Yamanashi Prefecture is located almost in the center of Honshu, the main island of Japan. Kofu, the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture, is located in the middle of the Kofu Basin surrounded by the Kanto Mountains in the southeast, the Yatsugatake Mountains in the northeast, the Minami-Alps Mountains in the west, and Mount Fuji in the south. Kofu is only two hours away from Tokyo, and three hours away from Nagoya by train. Yamanashi is very approachable from the Tokyo and Nagoya Metropolitan areas. It features cherry blossoms, summery greens, autumn colors, and snowy scenes. Its rich-natural resources and people provide magnificent settings for creative-art works and countless other activities.
The eastern part of Kofu Basin belongs to the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park while the western part belongs to the Minami-Alps National Park, and the southern part to the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The Mount Fuji region was registered as one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in 2013. The majority of the western region was designated as part of the UNESCO Minami-Alps Biosphere Reserve in 2014.
I am a certified National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter in English. I acquired my certificate in February 2017. I was a member of the Mount Fuji Yamanashi Guide-Interpreters Association.
I offer customized-private tours designed around your interests. I adapt the tours and make them flexible to fit your needs. Each tour will be enjoyable and memorable. However, the hardest part will be choosing which place you would like to explore. I am available for consultation should you need it.
Other than guiding, I am also interested in establishing business relations between locally owned enterprises and foreign entities. If you are interested in doing business with small-but-original Japanese enterprises, I may be able to assist you.
Qualifications, Education, and Work Experience
National Guide – English, Yamanashi No. EN00056.
Domestic Itinerary Management Business Chief (Fuji Academy No. 35-16-000067).
Japan Federation Certified Guides’ Training Course – Eastern Japan 5 Days Completed (https://jfg-e.jp/)
AEON Instructor Kofu School – Part time.
The EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency Grade 1: Passed. The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) score: 960.
Ph.D. Biology, USA; MS Plant Science, USA; BA Agronomy, Japan.
I worked in the R&D and Quality Control departments in cosmetics companies and I was a laboratory manager for a vegetable seeds company in Japan. I was a research scientist in New Zealand. I planned the industry tours for foreign specialists and guided them to the corresponding enterprises. I grew Oriental vegetables for commercial purposes for a company in UK. I was a rice cultivation assistant in Kenya as a member of the Japanese Peace Corps (JICA). I visited Iran, Iraq and Syria as a member of a goodwill mission organized by the Government.