Our Guides
Profiles
Our guides are not only experts in the areas they are in charge of but also have several differentiators including:
1. Most of them are national government licensed guide interpreters.
2. All have passed our rigorous in-house certification process.
In addition to their certifications, we attach significant importance to our guides having international guests’ perspectives. What is taken for granted to the Japanese is very often not to our international guests. Our guides know what questions and interests our guests may have. Hence, they are proactive and sensitive to them. Throughout the tour, our guides encourage our guests to ask any questions.
Yuki
Hello everyone!
I hope people who visit Tokyo have an enjoyable time and know the charm of it while exploring this exciting city. I believe interaction with local people and getting to know their country, life or culture enriches your life. I would be more than happy to introduce Tokyo and Japan to you as much as I can and hopefully your trip will become a memorable one.
I am a Tokyoite, was born and raised in Tokyo and love this city. My family roots in Tokyo can trace back to the Edo period (19th century) at least. After graduating from colleges in Japan and the U.S., I have been working for non-Japanese and Japanese companies for years, in charge of marketing. I like to travel, visit art museums and take pictures. I look forward to seeing you.
Aki
I am an office worker living in Saitama, where one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic/Paralympic games took place.
I have been doing volunteer tour guiding for two and a half years, which I enjoyed so much that I improved my guiding skills and have become a government licensed professional.
You can enjoy Tokyo in various ways: experiencing the atmosphere of Tokyo 200 years ago at Asakusa; buying almost anything you want, like clothing, cosmetics, liquor, home appliances at Shinjuku; tasting fabulous but reasonable Japanese food, like ramen and sushi.
If you need some help to enjoy this wonderful mega-city, I am at your service. Thank you for reading!
Tommy
Born and raised in an old town in Amagasaki, neighboring to Osaka City.
Very good at oral and written communication in English and Japanese.I live in the east side of Tokyo Metropolitan, so I speak both Osaka Dialect and Tokyo Dialect fluently.
People in Osaka are very interesting, I am one of them.
I have some friends who are professional comedians, such as a comic storyteller or a pair of comic dialogues.
I like to watch professional baseball game. I am an enthusiastic fan of Hanshin Tigers.
Akiko
My latest work was at Japan office of Swedish telecommunication infrastructure company.
I worked for that company over 20 years in the areas of logistics, education, project management, etc. Their head quarter is in Stockholm so that I had visited Sweden more than 10 times on business.
The company language is English as there are multinational workers even in Japan. If there is a person who doesn’t understand Japanese in a group, our conversation should be done in English. They gave me opportunities to visit China, Philippines, Malaysia and Italy for their global meetings.
I can still sing Swedish song, “Helan Gar”, as Swedish colleagues always sing this song when they make toast.
Jeff
Hello, everyone!
Welcome to Japan!
I’m Hisashi (Jeff) MIYAZAKI, National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter in English.
I especially work for you as the authorized English guide for Sumo and Ryogoku area.
Since my childhood I have watched Sumo for more than 60 years, and now would like to introduce this Japan’s peculiar national sport, which contains unique historical and cultural background, to you through my guiding.
I have ever been stationed in Indonesia, UK, USA and Singapore for 24 years in total and visited more than 50 countries through my business career.
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Now it is my turn to support you so that you can have good experiences and memories during your stay in Japan. I wish I could be of help to you!
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Sachiko
Hello, My name is Sachiko. Please call me “Sachi.” I’m a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter. I was born and raised in Niigata City, facing the Japan sea. My hometown has the sea and mountains so we can enjoy both seafood and edible wild plants. Now I live in Saitama prefecture, inland prefecture located to the north of Tokyo. My hobbies are traveling, watching movies and walking different places. I love nature. I went to various countries and saw many picturesque sceneries. For example, the sunrise in the Sahara desert, Machu Picchu in Peru, safari tour in South Africa and so on. I’m really looking forward to meeting new people from all over the world.
