Patricia is a longtime Tokyoite, with research interests in Japanese sake (nihonshu), travel (recently throughout Shizuoka (near Mt. Fuji), and travel literature. Her Masters in Japanese literature from University of Colorado at Boulder provided a deeper context and appreciation for what she encounters. Favorite places include Tsukiji fish market, Asakusa, Shibuya, and the Imperial Palace center of Tokyo. She lives in Ryogoku, home of sumo, and often visits Kamakura. She teaches English at Meiji University and Meiji Gakuin University. Other interests include photography, Japanese food, museums, body building and wandering around the streets of Tokyo poking into places. She enjoys sharing the surprises and making sense of the seeming chaos with visitors.

Dr. John is a postharvest and food scientist who currently teaches at the University of Tokyo. He first came to Japan to pursue his Ph.D. degree as a scholar of MEXT (Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) specializing in food safety with his research focusing on the functional properties of food to promote human health and well-being. For him, Tsukiji – the world’s biggest seafood market – is a must-see to further appreciate Japanese food culture. His scholarship and exposure makes him an interesting docent – satisfying both the hunger for that authentic Japanese treat, and the inquisitive mind with cultural and science-based facts.

Maciej, a professional photographer, was born in Warsaw, Poland in a family with many Japanese connections, thus the idea of traveling to the Far East was his dream since childhood. Fascinated by Japanese literature and classic cinema, he received a Master’s degree from the University of Warsaw with a specialization in Japanese Studies. Before graduation, he spent one year at Kobe University and one year in Tokyo where he was an intern at the Embassy of Poland. Married for several years to Tokyo-born Japanese, a daughter of a sushi-making family, he lives and continues to discover an old part of the capital, the so-called 'Low City', which he admires for its amazing history and preserved unique atmosphere. A gourmet and Nihonshu (rice sake) lover, and author of articles for the Polish press about Japanese cuisine.