Shigenori Murata is a Tokyo-born guide with a special interest in Japanese food culture, philosophy, Zen, religion, aesthetics, and urban history. He holds a PhD (DPhil) from the University of Oxford, where he studied Japanese philosophy.

Shigenori enjoys helping travelers experience Japan through both its lively everyday culture and its deeper spiritual and aesthetic traditions. He is especially interested in how Japanese food expresses seasonality, care, craftsmanship, and local character — from the seafood culture of Tsukiji and the evening food scene of Tokyo neighborhoods to the stories behind sushi, markets, dishes, and everyday food traditions.

Having spent formative years in Yokohama and Kamakura, and having been educated at a school connected to the Zen tradition, Shigenori has long had both a personal and academic interest in Japanese spirituality, silence, and the aesthetic values that shape everyday life in Japan. He also teaches meditation and is particularly drawn to places that connect beauty, stillness, and cultural meaning.

Whether walking through food markets, lively neighborhoods, temples and shrines, gardens, or historic districts, Shigenori hopes to help guests experience Japan in a way that feels warm, thoughtful, engaging, and grounded in real experience.