We're a two-person team based in Tokyo, and cheku began with two simple questions.
What could we create to give our friends and family when they visit us in Japan?
And as travellers ourselves, living here and always eager to explore more: what would we want to make to capture and keep track of our own memories?
Who we are
cheku is built by Miri and Damien. Strategy and design, photography and operations. Both based in Tokyo.
We live here, travel across Japan during our own holidays, and naturally become the go-to guides whenever friends and family come to visit. Over time we noticed a pattern. The places we took our visiting families and the close friends we'd grown up with kept overlapping. And every time, the people we brought along would tell us how much the trip meant to them.
That's when it clicked. If this is how we share Japan with the people closest to us, how many other travellers could we help experience the country the same way, with a little local insight and intention?
That feeling is what cheku is built on.
What we make
The Traveler Bottle
An insulated stainless steel bottle featuring hand-illustrated artwork of 27 destinations across Japan, focused on the Golden Route that first-time visitors naturally travel. See the Traveler Bottle →
The Explorer Bottle
The full version. 46 destinations across 31 prefectures, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. For the Japan traveller who wants the whole country, not just the highlights. See the Explorer Bottle →
Both bottles keep drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. Designed to be used every day, and a sentimental reminder of the places you've been.
Premium photography prints
Shot at 42 megapixels in locations across Japan, printed to gallery quality, with free global shipping.
Digital travel guides
- 9 Days in Tokyo → 106 pages of local knowledge
- Two Weeks in Japan → 211 pages covering the Golden Route
Why Kickstarter
We chose Kickstarter so we could build this with the people who understand the sentiment.
A Kickstarter campaign lets early supporters get access to cheku products before they're available anywhere else, at a better price, with the satisfaction of backing something from the beginning. In return, we get the ability to produce the first run properly with the right manufacturer, the right quality, and the right quantities.
Backing the project through Kickstarter helps us make the first production run of something we believe in. We don't keep any of the funds for ourselves. Every yen goes back into producing the bottles, prints, and travel guides and getting them into your hands as soon as possible.
What we're funding
The Kickstarter funds the first production run of the Traveler and Explorer Bottles. Every material, finish, and specification has been chosen deliberately. The insulation technology, the cap design, the illustration style: all decided with daily use in mind.
We're not asking anyone to take a risk on an idea. The product exists. The designs are finalised. We're at the production stage, and we're inviting people who want to be part of where this goes next.
The campaign
Live now. The campaign launched on June 26, 2026 and ends on July 26, 2026.
If you're reading this after the campaign has ended, the full product range is available in the cheku store.
If you're reading this during the campaign, this is when backing makes the most sense. Early supporters get the best pricing and first access to limited editions.
Questions? Email us at hello@cheku.co
Activities and tours in Tokyo
cheku is a GetYourGuide partner. We link to tours that handle the parts of travel that eat your time, getting there, booking ahead, language, context you'd otherwise miss. If you book through our link, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
