YOUR FOODIE FRIENDS IN JAPAN
Our team is what makes our tours so special. One look at our TripAdvisor page and you will see that our guests just love our talented, well trained, tour guides and support staff. Read more about our local experts below. Live in Japan? Want to join us? You can see our available positions here.
Management
Anne Kyle
CEO and FOUNDERAnne is the CEO and Founder of Arigato Japan. She founded the company in 2016 with tours in Japan, realizing her calling to create amazing experiences for international visitors. She was a featured speaker at the New York Times Travel show and continues to share her love of tourism.
Matt Kyle
Co-founderMatthew is the Co-Founder of Arigato Japan alongside his wife, Anne. He focuses on strategy and business development. In addition to his work at Arigato Japan, Matt is CCO at weConnect, helping global companies discover a better way to manage their finance and payroll functions.
Lauren Shannon
Partner/ General ManagerLauren is our GM and a partner in the company. She has degrees in education and art and a background in multicultural businesses. She is a lover of food, wine, travel, design and LIFE! Lauren has worked in Tourism in Japan for the last 7 years. She is a long-time resident in Japan.
Michael
REGIONAL MANAGERMichael is a huge fan of Tonkotsu ramen, and fell in love with Japanese food at a very young age. He also is a fan of Manga, Kobe Bryant and riding the bullet train. He is our Regional Manager of Western Japan who helps us grow our teams in Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima.
Jessica Iragne
Marketing ManagerJessica was born in Paris but Loves Japan. She is our Marketing, PR and Sales Manager. Jessica was working for a gaming company for over 6 years before she quit everything to follow her dream and live in Tokyo. Jessica has a passion for Japanese culture, language, music and food.
Alexandro Renee
Training / HR CoordinatorAlex is our Training and HR coordinator. He shares his knowledge with our guides and also runs Spanish-language tours. Alex has many stories about this amazing country and is always happy to meet new friends from around the world! He is an Artist and a fan of Anime and Manga.
Customer Service & Administration
Ecka
ADMINISTRATOREcka comes from the Philippines and has a degree in Software Engineering. Her love for Japan grew when she visited in 2018. Now a member of the Admin Team, Ecka is excited to help visitors plan their next trip and see what made her fall in love with Japan in the first place!
Jenkie
ADMINISTRATORJenkie was born and raised in the Philippines. She is a marketing graduate and former manager of Kirelis International for 10 years. She joined Arigato Japan in 2017. Jenkie is a leader in our admin team working hard to make sure our guests and guides have all the support they need.
Kristine
ADMINISTRATORKristine is one of our admin managers. She is dedicated and committed to providing excellent service to clients, and continues to be responsible for our goal in offering the best food and travel experience to visitors from around the world, by showing Japan’s unique culture.
Guides
Josh
GUIDEJosh came to Japan in 1983, living in Sapporo for a short time. He then moved here in 2005 and has since lived in Hokkaido, Ibaraki, Chiba and now Tokyo, traveling extensively around Japan. Josh is an expert on many parts of Japanese food culture and loves answering questions. His favorite food in Japan is from Hokkaido and called jingiskan.
James
GUIDEJames is from Australia, but has been living overseas for 15 years. He loves traveling and learning about new cultures, and has a background in photography and architecture. James fell in love with Japan as a teenager and his interest in Japan has since only deepened now that he lives in Tokyo. He believes Japanese cuisine is the best in the world.
Miyuki
GUIDEMiyuki traces her lifelong fascination with travel, culture and world cuisine back to reading “People” by Peter Spier, and tasting food at her father’s Teppanyaki restaurant. She has lived in the U.S.A., Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Norway, Ireland and Malta for school and work, and loves to share her knowledge of Japanese “soul food.”
Ryan
GUIDERyan has lived and traveled to many parts of Asia and Africa. He now lives in and explores different areas of Tokyo and eats at various kinds of restaurants, such as Ramen, Yakiniku, Sushi, and Gyudon restaurants. He also enjoys hanging around Akihabara and looking at all the different DIY electronics and computer parts available in that area.
Kazuya
GUIDEKazuya is from Tokyo. He retired two years ago after working as a full-time employee at Japanese and multi-national companies for 36 years, and has become a guide to live a different life. He has lived in US and Luxembourg for several years. He is still very active at the age of 62.
Hiroo
GUIDEHiroo was born and raised in Osaka, and has also lived in the Philippines and Canada for two years. He has been to many Asian countries to find good food, always on the lookout for the best restaurants. Hiroo really loves eating, drinking, and playing soccer, and is looking forward to meeting everyone in Japan.
