Company Information
Sora Cast Media LLC is a limited liability company registered in the State of Texas, United States of America. We are a media company that publishes editorial content about travel, food, and urban culture in Japan. We do not sell tours, book travel arrangements, or operate as a travel agency in any capacity. We are writers, photographers, and researchers. We are not travel agents, tour operators, or booking platforms.
USA Registration
Company Name: Sora Cast Media LLC
State of Registration: Texas
File Number: 802847361
Registered Agent: Alex Castillo
Address: 1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Phone: +1 (512) 739-4028
Email: hey@soracast-jp.com
Japan Office
We maintain a Japan desk for editorial purposes. This is not a separate legal entity. It is a working address used by our team members based in Tokyo. We do not operate a commercial business from this location. It serves as our local contact point for readers in Japan and as a mailing address for press materials, review copies, and correspondence with Japanese businesses.
Company Name: Sora Cast Japan Desk
Address: 3-25-7 Koenji-Minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166-0003, Japan
Phone: +81 (3) 5356-7712
Email: tokyo@soracast-jp.com
Key Person
Alex Castillo is the founder and managing member of Sora Cast Media LLC. He is responsible for editorial decisions, content strategy, and the overall direction of the company. He can be reached at hey@soracast-jp.com. Alex lives in Tokyo and handles the day-to-day operations of the site, including writing, editing, and maintaining relationships with contributors.
What We Do
Sora Cast Media LLC publishes the website soracast-jp.com, which provides editorial content including neighborhood guides, food and drink recommendations, transit advice, and cultural commentary about Japan. Our content is free to access and is funded primarily through the sale of downloadable PDF guides and occasional freelance writing commissions. We also generate a small amount of revenue through affiliate links to services we use and recommend.
We are not a travel agency. We do not hold a travel agency license in any jurisdiction. We do not sell tours, package holidays, flights, hotel reservations, or travel insurance. We do not book restaurants, arrange airport transfers, or provide concierge services. We do not have commercial relationships with the restaurants, bars, or shops we write about, except where explicitly disclosed. Our editorial content is independent and based on our own experiences and opinions.
Our Business Model
We generate revenue through the following means:
Digital product sales. We sell a downloadable PDF guide titled "Tokyo Backstreets" for $14. This is a curated guide to our favorite Tokyo neighborhoods, bars, and food stalls, including maps and practical details. This product is delivered digitally via email after purchase. Refunds are handled according to our refund policy. We may release additional guides in the future covering other cities or themes.
Freelance writing. Members of our team occasionally write articles for external publications. These engagements are separate from Sora Cast and do not influence the content on this site. Any freelance work is disclosed if it relates to topics we cover.
Affiliate commissions. Some links on our site are affiliate links. When you click these links and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only use affiliate links for services we genuinely use and recommend. These commissions help fund the site's operations.
We do not display advertising on this website. We do not sell user data. We do not accept sponsorships for our neighborhood guides. The site is funded entirely by the revenue streams listed above. This limited business model is intentional. It allows us to maintain editorial independence and ensures that our recommendations are based on genuine experience rather than commercial relationships.
Transparency
We believe in transparency about our business practices. We disclose affiliate relationships where they exist. We publish corrections when we make mistakes. We explain how we fund our operations. If you have questions about any aspect of our business, you are welcome to contact us directly. We will answer honestly, even when the answer is "we don't make much money and this is mostly a passion project."
We do not have investors, board members, or parent companies. We are an independent, bootstrapped operation. This means we answer to our readers, not to shareholders or advertisers. It also means we have limited resources, so our response times might be slower than larger operations. We appreciate your patience.
Regulatory Compliance
As a Texas-registered LLC, we comply with all applicable state and federal laws governing media companies in the United States. We are not regulated by any specific travel industry body because we are not a travel agency. Our content is editorial in nature and is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. We do not provide regulated services and do not hold licenses that would be required for travel agencies, tour operators, or booking platforms.
We are aware that various jurisdictions have different regulations regarding travel advice, consumer protection, and online content. We make reasonable efforts to comply with applicable laws, but we are not lawyers, and this should not be construed as legal advice. If you believe we are in violation of any applicable regulation, please contact us and we will address your concern.
No Travel Agency License
We want to be explicitly clear about this: Sora Cast Media LLC does not hold a travel agency license in any jurisdiction. We are not authorized to sell travel services, book accommodations, arrange transportation, or provide any regulated travel services. Our content is purely editorial. We write about our experiences and share our opinions. Nothing on this site should be construed as a travel service offering.
If you need professional travel planning services, we recommend contacting a licensed travel agent or the Japan National Tourism Organization. They can provide authoritative information about visas, regulations, and official travel policies. We cannot help with these matters. Our expertise is in walking around neighborhoods and eating things. That's the scope of what we do.
Our Commitment to Transparency
We believe that readers deserve to know who they're getting their information from. That's why we publish our company details, our editorial process, and our corrections publicly. We don't hide behind anonymity or corporate branding. We're real people with real names and real addresses. We stand behind what we write. If we get something wrong, we fix it and tell you about it. If we have a financial relationship with a service we mention, we disclose it. This is how we think media should work.
We're not perfect. We make mistakes. Our guides become outdated. Restaurants close while we're not looking. But we try to be honest about our limitations and transparent about our practices. That's the best we can offer, and we think it's more valuable than pretending to be infallible. The travel industry is full of people selling certainty. We sell honesty. It's a different product, but we think it's the one you actually need.
Dispute Resolution
If you have a concern about our content, our business practices, or anything else related to Sora Cast, we encourage you to contact us directly. We're reasonable people and we prefer to resolve issues through direct communication rather than formal proceedings. Email us at hey@soracast-jp.com and we'll respond within 30 days. Most issues can be resolved with a simple conversation. We've never had a dispute escalate beyond email, and we hope to keep that record.
Contact
We chose to register in Texas because that's where Alex is from and where the company started. We're not a Delaware C-Corp or a Nevada LLC or any other fancy corporate structure designed to minimize taxes. We're a simple Texas LLC because that's what made sense for a small media company run by people who care more about writing than about corporate optimization. If you need formal documentation of our business registration for any legitimate purpose, contact us and we'll provide it. We're happy to verify our status to anyone who has a genuine need to know. Transparency is one of our core values, and that extends to our legal and business standing. We have nothing to hide and everything to share. If you're reading this page, you probably care about who you're getting your information from. We respect that curiosity, and we want you to know exactly who we are and what we stand for as a company and as individuals.
For any inquiries regarding our company, business practices, or legal matters, please contact:
Alex Castillo, Founder
Sora Cast Media LLC
hey@soracast-jp.com
+1 (512) 739-4028
Our History
Sora Cast Media LLC was founded in 2024 after Alex Castillo moved to Tokyo and realized that most English-language Japan travel content was inadequate. What started as personal notes about Tokyo neighborhoods gradually evolved into a website with regular readers. Mei Tanaka joined as co-founder in early 2025, bringing her Fukuoka expertise and southern Japan perspective. Sam Okonkwo came on board as a photographer contributor shortly after. The company has been bootstrapped from day one, with no outside investment and no debt. We grow slowly, but we grow honestly.