Meet Tomoko — The Story Behind Kiyora Travel

Based in Nara and Asuka-Fujiwara, I work with international visitors traveling throughout Japan.
As a professional guide, I spend around 140 days a year guiding international travelers,
from private guests and families to larger groups.

My work has taken me across Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Koyasan, Hiroshima, and beyond.
I have also worked as an interpreter for cultural experiences such as tea ceremony,
sake brewing, and traditional crafts, as well as guiding familiarization trips for travel professionals.

What I Learned from Guiding Travelers Across Japan

After guiding travelers from many different countries, I began to notice something.
The places they remember most are not always the famous ones.
Sometimes it is a peaceful countryside landscape, a traditional street in a small town,
a quiet shrine cherished by the local community, or a conversation with someone they meet along the way.
Places and scenes that may feel like part of everyday life to us can become some of the most memorable moments
of a journey for someone visiting Japan.

Seeing this happen again and again became the inspiration behind Kiyora Travel.

Why Asuka?

After years of guiding travelers across Japan, I chose Nara and Asuka-Fujiwara as the heart of Kiyora Travel.
Asuka is one of the places where the foundations of Japan began to take shape.
Ancient burial mounds, archaeological sites,
and the remains of early temples are scattered among rice fields, mountains, and small villages.
Here, Japan’s ancient history is not separated from the landscape. It is still part of the place where people live today.

By exploring Asuka before visiting—or alongside destinations such as Kyoto and Osaka—
you can begin to see Japan’s history and culture from a different perspective.
For Kiyora Travel, Asuka is more than a destination.

It is a starting point for discovering Japan.

The Japan I Want to Share With You

The Japan I want to share is not simply a collection of places to see.
Why was a shrine built here?
Who once lived along these old streets?
Why has this landscape survived for generations?
What traditions are still part of everyday life today?
When you discover the stories behind a place, the landscape begins to look different.

I want travelers to experience Japan through its history, nature, culture, and the lives of the people who call these places home.
Not simply to visit Japan, but to understand it a little more deeply.
That is the kind of journey I want to create through Kiyora Travel.

Travel Designed Around You

Everyone travels differently.
You may want to dive deeply into Japanese history.
You may prefer walking through peaceful countryside.
Perhaps you are interested in food, traditional crafts, spirituality, or everyday Japanese culture.
Or perhaps you simply want to step away from the crowds and discover a quieter side of Japan.
Kiyora Travel does more than guide you along a fixed itinerary.
I listen to what interests you and help shape a journey around your travel style, pace, and curiosity.

From your first travel consultation to itinerary planning and arrangements,
and finally to private guiding on the day, each journey is created with care.

A Little About Me

I was born and raised in Osaka, and about 25 years ago, I moved to the Asuka-Fujiwara area of Nara.
Today, I live here with my husband, who loves fly fishing, and our two daughters.

Before entering the travel industry, I worked as a civil servant at a city hall,
where I was an administrative staff member in the Building Guidance Division.
During that time, I became particularly interested in the preservation of the historic townscape of Imai-cho.

What fascinated me was not simply the beauty of the old buildings,
but the fact that a town with centuries of history was not frozen in the past.
People still live there, while traditional merchant houses, streets,
and the character of the old town continue to be passed on to the present day.

That experience sparked an interest that has stayed with me ever since:
how historic places and landscapes can remain part of everyday life while being passed on to future generations.

Changing careers was a big step, but it eventually led me to work that brings together many of the things I value:
meeting people, listening to their stories, sharing Japanese culture, and telling the stories of Japan.

Listening has always been important to me.
For five years, I volunteered as a counselor and also completed professional counselor training.
That experience taught me how to listen carefully—not simply to what someone says,
but to what really matters to them.

Perhaps that is also why I enjoy creating private journeys.
Every traveler is different.
Some love history, some want to walk through the countryside,
and others simply want time to slow down and enjoy being somewhere new.
I like listening first and then thinking about what kind of experience would make that person’s journey special.

My interest in other cultures also goes back many years.
While at university, I spent a year studying in the United States.
Being the one living in another country gave me an early understanding of both the excitement
and the uncertainty that come with experiencing a different culture.

After living in Asuka-Fujiwara for more than two decades, this region has become home.
I still enjoy discovering its history, landscapes, and small everyday details
—and I look forward to sharing some of them with you.

Professional Background

National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter

Certified Domestic Travel Service Supervisor

Founder of Kiyora Travel

Around 140 days of professional guiding each year

Experience guiding private travelers, families, and groups

Guiding experience across Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Koyasan, Hiroshima, and other destinations in Japan

Experience with cultural programs, traditional crafts, sake breweries, tea ceremony, and familiarization trips for travel professionals

Discover Japan with Kiyora Travel

Japan has many famous places worth seeing.

But there is also another Japan waiting beyond them—in quiet landscapes, ancient roads, local traditions, small communities, and stories that are easy to miss when traveling on your own.

Let Kiyora Travel help you discover the stories behind the places and create a journey
through Japan that is truly your own.

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