Tim Keir
GUIDETim is a Canadian who has been living in Japan for almost 5 years. He loves to cook and also works as a chef in Japan, and can speak French, English, and Japanese. He enjoys Japanese food and culture and loves experimenting with cooking Japanese style dishes and uses their unique flavors to create new foods.
Jordan
GUIDEJordan considers himself lucky to have grown up in Vancouver, Canada, where he was introduced to cultures and foods from all over the world. This sparked his wanderlust, and he began taking international trips in 2013, starting with Japan. He returned almost every year before finally making a more permanent move in 2018.
Sabreena
GUIDESabreena is from Malaysia and has been living in Kyoto while attending college in Osaka, experiencing both Kyoto cuisine and Osaka street food. Aside from food, she loves meeting new people and connecting with them. Sabreena believes Japan is the perfect place to experience new things and would love to share her knowledge with you.
Haruka
GUIDEHaruka was born and raised in Tokyo, and lived in Orlando, Florida throughout 2015, working at a Japan-themed store in Walt Disney World. After her return, she started organizing tours and events for foreigners in Tokyo and enjoyed the opportunity to work with talented Japanese chefs, craftsmen and performing artists.
Taena
GUIDETaena was born in Tokyo, but has spent most of her life in Australia before moving to Osaka. She believes food is about more than just flavors; it can tell a story about the history of a place, the culture and its people. Food has helped Taena reconnect with her heritage and she looks forward to sharing that with you.
Megumi
GUIDEMegumi was born and raised in Hiroshima, but has been living in Osaka for long time. She loves eating, drinking, traveling, karaoke, and salsa dance. Of course she really loves living in Osaka, and hopes that everyone who visits the city will come to love it there, too. She is looking forward to meeting everyone and sharing many moments together.
Lora
GUIDELora is originally from New York, but has been living in Japan for a total of 7 years now. In addition to exploring Tokyo and trying out new restaurants and bars of all kinds, she also volunteers at a cat rescue network that is based here in Japan to help out animals in need.
Yoshiko
GUIDEYoshiko is a mother of three, an English teacher, and loves travel, music, and food. She is proud of Japanese cuisine and loves to share her food knowledge with friends from all around the world. Feel free to ask her any questions you might have about Japanese food and traditions!
Reiko
GUIDEReiko was born and has lived in Hiroshima all of her life aside from 4 years at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K. Reiko knows a lot about food all over Japan, but her focus is Hiroshima. Reiko says “Hiroshima food is amazing with a rich selection of delicacies to try. I love helping guests navigate their way through the wonderful food here.”
Norma
GUIDENorma is a passionate etching and woodblock artist who came from Mexico to learn Ukiyo-e. As a foodie, Japan was the perfect place in the world to explore, because of its amazing variety of flavors and textures.
Chie
GUIDEChie was born and grew up in Kobe and has lived in Osaka for 15 years. Traveling and food are her passions. After living abroad and realizing that she had taken it for granted, she gradually came to appreciate and love her own country, its culture and its food. She is keen on discovering more about Japan through her new friends from Arigato Japan.
Anna
GUIDEAnna is originally from Slovakia, but her passion for travelling and adventure took her to different parts around the world. After living in Australia for five years where she worked and studied, she is now based in Osaka where she teaches English and shares her passion for great food and Japanese culture with our guests on Osaka Nightlife Tours.
Kay
GUIDEKay is a Korean who grew up in Osaka and Tokyo, and went to college in the U.S. She has visited 12 countries and always enjoys meeting new people around the globe, exploring new cultures and trying the local food. She’s very easy going and awaits the opportunity to share tasty food and a fun time with you.
Gabi
GUIDEGabi has been living in Japan since 2017. As a Nikkei, she always wanted to live here to learn more about her heritage. She was able to combine that wish with her academic life, so now Gabi can be found both on the streets of Osaka and on Osaka University campus where she is taking a PhD course.
Ariadna
GUIDEAriadna is from Barcelona and her love for Japanese culture and language led her to travel around Japan several times before moving to Kyoto. Although she sometimes misses paella, it leaves her mind while she's enjoying Sukiyaki, Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki... and basically everything that contains the word 'yaki.'
Asami
GUIDEAsami is a true food and drink lover having spent her entire professional career in the restaurant industry. She is originally from Japan but lived in the United States for nearly 10 years. Asami has worked in multiple high-end restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip, and has a passion for sharing her knowledge of food and beverage with those around her.
