Born in Akita and moved to Singapore at the age of 11 months because my father wanted to work overseas. Without knowing any English, I attended a local kindergarten as the only Japanese student. My younger brother and sister were born in Singapore. Upon returning to Japan at the age of 3, I attended kindergarten in Tokyo and then moved back to Akita upon starting elementary school. I had forgotten all my English and, like other students, received regular English education from junior high school onwards.

I thoroughly studied English to enter university. I believe my time in Singapore shaped me differently. Around middle school, I enjoyed American hit charts by artists like Mariah Carey, Aerosmith, and Eric Clapton. During my student days, I covered songs by Boyz II Men and others in an a cappella circle. As I aimed to become an entrepreneur, I pursued a career in accounting. I accumulated about 15 years of experience in accounting and taxation.

I worked for an EY group company but faced downsizing due to deteriorating company performance after the aftermath of the Lehman shock. To maintain my English proficiency, I started couch surfing and hosting guests, finding enjoyment in cooking together and exploring the city. Through Airbnb, I earned as much as my annual income and had a great time. Due to stricter regulations on home sharing, I gave up on Airbnb and shifted to becoming a guide. Feeling limited by harassment at the accounting firm where I worked at the time, I decided to start my own business with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on the horizon. However, COVID-19 led to the cancellation of all my bookings.

I couldn’t guide for a whole three years due to COVID-19. However, I started photography after being asked to take photos during my guiding sessions. Coincidentally, there was a sharp increase in photography requests for restaurant food deliveries due to COVID-19. Thanks to that, I managed to make ends meet. I eventually became a photographer specializing in food photography.

After starting cooking photography seminars, over 100 people participated. During about 300 cooking photography sessions, I felt the need to communicate more with chefs. So, I decided to learn something about cooking and acquired sushi-making skills. At the same time, as the timing for resuming inbound tourism approached, I began offering sushi-making experiences for foreign visitors to Japan. These tours, which allow affluent Western travelers to glimpse ordinary Japanese life, have been well-received. Fully customized private tours for families are extremely popular.

Having moved from the countryside to Tokyo, I believe my perspective as an outsider helps me understand the feelings of foreign tourists. I approach customer service with the belief that this perspective aids in comprehending the mindset of inbound foreign travelers.