A Guide Who Spends More Than Half the Year in the Mountains

With 11 years of guiding experience, I lead tours primarily in the Kōshin'etsu region and throughout Japan. I spend over 200 days a year in the mountains, and my strength lies in guiding guests across various terrains, from satoyama walking tour to 3000m peaks in the Alps. In Nagano Prefecture, I mainly operate in the Kamikochi area and Northern Alps. My favorite and personal best routes are the Tsubakuro-dake to Yarigatake traverse on the Omote-Ginza trail and, for advanced hikers, the Nishi-Hotaka to Oku-Hotaka traverse via the Jandarme route. The breathtaking views of the majestic mountains are simply irresistible.

Safety is my top priority, especially on challenging routes. I carefully select paths and adjust our pace to accommodate guests. Moving too quickly can overwhelm hikers, making it difficult to absorb the guided information and enjoy the tour safely. I pay close attention to guests' expressions to provide appropriate care. The greatest joy in guiding is sharing emotional experiences with guests. It's incredibly rewarding to hear comments like "I'm glad you were our guide" or "We couldn't have reached the summit without you".

Besides guiding, I'm involved in local trail maintenance organizations and have recently been working on trail improvements. Understanding how trails are maintained and utilized enhances my ability to provide safe and enjoyable guided experiences. Personally, I have a passion for history, which allows me to excel at incorporating the history and legends of the land and its mountains.

 

A Guide is Both an Actor and a Guardian of Safety

As a child, I was shy and not particularly outgoing. However, my deep involvement with nature began in adulthood, around 2012. I started working as a kayak guide in Okinawa, and in 2013, seeing the Matterhorn in Switzerland inspired me to take up mountaineering. I gradually increased the difficulty of my climbs, with a recent highlight being an expedition to an unclimbed peak in the Himalayas last year.

When I joined this training program, I was already guiding guests. I decided to participate to improve my skills as an inbound guide. The most impactful lesson I had was from a staff member's comment: "For customers, receiving guidance is like watching a movie and guides need to be the actors who captivate their audience." This resonated with my style of incorporating history and legends into my tours.

The training also emphasized the importance of thorough pre-tour safety talks and being mindful not to overwhelm guests with excessive information. While all aspects of the inbound guide training have been incredibly valuable for my work, the most significant benefit was meeting like-minded individuals and gaining comrades with similar goals.

 

Pursuing New Qualifications to Offer Variation Routes

In the future, I aim to combine mountain guiding with inbound tourism to offer "variation route tours for international visitors." My love for history drives me to expand my knowledge of local culture and traditions, allowing for more eextensive guiding experiences. Eventually, I hope to provide inbound guests with ski tours in snow-covered mountains and packraft tours on rivers. Currently, I'm focused on training for the necessary qualifications to achieve these goals.

 

Nagano features magnificent natural environments, including the Northern Alps mountain range. Nothing would make me happier than sharing the breath-taking scenery of Nagano's mountains with our visitors. I look forward to welcoming you all.