Joji
Bonjoji
Toshi
I am Toshimitsu Fujino, an interpreter with a national license. It is my pleasure to introduce myself. I was born and raised in Shibuya, Tokyo, and now live near Chiba. I still have good memories of old Tokyo, where I spent most of my childhood and school days. During that time, I visited places near downtown, such as Asakusa, Ueno, and Ryukoku, east of Tokyo, west of Tokyo, and downtown. It has an old, old atmosphere of old Tokyo.
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I love sumo
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Yoshiko
I am a national certified guide in English and Chinese and now studying French as well. I worked in England and China earlier in my life and enjoyed experiencing different cultures and communicating with local people.
Now, live in an old and traditional area of Tokyo (“Shitamachi”, near Asakusa and Ueno), very interesting historically and culturally. I myself love walking around and learn and discover more and more. The monuments that witness various historic events through the transition to today’s Japan, the traditions preserved by local people, the beautiful scenery of each season with temples, shrines and the nature in harmony…
I would like to share my knowledge with you and be a guide to help you know Japan better and enjoy your stay!
Yoko
Yoko loves Asakusa, the heart of Tokyo. Her career as a tour guide started from there. She used to work as a certified Japanese teacher in Japan and in the US. Through that experience, she learned “teaching language is teaching its culture.” So as a tour guide, she introduce not only facts but also its background stories as much as possible.
Having lived in Europe and the US for 18 years, she was deeply touched by how friendly and kind the locals were. She realized how important it is to interact with locals since she was able to enjoy many memorable experiences. These nice experiences made her become a tour guide.
Takahiro
Hello,everyone!
I am Takahiro,a national licensed guide interpreter. I was born in Saitama,grew up in Chiba and Tokyo. Now I live in Yokohama,Kanagawa prefecture. I have been working for the bank in Japan for 37 years. So I have extensive knowledge on finance,banking and monetary policy.
My hobbies are playing tennis and traveling in Japan. I am a fan of Naomi Osaka,one of top-ranked female tennis player. I like traveling famous sightseeing spots in Japan. That is why I can tell you a variety òf interesting stories not only in Tokyo but also in other cities througout Japan. In addition, I am keen on Sumo,national sport in Japan. Sumo is closely related to Japanese history and native religion,Shinto. I want to share my views on Japanese culture,tradition and way of thinkig with you. Let’s enjoy visiting various exciting spots in Japan. Background kowledge and information regardig the sites are useful for your visit. I can be a great help！
Miz
Masako
I was raised in Ryogoku(famous place for having many sumo stables) the down town of Tokyo, while seeing sumo wrestlers passing my house by. I have worked as a national licensed English guide for more than 10 years. My guiding work usually covers the area around Tokyo including Nikko, Kamakura and Hakone. Of course, I have long tours throughout Japan such as Takayama, Shirakawago, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Matsumoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Hiroshima.
I love Japan very much. Japan is attracting a lot of people from all over the world. I guide with passion to tell the wonderfulness of Japan’s history and culture, things which attract foreign visitors. I spend my free time visiting Japanese traditional theater performances such as Kabuki, Noh and museums. My hobby is going onsen-hot spring, cooking and doing Yoga.
Hiroshi
Welcome to Japan.
I hope every visitor to Japan has an enjoyable and exciting time.
We have a Japanese word “Shitamachi “, lower part of area but can feel a traditional atmosphere. I was born and raised in the area of Shitamachi in Tokyo. I am very pleased to introduce many aspects of the Shitamachi and even how I was raised in the environment.
My personality is very friendly, hard-worker and service-oriented person.
I am trilingual in Japanese, English and Chinese and have been working as a hotel staff as well.
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The toughest experience for me is that I was riding on a wrong train in New York. After getting off, I did not even know where I was. I was strolling around the suburb of New York City, in which it seems like dangerous during midnight. Fortunately, I found a local bus bound for airport and managed to go back to a hotel. Therefore, I can kindly consider people very well.
I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
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Ma-chan
Hi, welcome to Japan. Please call me Ma-chan.
