our values
Everyone Has a Story. Here is Ours.
This line of work is so interesting.
It explores culture. It brings out the best in everything – art, music, food, spirits, performance. It brings these wonderful things out in the hopes of being enjoyed, and shared. And to have experiences with friends and family in the unique backdrop of Japanese culture and people, that is truly something special.
Kazuyo and I met a long time ago in the city of Kanazawa. We had thought we might move to Canada, but the severe winters, coupled with family needs back in Japan, we have made our home and “headquarters” in the region of Shikoku and live in the city of Takamatsu.
We love this region, and we love it because it is such a contrast to what we know and experience in Tokyo or Kyoto. We have worked together as a team for years, exploring and understanding the many “faces” and “facets” of Japan, from urban sprawl to meticulously tended to historical cities, to the deep wilder edges of the country’s landscape.
We are very professional with our work, and treat all our colleagues and clients with the respect and courtesy they deserve.
We are also continually learning more and more about Japan ourselves. Although we consider ourselves pretty knowledgeable about many things in Japan, we are also avid students and readers of the many areas that intrigue, confound, and amaze us. We love sharing what we know about Japan with our clients, but we are also equally interested to take new friends and guests along with us on new explorations as well.
What we bring to our guests are all the experiences that we have had ourselves, have loved, and enjoy sharing with new friends from overseas. Japan is a treasure trove of experiences that stretch the breadth of the country and where deep pockets of adventure are there to be discovered.
In terms of our values, we are committed, through everything we do, every client we work with, every person involved from start to finish of any adventure, to simply “do the right thing”.
Honesty, reliability, trust, and speaking the truth at all times is central to our work.
We serve our clients and guests to the very best of our abilities and resources.
We do not promise things we cannot fulfill. We are also committed to bring to our guests and clients authentic experiences that are true reflections of Japanese life, culture, custom, and traditions.
We consider it a great pleasure to be in a position to help you step out to have truly original and marvelous experiences in exploration and discovery. It is our deeply happy work to be with you along the way, as your delight becomes ours as well.
With every new client we make a new friend. And we earn your friendship through a relentless adherence to professionalism and quality treatment. Thank you very much for reading thus far.
Your time is greatly appreciated and we hope it helps you to understand us better, and to see how we may connect with you in honesty, integrity, and joy. Thank you so much for reading this overly-long message, but we feel it is really important for you to know who we are, and what we stand for.
Feel free to contact me with your questions, thoughts and feedback.
Yours,
Mark
Are We Qualified? – You Be The Judge
Mark and Kazuyo have between them :
Five University Degrees
Professor Teaching Positions at Seven Different Universities and Graduate Schools
Four Languages: Japanese, English, Portuguese, and French
Over 40 years of working experience with professionals, executives, and corporations
Over 40 years of combined experience as company owners
Three published books
Executive Level work and Consultation with the following:
UNESCO
Sony Corp.
Yokoyama Shokai
Hitachi Group
JAIST (Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Tobu Top Tours
114 Economic Advisory Council
88 Buddhist Temple Reijokai
National Geographic
Lonely Planet
Tourism Shikoku
NHK Broadcasting
Kagawa Medical University
And numerous travel agencies and consortiums throughout Europe and North America
