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.