Born in temple, my father and my brother being monk, I grew up surrounded by Japanese traditional arts. Since childhood, I have learned a variety of Japanese cultures, such as flower arrangement, IKEBANA, Japanese dancing, NIHONBUYOU, tea ceremony, CHANOYU, and Japanese musical instrument, KOTO, and now I am a grandmaster. Through those lessons, I have realized that those arts, which are handed down generation and generation, are born with deep respect for rich nature of Japan and create what Japan is now. To become a tourist guide was a conscious choice sharing my love for the Japanese culture with people that are visiting Japan.
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I am a warm and hospitable person who is willing to provide all my guests with many opportunities to learn, experience and taste Japan in an engaging manner. Furthermore, the tours I provide are a pleasant blend of information, stories and anecdotes that offer unique aspects of life in modern Japan. With my friendly, kind, lively personality, and deep knowledge, I will be sure to help enrich my guests’ travel and they will leave Japan with much more than they come: a treasury of knowledge and a good friend.
I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
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Taka
I was born in Sapporo, northern Japan, and had been there until high school. After that, I lived in Tokyo, Osaka, Boston, and Hanoi. My family consists of my beautiful wife, my mischievous black cat George, and me. My hobbies are cooking, making soba/buckwheat noodles, playing golf, traveling, hiking, and listening to music such as Jazz, Soul, and Rock. Having worked in an office in Shinjuku for over 30 years, I know the nightlife of Shinjuku very well.
After studying urban planning at the graduate school of MIT, I have been involved in urban development projects in Asian cities for more than ten years as an architect and urban planner. I was keenly aware of the importance of understanding each other’s cultures, customs, and ways of thinking when working locally. As my second career, I want to help people who come to Japan from abroad to understand Japanese culture, customs, and ways of thinking. As a guide, I would like to answer the simple questions that foreigners have as kindly as possible and enjoy walking around Tokyo together. I would appreciate it if you told me about your country.
Shizue
Welcome to Japan! The pandemic is finally coming to an end. Japan has long been waiting for
you!
I’m Shizue. I love Kabuki and I’m a certified classical Japanese dance instructor. Besides my
real name I have a stage name, too, just as sumo wrestlers have ring names. It’s exciting to live
two totally different lives as a guide and a dancer. The dance may look elegant, but it requires
lots of strength. So, I’m good at walking long distances.
I should thank my parents because I can speak in a carrying voice. It especially helps in the
crowded and noisy sightseeing spots. I’m also grateful to my dear guests, for you always give
me a chance to explore a new genre of my interests. Sumo, swords, bonsai, and architecture
are my newly cultivating fields.
Trips must always be full of joy! I’d be happy if I could make your once-in-a-lifetime trip
unforgettable.
Aki
Welcome to Japan! I’m Aki, a licensed tour guide in Japan. I was born and raised in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture, until I went to study geography in college in the United States.
When I returned from the U.S. about 30 years ago, English signs or translations were not yet standard in Japan, and it made me wonder how foreign visitors might find it difficult to enjoy their visit in Japan if they don’t speak the language or have friends here. This inspired me to become a tour guide for English-speaking visitors. There are so many fascinating things to do and places to go in Japan, but I recommend adding watching sumo during your trip. Since the Grand Sumo Tournament is not held throughout the year, consider yourself lucky if you find the sumo tour dates (on this website) coinciding with your visit to Tokyo. I’m looking forward to sharing my knowledge, enthusiasm and the joy of watching sumo with you soon.
Ichiro
Hello, my name is Ichiro.
Born in Tokushima, Shikoku-island and now live in Saitama-prefecture, north of Tokyo. I worked for a bank for over 40 years. During my banking years, I worked overseas in LA, California, and Hong Kong. In Japan, in Osaka and Tokyo. My hobby is running VERY slowly. The photo shows how I look before running a marathon. I cannot show you what I look like after the marathon. (Laughter)
By the way, I went to Yasukuni Shrine to watch the Grand Sumo Tournament dedicated to the shrine the other day. I usually watch sumo on TV, but to see real sumo wrestlers and bouts from a distance of only about 10 meters was indeed very exciting. I was also surprised to see so many visitors from overseas among the 6,000 people at the event, and was impressed by the fact that sumo is so well known and attracting attention from all over the world. I ran into a group of judo athletes from France, so we watched the tournament together from start to finish. Before I knew it, I had become like a volunteer guide for the group. (Laughter)
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My style of work is that I become a companion by feeling, admiring, and rejoicing together with my guests. The itinerary of a tour may be the same, but it never ends up being the same tour every time. The tours are truly collaboration with guests to create something enjoyable. Let’s visit and enjoy things that are uniquely Japanese and uniquely Tokyo together.
