Our Team

Jenkie

Jenkie 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 our Head of Finance and is working hard to manage our financial and budgeting operations.

Kristine

Kristine is our Admin Manager. 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.

Ecka

Ecka comes from the Philippines and has a degree in Software Engineering. Her love for Japan grew when she visited in 2018. As the Assistant Admin Manager, Ecka is excited to help visitors plan their next trip and see what made her fall in love with Japan in the first place!

Mel Rose

Tokiko

Tokiko 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.

Mariko

Mariko 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.

Kumie

Kumie 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.

Ramona Falivene

Ramona 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

Timothy, 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.

Sarah

Sarah 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.

James

James 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.

Thomás

Thomás 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.

Ryan

Ryan 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.

Miyuki

Miyuki 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.”

Tim Keir

Tim 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

Jordan 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.

Haruka

Haruka 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.

Alexandro Renee

Alex 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.

Sabreena

Sabreena 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.

Taena

Taena 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

Megumi 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.

Norma

Norma 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.

Reiko

Reiko 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.”

Kay

Kay 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.

Chie

Chie 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.

Asami

Asami 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.

Gabi

Gabi 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

Ariadna 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.'

Hugh

Hugh 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

Roberto 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.

Ayumi

Ayumi 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!

Cole

Cole 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.

Yappy

Yappy 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.

Russ

Russ 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.

Michie

Michie 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.

H

‘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

Kazuo 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.

Ike

Ike 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

Abiyan 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!

Carlotta

Carlotta 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

Jason 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

Sarah 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.

Stephen

Stephen 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.

Miles

Miles is from Maryland in the US. Spurred by video games and music produced in Japan, he started studying Japanese at 11 and continued on to earn his bachelor’s in Linguistics. In his free time, he can be found reading, and, yes, still playing video games in Japanese. He is excited to share his love of Japan’s language and culture with others! 

Christina

Christina graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management in the Philippines. Her fascination with Japan started during her university days when she studied the Japanese language. Christina is married to a Japanese national and together they raise 3 children and have been living in Tochigi Prefecture for 12 years. During her free time, she loves to try out countryside cafes and create her own food and travel content on Instagram and YouTube.

Rachel

Rachel was born and raised in Australia, and moved to Japan several years ago. She loves Japanese culture and food (especially anything matcha-flavoured). In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching Disney films. During her internship with Arigato Japan, she is excited to introduce the beauty and uniqueness of Japan to people around the world.

Whitney

Whitney currently lives in England; she studies International Business. She has had an interest in Japanese culture from watching anime from a young age to learning the language and culture in her spare time. With Arigato Travel she hopes to learn more about Japanese culture while exploring her passion for business and hopes to travel to Japan one day.

Layla

Layla recently moved to Japan from California in the hopes of exploring what daily life is like as a young adult in Tokyo. She is half Japanese and grew up coming here in the summertime with her family, but is looking forward to the new perspectives she’ll gain from living here full time. There is so much to explore in Japan and through this internship, she is excited to share with others what she learns and discovers along the way!

Jack

Jack is based in Gold Coast, Australia, where he studies international business and Japanese. He has held a strong interest in Japanese culture from a young age, solidified by his travels around Japan in recent years. His other passions include snowboarding, photography, and video games. Jack aspires to live and work in Japan and is excited to learn more about business and Japanese culture through his internship!

Chloe

Chloe is from Queensland, Australia, where she currently studies Asian business and the Japanese language at university. She has a passion for learning about other cultures, which is what initially sparked her interest in Japan. In her free time, she enjoys reading and taking photos of nature. Through her internship with Arigato Japan, she looks forward to discovering more about Japan’s food and culture.