Shohei Toyoda is a professional guitarist, singer, and private guide based in Kyoto. Born in Japan and raised in Dublin, Ohio, Shohei grew up experiencing both Japanese and American cultures from an early age. His father’s work in the automotive industry brought the family to Ohio when Shohei was four, and he spent most of his childhood there.

Shohei’s passion for acoustic guitar eventually led him to Boston, where he studied at Berklee College of Music. Since graduating in 2008, he has worked professionally as a musician, performing and teaching internationally and earning several prestigious awards in the acoustic fingerstyle guitar genre.

After years in the United States, Shohei fulfilled a long-held dream of returning to Japan and has called Kyoto home since 2012. He began working as a guide in 2019 and has since led visitors from around the world through Kyoto’s temples, shrines, gardens, palaces, castles, and historic neighborhoods.

His approach to guiding is shaped by his unusual perspective as someone who has lived deeply in both Japan and the United States. Rather than simply explaining what visitors are seeing, Shohei enjoys exploring the ideas, historical context, and cultural perspectives behind them. He has a particular interest in Japanese religion, especially the development of Buddhism and its influence on Japanese culture and society. He also enjoys drawing connections between Japanese and Western religious traditions, helping guests see familiar ideas from a different cultural perspective.

Shohei’s interest in Japanese culture was further developed through his work with internationally renowned guitarists from all over the world (USA, England, China, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Ireland etc) whom he has accompanied during tours and workshops in Japan. These experiences strengthened his ability to communicate comfortably with people from different cultural backgrounds and sparked his interest in sharing Japan with international visitors.

He is equally interested in Japanese art and architecture, particularly the works found in imperial and shogunate palaces and castles, and enjoys discussing how these artistic traditions reflect the political, religious, and social history of Japan.

Guests can expect Shohei to be knowledgeable and well prepared while also approachable and conversational. He particularly enjoys working with curious travelers who want to understand not only what they are seeing, but why it developed that way. His goal is to create an engaging experience where historical and cultural context naturally leads to conversation and discovery.

With his background in both Japan and the United States, his professional experience as an international musician, and his years of living and guiding in Kyoto, Shohei brings a distinctive cross-cultural perspective to his tours and is comfortable connecting with guests from a wide range of backgrounds.