How far can you get on $52? If you’re in North or Central America, how about all the way to Tokyo for a one-day guided tour — airfare included? Europeans are welcome, too, for $3 more. Those in South America or Africa can join for $3 on top of that. You just need to find the right travel agency. In this case, that agency is Tokyo-based Unagi Travel. The package they offer is pretty good, especially given the price. The tour takes you on major sightseeing stops in Tokyo: Historic Asakusa, Meiji Jingu Shrine and a beautiful view of Tokyo from the Tokyo Tower. This is a 1-day tour, leaving in the morning and coming back in the evening. You won't use a bullet train or stay at a hotel. There’s just one catch: Unagi Travel is just for stuffed animals. It’s not a joke. The company started in 2010 when the founder, Sonoe Azuma, left her career in finance to do something more meaningful. She put together a blog where she chronicled travels with her own stuffed animals. It proved so popular that she decided to open a travel agency so the stuffed animals of strangers could take trips for a fee. Azuma takes these tours very seriously, saying she acts as if she were taking care of other people’s children. While your teddy bear is having the time of its life, Azuma’s company is busy making you a keepsake. The Tokyo package comes with a handwritten postcard from your stuffed animal — obviously written by a travel agency employee — and a commemorative photograph. But wait!…..there’s more! Participants have their photos posted on the travel agency’s Facebook page. When the stuff animal’s whirlwind vacation is over, Unagi mails it back. It might sound like a frivolous business, but what teddy bear doesn’t want to go on vacation?