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Akimi
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Japan and thank you for choosing Japan as your destination. My name is Akimi, born in Niigata and raised in Toyama, facing Sea of Japan, takes three hours by Shinkansen and located about 400km from Tokyo.
I sometimes visit my hometown, Toyama. If you have a chance, please visit there and enjoy excellent cuisine, beautiful scenery of the countryside and meet people. After I graduated from the university in Tokyo, I worked as an executive assistant for several years. Then, I wanted to improve my English and learn the world more, so I departed for Canada. I stayed with some families in Ontario, I learned languages and shared the opportunity to exchange cultures. I met many nice people there. I could build rapport with local people. It was one of the experiences of precious life. Furthermore, it became a starting point for my life work including a tour guide and an English teacher. Meeting new people always makes me happy.
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Kenji
Hello. Nice to meet you . Let me introduce myself. My name is Kenji TAKIUCHI.
I was born in May 1952 and am 71 years old. I currently live in Sayama city, Saitama prefecture. Generally speaking, Japanese green tea comes from Shizuoka for its color, from Uji for its aroma, and from Sayama for its taste. With these words, we can understand that Sayama is one of the three major producing regions of Japanese tea. I’m married and have a son and a daughter. I passed the National Licensed Guide interpreter certification in February of this year. The exam is a nathional one conducted under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and in addition to English, questions are asked in five law related subjects：Japdnese geography, Japanese history,general knowledge (society, economics,politics,etc.), and interpreting practice. In recent years, difficult and strange questions have been appearing. Partiticularly in Japanese geography,history and general knowledge, making it extremely difficult to pass the exam.
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After receiving the notification of acceptance, I applied to the Governor of Saitama Preflecture immediately and received my license. Although I’m now 71 years old, people around me often say that I act young. This may be because I have been practicing Kendo since I was in elementary school. I have been training in Kendo for over 50 years and currently hold the rank of 7th Dan master degree from the Japan Kendo Federation.
I have been teaching many adults and children. Five years ago, I won in the prefectural Kendo competition in the individual part. In this regard, the Sumo wrestlers who are very popular with foreign visitors to Japan are currently spending their lives practicing in Sumo stables, and I may be able to understand their dedication to working hard more than anyone else. This is because, like Sumo wrestlers, I have lived in the stoic world of training in Japanese martial arts such as Karate, Iaido,Japanese archery, Jojyutsu, Jyukendo and Kendo. Karate and Iaido are also very popular among foreigner these days. I have third Dan black belt, as well as Kyudo,Jyojyutsu and Jyukendo.
My Karate school is Gojyu ryu which is major Karate school in Okinawa and it’s one of the four major schools in Japan. Iaido is a martial arts that involves quick drawing a sword from its sheath and then attacking the enemy. There are nearly 100 forms and it requires extremely rational use of the body. I can feel the passion of the samurai in the movement of cutting down. Kyudo is an archery technique that uses a bow unique to Japan. Arrows are shot in the same way as Western bows, but Japanese bow is nearly 2 meters long and require the strength of the left hand to push the bow and the power of the right hand to pull the bow’s string.
The problem is that if you can’t make good balance the power,of both hands, the arrow won’t fly straight. Also, Jyojyutsu is a martial art in which a stick with a length of about 1 meter and a diameter of about 2 centimeters is used as a sword or spier and many police officers carry this stickwhen executing their duties. This stick is used as Jyojyutsu stick. Lastly,there is Jyukendo. This is a martial art used in hand to hand combat with a bayonet attached to the end of a rifle. This has been practiced since the establishment of the Imperial Japanese Army in 1870. Now, I have a wide range of degrees in Japanese martial arts, so I ‘ll be able to give some useful comments to foreigners who have quriosity about Japanese martial arts. I think that I’ll be able to have an interesting conversation about the reality of Japanese martial arts.
