Who am I ?
I’m Kaori Sakai
a national government licensed tour guide in English (EN05684),
Registered Land Operator by Tokyo Governor No. 20501
living in Tokyo, Japan.
I’m a former backpacker(still is), and a housewife supporting the husband who is a professional photographer.
Traveling lover both domestic and overseas. Motorcycle lover both riding and spectating, especially love MotoGP. Love Brompton cycling. Possible your future guide during your stay in Japan!
How do I love being a tour guide?
From the home of Mt. Fuji
Born in Shizuoka city which has Mt. Fuji in the prefecture. So I’ve loved Mt. Fuji from my childhood. Mt.Fuji is still my favorite destination. She smiles me when I get there.
Younger days as a Backpacker 〜Canada +α
My first time abroad was a brief period of study with a homestay in San Rafael when I was at a sophomore at University. Then I took my 3rd year off from university to stay in Canada with Working Holiday visa. I stayed in Toronto mostly but took alone backpacking travel across Canada. I took another trip to Europe and the United State before I went back to Japan. This experience changed my life.
Motorcycling around Australia
After my graduation, I took another Working Holiday to Australia. This time I chose traveling by motorcycle. After experiencing traveling by public transportations I wanted to travel more freely. The answer was a motorcycle. Since then I have loved motorcycle the most as the means of the travel.
More freely!
Same reason, now I love to help individual travelers as a tour guide rather than package tours.
As a housewife and an assistant of photographer
Unexpectedly I got married soon after I came back from Australia. With who?
It was a Japanese guy who I had met in Australia while I was touring around. He was also a solo motorcyclist. He is originally from Chiba prefecture which is in the Kanto(Metropolitan) region. He was a cub photographer. We have lived in Tokyo for 20 years since then.
He does mainly commercial photos for magazines and business photos for companies. At his early stages, I helped his work often especially when he shot for motorcycle magazines.
Start as a tour guide
Nowadays, however, he is already backbone photographer and his job has shifted to more business purposes such as shooting for cooperate executives. I help only with drone photos but not so often.
As we missed the opportunity to have a child mainly because we were too adventurous at our younger days, and after I undertook fibroid surgery at age of 43, I started thinking what I, myself, want to do for the rest of life.
I made a decision to become a tour guide (guide interpreter) who assist foreign travelers to Japan.
Then I made it. I’ve got a national certification by passing the hard exams.
I love this tour guide job. I’m truly enjoying the opportunities to meet people from all over the world, talk and share different aspects of life.
Can’t wait to see you soon. Thank you.