Nicki’s Story
The Story of Nicki Yoshihara : Founder of Tokiotours
The story of Nicki Yoshihara starts in 2005: at this time I met my husband with whom I have been since 2011. He is a Japanese that had rooted himself in The Netherlands (my home country) after his family had decided around the time he was born, to follow their dreams and the great unknown and to settle themselves in The Netherlands to start their own business.
Life in Japan
My husband always wondered what it would be like to live and work like ‘a true Japanese’ in Japan. Since he had lived in The Netherlands practically all his life, he always wondered what it would be like to come to Japan on a (semi) permanent basis. He put his money where his mouth was, and looked for a job in Tokyo. After I had been convinced he enjoyed living in Japan and didn’t want to come back home having to cope with such a completely different environment, I decided to quit my job and follow my love halfway across the globe to enable him to follow his dreams.
By now, we have been living in Japan for quite a few years and I have not regretted it. The culture, the language, the landscape, the customs, the food; it all intrigues and inspires me, and still to this day I am amazed about what is happening around me, the things I taste, see, feel, smell, and witness in a metropolis like Tokyo.
Update June 2021: After long deliberation, we decided to move back to the Netherlands. I will, however, stay active in Tokiotours behind the screens while my business partner takes things over on the Japan side. When the Japanese borders open up again, we are ready to provide the same great tour experiences for discerning travelers in Japan once more!
Who am I?
As you may have picked up from the previous paragraph I am what you might call an adventurous spirit. When I was in university I lived several months in Beijing, China to study the language (as far as one can get a grasp of that in a short period of time) and to write a paper on the (cultural) difficulties that Western companies face when trying to set up shop in China.
When I was still single I oftentimes went on trips with not much more than a Lonely Planet, my passions and dreams, and some clothes to discover new places and meet new people. One of my passions is to try out new (alley) ways to see where I end up and to experience new discoveries that you might not see when taking the beaten track. I always count on the fact that if things go wrong, there will be a helping hand nearby that is willing to point me in the right direction.
Inquisitive and a thirst for knowledge are some phrases that really apply to me. I want to squeeze every situation or experience for all it’s worth and take out all that I can from it. It is never too late to learn something new, and what I hate the most are missed opportunities. Better to have lived and learned (making plenty of mistakes on the way), rather than living safe and end up with regrets.
Hurray!
Since I became a mom I am unavailable for tours. However, I will not leave you stranded if you want to explore Tokyo! I will leave you in the very capable hands of one of our great guides. They have been trained by me and can tell you as much (if not more) about Japan, its culture and customs, all the sights and their history, and can answer all questions you might have.
All city navigators can speak English fluently and are very flexible. We also offer tours in Dutch, German, French, and Japanese. We pride ourselves on making each tour a unique experience and customizing it to our clients’ needs as much as possible. Even during a tour we can alter the itinerary to suit your needs, whether you have booked a custom tour in advance, or have booked one of our regular tours.