The reason that I wanted to become a English interpreter guide was because while I was working in technology development area of Air self Defense Force, I was sent to the U.S. Air Force with my family with regard to codevelopment mission between both Governments for two years. It was my first assignment to overseas. At that time, my family received tremendous care from our friends in the U.S. Air Force, and I have never forgotten that memory. After returning from the United States and retiring from the Japan Air Self Defense Force, I decided to challenge the interpreter guide to convey the wonders of Japanese culture and beauty of nature to foreigners visiting Japan and help them in various situations. Regarding my perasonality, I think that I’m gentle and cooperative. Since passing the exam in February of this year, I have been working as an English tour guide for cruise ship passengers in Okinawa and Oita and Mt.Fuji & Hakone one day tour. Every time, when I take foreign visitors from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji by bus through the expressway, and when they see the divine and noble form of Mt. Fuji through the window of the bus traveling on the express way, they take their breath away. At that tome, I’m truly happy to be able to work as a tour guide to guide foreign tourists visiting Japan. In June, I did tour gugde for a high school trip from the U.S.A. I stayed 8days with them. This was my first experience as through guide.
During those days, I stayed with students, I was able to have the unique experience ofensuring the safety of the guests and gaining peace of mind by taking great care in guiding them to many places for lunch and dinner, and guiding them to the station for transportation by train. While spending my days as a guide, this summer, I took the exam to become a certified Sumo English guide for ” Arumachi Trarning” , a company located in Asakusa and passed exam, so I’m very look forward to guide foreign visitors at Kokugikan. I’m working as an English tour guide and feel that it suits my personality and its my calling.
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Choco
Hello! My name is Tomoko Shiihara. I am a licensed tourist guide.
Born in Iidabashi, a downtown historic area in Tokyo, I would often visit Asakusa with my parents when I was a child. Currently I live in a suburban area in Tokyo, but I always feel at home whenever I visit Asakusa.
My hobby is visiting shrines and temples. I visit Kyoto at least once a year to meet my close friend living in Kyoto. One of the pleasures of my travel there is stopping by a lot of shrines and temples there. If I get a chance to guide you around Asakusa, I will be happy to share travel tips to Kyoto and other historical places, too.
I believe Japan has so many attractive tourist spots. I look forward to meeting you all and to introduce you to a lot of charms of Japan.
Yuka
Hello! I am Yuka. I started my job as a tour guide in 2023 and I am really enjoying it. It is fun to meet people and talk about both Japanese and guests’ culture, lifestyle and values. I have visited many countries and took part in guided tours. It was much fun and efficient rather than traveling alone with a guide book. It’s my turn to introduce Japan to you. I love kimono, tea ceremony, castles and stone walls, ukiyo-e, bonsai etc.
Sally
Hello, my name is Sally. I was born in Tokyo, majored in English in college, and worked in a trading company for 4 years. After marriage I lived in Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles, California for 6 years with my family. After coming back to Japan, I got several English licenses including National Tour Guide.
My grandparents, my parents happened to like Sumo, a Japanese traditional sport, so I have naturally enjoyed watching Sumo for a long time. Especially since September in 2022 when I had a chance to participate in the training session of becoming a Sumo tour guide, I have learned a lot about the sport including its history, the lives of Sumo wrestlers and so forth. The more I know about the sport, the more I am attracted to it, and I would like to share the joy of Sumo with people from abroad.
Besides Sumo tournament itself, there are quite a few spots of interests around National Sports Arena. So, it is my wish to have a great time with you by visiting those places as well.
Yasu
Yasu used to live, study and work in Europe and US for 18 years. His cross-cultural experiences are his original point in his guiding. He pushes the envelope in guiding by entertaining conversations with guests not only on culture and history but on varioius aspects of life in Japan in contrast with other parts of the world.
He also taps into his corporate experiences in international settings. He holds an MBA degree from Stanford University and is well versed in communication in English.