Hugh
GUIDEHugh has been a resident of Japan for 18 years. Born in Sydney into an old Australian show biz family, he opted in his late twenties to head off to Hiroshima, Japan. There, he studied the language and practiced Aikido and Japanese calligraphy for which he has received various awards, and cultivated a profound interest in Buddhist teachings.
Roberto
GUIDERoberto came to Japan from Mexico after becoming a professional chef in the UK with the sole purpose of learning Japanese cuisine. The city which feels most like home to him is Osaka where he lives now. Roberto is a professional chef and always happy to share his love and knowledge of Japanese cuisine.
Mario
GUIDEMario initially came to Japan to pursue his graduate studies after doing trade promotion for Japan in the DC area, and is now a certified beer sommelier in Japan. Curiosity and a passion for food and beer fuel his passion as a tour guide as he looks forward to re-discovering Japan through the eyes of visitors.
Akari
GUIDEAkari was originally from Nara and is now living in Osaka. She has also previously lived overseas in Australia and Canada. Akari loves eating out and finding great restaurants. She is a friendly person and is really looking forward to exploring Osaka with you and sharing her love of great Japanese food!
Cole
GUIDECole is from London and is now currently based in Kyoto. He first lived in Japan in the 90s and spent much of that time in the city of Nagasaki where he developed a taste for the local noodle dishes as well as an affinity for the extreme Kyushu dialect of Japanese.
Ayumi
GUIDEAyumi was born and raised in Tokyo. She used to work on a cruise ship for 7 years as an acupuncturist and had chance to see the world. Ayumi loves going to a local restaurant and trying new foods while traveling. Ask her the best ways of eating any famous ingredient!
Russ
GUIDERuss is musician from Wales who first visited Japan in 2010 with his band after discovering a record he released in 1980 was selling for 7000yen. He has since undertaken 8 tours of Japan and regularly plays solo gigs in Dotonbori and Shinsekai. Russ has a Higher National Diploma in Fashion and Textiles and an MA in Garden History.
Darren
GUIDEDarren was raised in Hammonton, New Jersey, the Blueberry Capital of the World. He was always around food since a very young age, and as a high school and university student, he worked as a cook at a 5-star Italian restaurant for about nine years. Darren has lived in Hiroshima for over five years and is now married to his Japanese wife.
Yappy
GUIDEYappy moved to Tokyo from Osaka 20 years ago, and has worked in the entertainment industry since then. As a bartender and DJ, he has the chance to use both his Osaka dialect and his English. From 2015-2017, he had an Airbnb listing where he hosted more than 400 guests. This unforgettable experience made him want to continue sharing his love of Japan.
H
GUIDE‘H’ was born and raised in Kyoto, and has worked at several companies engaging in overseas marketing & sales before his retirement. His job brought him to many countries around the world, and he has made many friends overseas and ate a lot of food in different countries. He would like to help you try the food Japan has to offer.
Kazuo
GUIDEKazuo was born and grew up in Kyoto, and is now living in Fushimi where he teaches English at a secondary school and takes care of a lot of exchange students from abroad. He has also lived in London before to study linguistics at the University of London. Kazuo now enjoys talking about Japanese food and culture.
Michie
GUIDEMichie was born and raised in Tokyo, attended college in Iowa for 2 years, and also lived in Hong Kong while working as a flight attendant. Michie believes enjoying food is the best way to relax, and that sharing good food helps people build relationships and understand other cultures. She is looking forward to enjoying good food with you.
Ike
GUIDEIke was born in Japan and moved to Boston in 1983 to go to music school. He also got into the restaurant business around that time. During his 35 years in Boston, Ike was a sushi chef, manager at a Japanese market and owned a restaurant. He is excited to share his knowledge about Japanese food with you.
Abiyan
GUIDEAbiyan is from Indonesian but has been living in Japan for the past 6 years. When he has free time you are most likely to see him playing his guitar along the Kamogawa river. Abiyan speaks Bahasa Indonesia, English, Javanese and, Japanese. He enjoys Japanese culture and loves meeting new people. He is looking forward to get meeting people from all over the world and sharing his love of Japan with them!
Yuko
GUIDEYuko was born in Yokohama and raised in Tokyo. Until recently, she lived in Hawaii with her two children for 7 years. She brought the Aloha spirit back to Japan with her. Yuko is happy to share Japanese food and cultural facts so guests can bring wonderful memories back home.
Mariko
GUIDEMariko was born and raised in Kobe, and moved to San Francisco to study and worked there as a global sales-coordinator with an agricultural company. She became inspired by food because people there were highly conscious of its quality, and enjoyed many types of international food due to the diversity of the city.
