Ai A.
Available Areas
Hyogo, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Osaka (Living), Shiga, Wakayama, Mount Koya, Kobe, Himeji
Languages
Japanese (Native), English, French
Response Time
1 hour on average
Availability Updated
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About Tour Guide Ai A.
Ai obtained her MBA from Kyoto U in 2020, major in tourism & hospitality management.
She is currently a graduate student at Columbia U, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences(GSAS), Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, goes back-and-forth between NYC and Osaka.
She passed a national license of English guide interpreter exam in 2015 and speaks French.
In her tour, she offers you free photo taking & sharing digital data by using her award-winning + magazine-cover photography skill.
<Awards & Publications>
-cited by Columbia's Official Instagrams four times during her fist summer at Columbia (2022)
-got interviewed by Nikkei WOMAN, June issue of 2021, a monthly magazine that publishes 150,000 copies nationwide, and two other magazine and book, published in the same year
-won a top prize in Photo Contest at Tourism Expo in Osaka, hosted by SriLanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (in 2019)
-received Gold Award in CONRAD OSAKA opening Art Photo Contest among 367 entries
-coverered "NU7(top 7 national universities)" magazine, 50,000 copies (in 2018 and 2020)
-2nd Prize in Festival Tower West Opening Photo Contest and her shot became a billboard advertisement
(both in 2017)
She was raised in Kobe, had attended schools and universities in Kyoto for twelve years.
Before enrolling to Columbia, since COVID19 forced her to suspend her vocation, she had served as a contract in-house interpreter at an IT department of SHIMADZU Corporation group(2020-2022), waiting her opportunity to fly to Manhattan.
She resides in her hometown Osaka now and lands on Upper West in May 2024.
Tours in Japan are available in Spring, early summer(May), Autumn, and Winter.
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Feel free to contact me! Just inquiry is totally fine.
Let's have fun together☆★＊* Ai
Important
【Familiar towns】
My main areas are Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe, and Himeji.
Since I used to live in Tokyo and travel around Metropolitan area very often, if you could cover my transportations(+ accomodation if necessary), I can travel(+stay) with you.
【Anyone is welcome!】
If you or your family members/friends are:
Vegetarians/vegans,
LGBTQ,
physically challenged people,
senior citizens and/or babies,
don't hesitate to ask me special requests.
I'm willing to help these guests:)
【Insurance】
Please take out your travel insurance. My insurance will NOT cover your sickness, injury, and/or accident during the tour.
Ai A. Japan Tour Reviews
“Tour feedback from a group of 46 people. ”
Hi Ai, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share some feedback from our recent tour. Overall, we appreciate your efforts in managing a group as large as ours — it's no small feat, and you handled it admirably. However, there are a couple of areas where we believe there's room for improvement. While your interactive approach of asking questions was engaging, we noticed that the responses given by participants weren't always repeated into the microphone. This made it challenging for those at the back of the bus to follow the conversation. Perhaps a slight adjustment in amplification or repeating crucial responses could enhance the overall experience for everyone. Another point is that we felt a bit underinformed about the places we visited, particularly Kinkaku-Ji and Arashiyama. It would have been beneficial to receive more detailed briefings before arriving at these locations. For instance, a pre-visit overview would have greatly assisted us in navigating Arashiyama, what to see, expect and look for. While we did receive information after the visits through a flyer, having you telling us a story, facts or experiences beforehand would have added to the experience. We understand the complexity of managing such a large group and acknowledge your overall great job. These suggestions are merely aimed at enhancing the experience for all participants. We look forward to future opportunities with improved logistics and communication. Thank you for your understanding and for your services accommodating our requests and managing our group. We appreciate your help. Best regards, Romina
“AI - a great tour guide who fits in with young people”
It was great to have a tour guide who was able to connect with my 16 and 14 year old kids. Initially the idea of using public transport / rail to go to our excursions seemed a bit too much but it was the best idea. We were after that able to use rail to move around which saved us time. Her tips for the rest of the travel were invaluable. And what an amazing photographer. We got very beautiful pictures taken with her camera.
Ai A.
(32 reviews)Dear Malose, Thanks for having me and writing me a great review. It was a great place to have your family all the way from South Africa. I hope to meet you again when your children enter universities in NYC and/or study in Japan in the near future. Visiting your country has become my bucket list. Until then, please keep in touch. Thank you very much once again. your guide and new friend, Ai
Zain G.
Luxury Kaleidoscopic Kyoto w/Guide Photographer+Private Taxi
“100% Would Recommend and Use Again”
The highlight of our trip. We had an amazing time working with Ai to create a custom trip for our group for 3 days. The photos she took were such high quality which was a great perk of booking with her. She showed us places and gave us the history, as well as helped us book private taxis to make it easier to keep the whole group together. We 100% recommend working with her!