Niigata, Tokyo (Living), Kamakura, Hakone, Nikko, Mount Fuji
English
0 days on average
2 days ago
Obtained my National Guide License (English) in 2010 and my MBA from University of Michigan's Ross School of Business decades ago, when I had more hairs to allow me to choose variety of hair styles.
In the past, have lived outside Japan for the total of 12 years in such cities as Boulder, CO; Ann Arbor, MI; Washington DC (USA); Manila (PHI), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Bishkek (Kyrgyz) and visited 40 countries----I stayed in Kyrgyz Republic between October 2018 and Feb. 2019 as my 40th country.
Examples of my tour destinations are Tokyo where I live, Nikko, Mt. Fuji 5th station, Lake Kawaguchiko, Aokigahara Forest, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt. Takao, Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route, Kanazawa, Gokayama, Shirakawa-go, Takayama and Niigata prefecture.
Foreign tourists/media who visited Tomioka Silk Mill (World heritage site) with me were interviewed by NHK TV crews at Tomioka, and my guests and I appeared on NHK Greater Tokyo Area evening TV news.
Since foreign travelers enjoy talking to local people who live in the areas, travelers are welcome to go out of their comfort zone and try to talk to local students on the street, housewives with shopping bags and small shop owners.
Currently live in Suginami-ku, western side of residential area in Tokyo with my wife and a Norfolk terrier. Able to reach Shinjuku or Shibuya areas in less than 30 minutes, Tokyo station area in 45 minutes, door to door from my residence by train.
Tours will be conducted using public transportations or taxis or private cars in some cases as needed. According to your interests, physical/health conditions and duration of your tour, I will tailor-made your tour and arrange destinations. I can meet you at your hotel and take you back when the tour concludes.
Consider myself as one of the most experienced travelers who have survived many difficult situations without getting into any serious trouble. Can be a good tour guide for business persons or retired business persons or travelers who like walking/outdoor activities/taking photos/wine or sake tasting/finding healthy food ---fresh seafood such as sushi, sashimi--soba or buckwheat noodles. Also, at the end of tours, travelers will be bringing home their photos taken by my CANON R6 camera during the tour.
Born and raised in Niigata prefecture, visit my mother and sister who live in Niigata city every month from Tokyo. Niigata has lots of attractions for tourists, including Yahiko Shrine/suspension cable car ride to the top of Mt. Yahiko, Northern Culture Museum where you can see the richest farmer's residence and garden, sake breweries with free sake tasting, castle towns like Shibata city or Murakami city, winter ski resorts with four meters of snow, delicious local sea food from Sea of Japan or from Sado Island/ fruits and brown edamame. It takes only two hours by Shinkansen train to reach Niigata from Tokyo.
Niigata prefecture and Niigata city each has a population of 2.3 Million and 0.8 Million, good sizes but much smaller than Tokyo, the biggest city area in the world. By experiencing both Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean side and Niigata on the Sea of Japan side, you can taste both modern gigantic city life/culture and traditional city/rural life/culture in Japan.
In addition to Greater Tokyo Area where I live, I will be happy to be your guide in any cities/areas on the Sea of Japan side as well.
My tour destinations outside Greater Tokyo area include Niigata-city, Nagaoka -city, Itoigawa-city, Sado island, Nagano city, Snow Resorts in Niigata and Nagano mountain areas, Yamagata city, Tsuruoka city, Sakata city, Kanazawa city, Oono city, Echizen city, Tsuruga city, Fukui city, Gokayama and Shirakawago which are World Heritage sites famous for Gassho-zukuri and Kyoto/Nara.
We only had one day in Tokyo and had a long list of things we wanted to do. We were able to accomplish everything with the help of Yoshi! Yoshi did a great job answering all of our questions, putting together a great plan, and he took us to the best tempura restaurant we have ever been to! We highly recommend Yoshi as a guide!
It has been a pleasure to talk and walk with a very young people from Midwest as I was reminded of my younger days. You are such a nice couple that I am sure that both you and your husband will be able to visit Japan at your tenth, twentieth, even thirtieth wedding anniversaries.
An excellent customized tour with Yoshi San exploring the sights and sounds of this incredible city. Yoshi San is a delightful, wise, and affable guide that brings a wide range of perspectives in the culture, history, and modern day dynamics of Tokyo. We also enjoyed some wonderful meals as Yoshi San is a true foodie. I would highly recommend Yoshi San for a customized experience of Tokyo.
Thank you for using my guiding service for two consecutive days in Tokyo. I have really enjoyed the company of you, your wife and your friends who are all very intellectual, yet can taste the difference between authentic/good Japanese food and the average one. Hope you have a safe flight back to Vancouver
Thanks to Yoshi we had a perfect day touring Tokyo visiting places he tailor made for us. His lunchtime choice of restaurant was a special treat and so delicious. I highly recommend him to you.
Hi Barry san, It was a apleasure to walk, talk, eat and drink together with you, your wife and your friends. Now I know that healthy food is both tasty and filling. Rooibos tea you introduced to me will become one of my favorites. Please enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan.
Yoshi is a great guide. He is really knowledgeable about everything Tokyo and Japan. He is a great ambassador for his country. We spent a couple of days with him and he was so flexible as you need to be when traveling with children (6 and 9, boys) in our case. He was able to balance the sightseeing of the museums and gardens with interesting restaurants and cafes (the Ninja cafe is a must) and ways of getting around Tokyo. He also gave us tips on where to shop, museums and galleries to go to and things to do in Kyoto when we took a day trip there. We really valued his patience with us and all the stories and sharing. If you're going to Tokyo then get Yoshi to guide you when you're there and your trip will be even better than you hoped.
Hi Malcolm san, It is good to hear from you I enjoyed touring with you, beautiful wife and two lively boys. Your small boys handled Ninjya blow weapons as if they were real Ninjyas. Also you have brought good warm weather to Tokyo and therfore were able to see esrly Cherry blossoms. Hope to see your family sometime in the future again. Yoshi