Meet Samurai Tours
Here are some of the people you may come in contact with on one of our tours. Take a few minutes to get to know us...
Hideki "Charlie" Inoue
Tokyo Guide Specialist from Tokyo, Japan
I was born in Tokyo, and I have been working as a guide for 5 years. I have been working for Samurai Tours since 2009. People call me Charlie because, according to my wife, I look like Charlie Brown, the owner of Snoopy (the Peanuts cartoon in US). She says this because both of us are bald, and we both have a bit of a belly. I really enjoy working as a guide for Samurai Tours, and hope to meet as many clients as I can from the world to explore Japan together. I also enjoy teaching English to Japanese people.
Katsumi "Kats" Kamikawa
Quality Control/Meeting Service Supervisor from Narita, Japan
"Kats" was born in Nagasaki, but moved to Southern California to study at UCLA. He graduated from there in 1978, and lived and worked for a Japanese company in Los Angeles until he moved to Narita in 1993. He has been working for Samurai Tours since 2008. "I enjoy meeting foreign visitors." "Kats" manages the meeting assistant staff in Narita, and he also ensures that everything is ready for tours, both escorted and independent including all of the necessary forms, paperwork, passes and tickets. He is often the first exposure our clients have to Samurai Tours inside Japan.
Kaori Kodama
Koyasan Guide Specialist from Wakayama, Japan
I live very close to Koyasan, but I didn't really know anything about Koyasan until I had a chance to join a guided tour in Japanese over 15 years ago. At the same time, I saw many foreign tourists who could not find their way, and didn't know where to go or what to do. Koyasan is very different from other tourist spots around Japan, and you must understand the old traditions that not even many Japanese understand. I wanted to become a guide to introduce Koyasan to foreign tourists and help them enjoy Koyasan as much as possible.
I have been guiding now for over 15 years, but I never tire of it. I get to meet so many people from so many different places around the world. Since I love meeting people, I am sure this is my lifetime job given to me by Kobo Daishi. (You should come to Koyasan to find out who Kobo Daishi is.) Everyone is always good natured, so it is easy for me to enjoy guiding. One time, though, it was snowing heavily and whenever we would stop for me to explain, we would become like snowmen! I have two sons, both currently enrolled in college.
Rachel Moore
Office Manager from Littleton, Colorado
I have been working for Samurai Tours since 2009, and really enjoy Japanese culture and beauty. I also love helping people plan for their dream vacation! I am here to answer any questions you may have, and to help get all of your ducks in a row in preparation for your trip. I have lived in colorful Colorado since I was 5 years old, and it is one of my favorite states in America. I have a wonderful husband and three fun-loving dogs that keep me on my toes. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in booking and planning your trip to Japan, and together, we will make this an amazing experience!
Takako (Tammy) Ota
Tour Coordinator, Guide and Tour Leader from Kyoto, Japan
I became an officially licensed guide seven years ago. I wanted to work as a guide ever since I traveled to America twenty years ago. I enjoyed the stay there so much that I wanted to do something to promote the relationship between Japanese people and non-Japanese people. I majored in English in college, and I taught English at home as I had to stay home as a mother of three kids (Today my kids are 21, 19 and 14. My two oldest kids are now both in college, and my youngest soon is in high school.) I still continue teaching English today because I enjoy it.
I once had the opportunity of guiding the Princess of Jordan. I enjoy meeting with people from other cultures. Every time I work as a guide, I learn something new from them about Japan through their eyes and about their culture as well. My favorite part of being a guide is when I hear clients say with a happy smile "Japan is a wonderful country with a long history and excellent culture. You made the tour very special."
Mike Roberts
Owner, Founder and Tour Leader from Kyoto, Japan and Castle Rock, Colorado
After many years of traveling around Japan, and guiding family and friends around Japan, I had the opportunity to start Samurai Tours in 2002. The Japanese people are one of the many things that keep bringing me back to Japan. I wanted to create tours that broke down as many barriers to meeting the Japanese as possible. By staying at the smaller ryokans, and using public transportation, I think we have succeeded.
I kept seeing independent travelers making the same mistakes that I had made in the past, and I wanted people to get more out of their Japanese experience. Everyone I talked with after they returned from Japan had the same story. They knew very little more about Japan than before their visit, and they left with a much lighter pocketbook. I wanted to allow others to learn more about Japan, to experience true Japanese hospitality, and, more importantly, to have fun while doing it. As a result, I think of myself as a teacher as well as a guide. My intent is to give people the benefit of my experiences, to make them savvy Japan travelers in the hope they will feel more comfortable and at ease while traveling around Japan.
Many people ask if I get tired of going to the same places all the time. My answer is a simple no. Every time I lead a new group it is always a fresh experience as I get to live vicariously through the eyes of first-comers to Japan.