If there is one thing these two entrepreneurs have in common, it is that Asia has captured their hearts. With that as their starting point, they have just launched Asiahop, an online agency that plans personalised trips.
A journalist by training, consultant and now entrepreneur. Diego Bergantiños’ journey reached a new milestone just a few months ago. To tell this story, we have to go back to 2018, when a trip changed his life. “It all started at a slightly strange time in my life. I was working in Madrid at a consulting firm and decided to take a sabbatical year. I went on a ten-day trip and fell in love,” says this native of A Coruña with all his energy. That love has a name and a location on the map: Japan.
Diego Bergantiños and his partner Agustín Jiménez have just launched their online travel agency, Asiahop. The Galician and Andalusian talents have joined forces to offer trips to Japan, but also to China. “I went there for the first time as a blank slate. I had never had any connection with Japan, and it changed me. I landed there and felt Japanese. The vibe of the country is incredible: the smells, the tranquillity, the silence… Agustín, on the other hand, is from Seville. We were colleagues and he lived in China for eight years. Then he moved to Tokyo, so his connection with Asia is very strong”. With this background, they are launching a project that offers the highest level of customer service.
“We differ from traditional agencies because our trips are personalised. We talk extensively with travellers to understand their preferences and make the most appropriate recommendations. We have unlimited resources and open up the spectrum of what they want to do: from enjoying a zip line in Hokkaido to visiting that beach they saw on Instagram. We manage everything in both countries,” he notes.
This company does not offer package deals. “By listening to people, we understand their tastes. We want to know if you like adventure, nature or tranquillity. Based on this, we can recommend, for example, sleeping in a temple. We use psychology with people so that they have their ideal trip. It’s truly personalised. We do everything by email and telephone. We are honest. I can vouch for many places because I have been there, on that cliff with a view, and I recommend it myself. We have spent a lot of time in those places,” he says from the perspective of a professional who has already visited 35 of Japan’s 47 prefectures and is already packing his bags for his next visit. “What you experience on a trip when you are taken by someone who knows the destination is very different,” he says.
Taylor-made
Diego and Agustín have trusted people on the ground. ‘Our guides are locals and also friends. We vouch for them. Japanese people who speak Spanish or Spanish people who speak Japanese. “They are the grounding force after intense fieldwork. Our customers have access to WhatsApp service during the trip. We are always in contact with them for whatever they need and we apply technology to the service we provide.”
These clients range from couples to groups of friends to families, but they have set their sights on honeymoons in particular. “People often tell us that Japan is very expensive. We try to dispel that cliché. Eating, for example, is cheap. What is expensive is the flight.”
With this level of personalisation, they don’t like to set prices or durations. ‘For a first trip, two weeks is ideal. If you can, it’s worth going for a month!’ he says with a laugh.
News item from La Voz de Galicia on 7 September 2025.
La agencia que te lleva a China y Japón: «Hacemos psicología para que la gente tenga su viaje ideal» (spanish)
