About Koki

Hi. I am Koki.

I was born and raised in the Tokyo area. I have lived here for over 30 years. My entire life. I live in Saitama. If Tokyo is New York, Saitama is New Jersey. It takes exactly 25 minutes to Shinjuku by train. Tokyo is my second home. I am there constantly for business and fun.

I am not a travel agency. I am not a tour guide. I am just a local guy.

The internet is full of Japan travel advice. Many English guides are written by people who visited a few times. Some of them are actually very good. But they still read Japan in English. I read Japan in Japanese.

Let me tell you a secret about Japanese restaurants. Many tourists use big review sites like Tabelog. I run a restaurant in Japan. I have been doing this for years. So I know the truth. On major sites, scores are tied to advertising fees. If a restaurant pays more, their score goes up.

I know a local bistro with about 20 seats. It is fully booked every night with locals. The food is incredible and cheap. But its score is only 3.2. Why? Because the owner does not waste money on ads.

Places with 4.5 stars are full of tourists. They are also full of Japanese people who blindly trust numbers. They are just like people who blindly buy Louis Vuitton or Hermes. I do not trust just the numbers. I look at who is eating there. In Japan, we call this skill "Mekiki" (目利き). It means spotting real value. I do this for you.

My English is not perfect. I write my thoughts in Japanese first. Then I use AI tools to translate them. But think about it. Japan is famous for having very few English speakers. We are an island nation, after all. Our schools do not teach it well. My imperfect English is proof. I am the real thing. Made in Japan.

You will not find many perfect postcard photos of Mount Fuji here. Some tourists take amazing photos. Japan is truly beautiful. But that is not what my everyday life looks like. Real Japan is a mix of old and new. It is beautiful and messy. I want to show you the real version. I do not use AI images. All photos are real.

My rules are simple. I write the truth. I do not book your hotels. I show you how to do it. If you want me to find a specific Japanese product, I will search for it, call the shop, and report back to you.I take a few clients at a time to give them my full attention.

If you want my help, check my Services page. If you just want honest advice, read my blog.

One last thing about convenience stores. The internet will tell you 7-Eleven is the absolute best. That is just smart marketing and a big budget. It is the same logic as the restaurant scores. 7-Eleven is great. But Japan has a "Big Three." Lawson and FamilyMart are just as good. They have amazing bread and hot snacks. And personally? Lawson has the best coffee.

You are welcome.

If you want my help with your trip or finding something in Japan, check my Services page.

Got a topic you want me to write about? Send me a message.