About Kanko Metrics

Kanko Metrics is led by Jim and Akiko Austin, a husband-and-wife team with deep roots in Japan. Jim has lived in Japan for more than 30 years, and together they have explored the world from New York City to Annecy, France. Their firsthand travel experience gives them a deep understanding of tourism culture and what tour operators need to succeed.

Why We Started Kanko Metrics
We founded Kanko Metrics to help tour companies stand out in a crowded tour market. Too often, even outstanding tours fade from memory once travelers return home. Our mission is to change that—by assisting tour operators drive more guest 5-star reviews to Google Maps.

What We Do
Operating from Saga Prefecture, we created an automatic reputation‑management system that helps your tour operations turn happy guests into a steady flow of 5 star Google Maps reviews, without adding extra work for their team. We combine automation and simple, guest‑friendly messages written in natural language so every finished tour guest has a clear, easy path to adding a new Google review and future booking for your business.

We Prioritize Google Reviews (Not Every Review Platform) Our Guest Review Platform focuses on Google reviews because that’s where feedback has the greatest impact for tour companies. Google Maps is often the first place  travelers look for tours in your area. When they find you, they look at your rating, your review count, and your review snippets that appear right next to your business name in Google Map search. Each extra 5‑star review strengthens your local SEO, meaning you show up more often and more prominently when people search on Google for tours in your area (including “near me” and last‑minute local searches), which makes you more likely to be selected. By focusing on Google, you build a strong review profile in the one place that matters most for visibility, clicks, and bookings. Guests’ own search words (like “Tokyo night food tour” or “Kyoto walking tour”) naturally appear in those reviews, which helps more travelers find and choose your tours.