Sky Trek’s offerings. Think private hot-spring baths in every room, exquisite French cuisine with stellar wine pairings and attentive, English-speaking staff.
The experience was seamless from start to finish. After being driven up to the plane parked on the runway at Haneda Airport, Tappenden settled into his ivory-colored, leather seat. The relatively compact interior of the twin-engine jet made the flight feel like a party. Landing in Nagano 40 minutes later, he was welcomed by a chauffeur-driven vehicle waiting to transport him to Myojinkan.
“I didn’t expect it to be as fun as it was,” Tappenden says. “You get into the car, you get taken to the plane and you’re going. None of the rigmarole. No taking your belt or shoes off, no queuing up, no meandering through customs.”
Aritomo Ando, director of sales and marketing at Sky Trek, says that there are no time constraints with a charter flight.
“Additionally, this sort of travel is entirely private,” he says. “Even the green car on a bullet train isn’t completely private.”
Sky Trek has a loyal following among business travelers. Frequent flyer Shigeru Aoi, managing director of a Tokyo-based real estate investment company, has been using the company’s services since its inception.
“Using Sky Trek means being able to travel stress-free, as you can choose exactly where and when you go,” he says.
Sky Trek operates six models, from a zippy Cessna Citation M2 to the larger Falcon 2000LXS. Each plane features plush reclining seats, in-flight Evian water and Godiva chocolates and the promise of smooth, luxury travel.
“You ask yourself,” says Tappenden with a smile, “‘Why am I not traveling like this all the time?’”
