Tour guide in Hiroshima Miyajima Joy J.

I grew up in Hawaii, went to university in Southern California and been now living and working in Hiroshima, Japan for most of my life (it’s a great place to live!). Most of my career, I taught tourism, business & communications at university and have been researching, training and writing about Hiroshima travel for the last 20+ years. In 1999, my partner and I started a local website to introduce a deeper and more meaningful experience to travelers and new residents coming to Hiroshima. We raised two bilingual kids here who are now in high-school and university. We bought a traditional Japanese house & renovated it into a comfortable home. I am passionate about sustainable travel and how we can have the best travel experiences which also benefit local people & environment while supporting the local economy. I love meeting new people and seeing Japan fresh through visitors eyes while sharing my insights about Japanese culture, traditions, history, natural features, modern life issues in Japan, sustainability issues and locally made products & artisans. In my free time, I host a talkshow-podcast and I love interviewing people who are doing interesting things across Japan. I have an MA in Sustainable Tourism (Arizona State University) and taught business, communication and tourism classes to University students for 21 years. I am also a trainer of tour guides in Hiroshima to help them improve the visitor experience here by engaging with each group in a unique, fun and personable way. I do not hold the Japanese translation-guide license but this does not limit what or where I can guide visitors in Hiroshima. Japanese law, however, does not me as a guide to drive customers, but I can accompany you in your taxi. I look forward to meeting you and showing you around my long-time adopted home of Hiroshima.