Custom & Multi-Day Tour of Osaka

Aki was born and raised in a small town of Japan located about one hour away from Osaka. She grew up and has spent most of her years in the Kansai region surrounded by Japanese and Osaka's traditions and cultures, which makes her an expert on the Osaka culture and people. She is also fluent in English and knows well about western culture after having spent a few years in the United States. She’s now been living in Osaka and working as a professional tour guide specialized in Osaka general culture and food.

After having graduated from his double BA program in Japanology and Sinology in the Netherlands, Thom came to Japan pursuing a Masters degree in Chinese literature, a mission which initially raised many eyebrows. Born and raised in the Netherlands, he can offer two different perspectives on Japanese culture and history, that of China, the former cultural example turned rival, as well that of Holland, the only Western nation that could conduct trade with Japan during the Edo period. Recently he has taken up the hobby of long-distance cycling, with the goal of completing Japan's traditional Buddhist pilgrimages by bicycle.

Yoko studied Chinese at the University of Osaka, which led her to working with various trading companies in Japan. After 12 years, she decided to leave this career behind to pursue her real passion: cooking. She started her own cooking school, gained her official tour guide license and has not looked back. She aims to show Japan to tourists through not only food, but also history and culture. She has won awards from the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau and has been featured in the UK newspaper 'The Telegraph'. Her recent learning obsession is fermentation and her kitchen has pots of miso, soy sauce, and Koji bacteria powder packets. She believes that food has the power to make the world a more peaceful place. "May food be with you!"