Tokiko
GUIDETokiko was born and raised in Osaka. She lived in Switzerland for more than 15 years and enjoyed mingling with the locals by giving Ikebana, Japanese traditional dance, and Kimono lessons. Tokiko is looking forward to helping you learn about the Japanese food that people eat daily.
Kimberly
GUIDEKimberly loves food and travel, filling her SNS feeds with food photos. She minored in Japanese Studies during her undergrad years and decided to move to Osaka for its wide variety of cuisine, and because she loves the city. She is excited to share her life and passion with guests.
Alexandro Renee
Training / HR CoordinatorAlex is our Training and HR coordinator. He shares his knowledge with our guides and also runs Spanish-language tours. Alex has many stories about this amazing country and is always happy to meet new friends from around the world! He is an Artist and a fan of Anime and Manga.
Kumie
GUIDEKumie is from Osaka and has lived in Tokyo since 2014. She studied food science and nutrition, working as a food researcher. Living in both urban and rural areas all over Japan, Kumie has strong knowledge of regional specialities and local culture. She loves sharing that viewpoint.
Sarah
GUIDESarah was born and raised in France. She started learning Japanese at age 15 and visited Japan for the first time at 18 to experience high school student life here, becoming hooked ever since. Sarah got to work and live in the Japanese countryside, in Tokyo, and is now living in the Kansai area. She hopes to make you love Japan and its quirks.
Ramona Falivene
GUIDERamona is Italian and LOVES food. She ran restaurants before moving to Japan with her husband. Her aim is to instill in our guests her passion for Japanese cuisine, and helping them to understand the many interesting aspects of life in Tokyo. Ramona also helps on our Training team!
Timothy
GUIDETimothy, from Austin, Texas has been living in Japan since 2000. He came to study design and language. He likes visiting lesser known parts of Tokyo, exploring the country, taking photos, of animals and Tokyo nightlife. He knows some of the most fun and traditional parts of the city.
Thomás
GUIDEThomás is a Brazilian who came to Japan to pursue his Master's and Ph.D. in computational neuroscience. But even while enjoying these abstract subjects, his passions extend to many areas. Go with Thomás and he will certainly love to share with you his love for Japan as well as his appreciation of all things, big to small.
Interns
Carlotta
SOCIAL MEDIA AND GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERNCarlotta is from Rome, Italy, and as such she is proudly in love with food. She is very passionate about Japanese history and culture, passion that was nurtured during her travels to Japan. Trips that were always “too short”, as she feels Tokyo especially is a never-ending story. Most recently she lived in Tokyo for a year, but she moved to the UK to complete her master’s degree right afterwards. As an Intern in Culinary Editing, she is now excited to help people to discover the most niche and delicious food joints that Japan has to offer.
Jason
SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONTENT EDITING INTERNJason is our Social Media Intern from the US. He is currently pursuing an undergraduate International Studies degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin and aspires to be a tour guide after graduation! While pursuing this degree, he also is studying the Japanese language because he loves Japanese food and culture and wants to share that love with others and make friends cross-culturally!
Sarah
SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTENT INTERNSarah is from Trinidad and recently gained a BSc in Biology and Biochemistry. An anime lover from a young age, this led to her passion and love for Japan. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and creating new content for Instagram to share her Asian Nerd fever. Other hobbies include drawing, learning languages, watching Asian dramas, catching up on anime and manga. One of her main goals is to become fluent in Japanese one day in hopes to travel to Japan.
Shalini
SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTENT INTERNShalini is a phlebotomist/lab assistant and recent BSc Biochemistry and Biology graduate from Trinidad. She has an interest in Japanese culture and music (traditional and modern) stemming from childhood. Shalini is an avid reader as well as an animal and nature lover. In her spare time, Shalini can often be found drawing, watching anime, baking or on occasion exploring with her friends. Her dream is to one day visit Japan and she hopes to learn more about Japan as an intern.
Stephen
SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTENT INTERNStephen is from Toronto, Canada and he previously lived and worked in Nagoya, Japan as an English teacher. Stephen loves all things Japanese, especially the cuisine. An avid sports fan, Stephen very much enjoys watching baseball and basketball. In his spare time, Stephen enjoys hiking and spending time in nature. He has a passion for drawing and painting, and his work is heavily influenced by Japanese art.
Anita
SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTENT INTERNAnita is a recent university graduate from California. In school, she studied Business, Japanese and Tourism and Hospitality. Being half Japanese, she has had an interest in Japanese culture, both modern and traditional, since a young age. In her free time she enjoys exercising, listening to music, and playing video games.