Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan

Hi, I'm Toru, a licensed guide, EN-02296, and I've been guiding international tourists to Japan since 2017. I'm a history buff, food enthusiast, and beer lover!

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

Thank you for mentioning me in your post. I wish you many excellent and insightful experiences in Hiroshima.

[Dr.Sophia Ulgen 🇷🇺☮🇺🇸 @ulgensophia74]

I am on my way to Hiroshima with Nozomi 1.
12 July 2026

In Japan , since I have only 3 days, I preferred to work with guides from ***Japan Guide Agency***.

Toru Higari was my guide only for the Toyosu Market between 5am and 8:45am on July 10.

Satoko was my guide in Kyoto on July 11 between 8:08 am and 14:00

Mai will be my guide in Hiroshima today from 9:49 am through the afternoon. I told her HIROSHIMA is my PRIORITY and we can go to Miyajima if we have the time.

I did not come to Japan to have fun or to vacation -- just like i did not go to China to have fun or to vacation. I have no time to lose and I AM WORKING EVERY DAY. I preferred to have guides in Japan for SAFETY and to optimize my time in 3 days.

There is noone in Japan keeping me company.... I am here all by myself. In China too, I was alone while I was a part of the Gate 1 group.

Stay tuned for HIROSHIMA.

🇷🇺🕊🇯🇵

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

Shichinen Natsu Jun Gin, the summer Junmai Ginjo, brewed by Yamanashi Meijo, has a clear, light, and fruity taste. It offers a smooth touch and leaves a fresh hint on my throat. I enjoyed it at room temperature, but I think it may offer a more sophisticated taste when cooled in the fridge.

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

Soraumi, one of the Ocean 99 series of sake brewed by Kangiku brewery in Chiba, offers me a fresh sweetness with a hint of fizz. It’s definitely better to be served as an aperitif. I also enjoyed the fruity aftertaste running down to my throat, just like him.

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

My second choice of the day is Kingesa, Imo Shochu again, a Japanese spirit brewed from sweet potato. Although brewers use stainless-steel facilities to brew Imo Shochu, Kingesa Brewery still uses a tin spiral tube and a wooden barrel to distill, then matures it in a Kame-Tsubo, a ceramic pot with many fine pores that help it mature slowly. It creates a rich taste and delivers a traditional, authentic flavor of Imo Shochu. It goes well with my favorite Japanese tapas, Konbu, kelp simmered in fish-based broth.

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

My first choice for the day is Yamato Sakura, meaning Japanese Cherry Blossom, an Imo Shochu, a Japanese spirit brewed from sweet potato. It is brewed the traditional way, without any machines. It has a slight sweetness from the potato and a smooth taste, despite containing 25% alcohol. I felt a somewhat sophisticated flavor when it flowed down my throat.

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

Nikka Whisky’s single malt whiskies, Yoichi (left) and Miyaginyo (right), are amazing. Yoichi offers me a malt sweetness first, and a moderate smoky flavor follows later. Miyagikyo has a relatively strong hint, but a slight chocolate-like flavor remains. Both are my favorites. However, if I had to choose, I might choose Mitagikyo.

[Eat Drink Explore @eatdrink75]

🍣 The Silent Years: Becoming a Master Sushi Chef

In the world of sushi, perfection isn’t born in a day. It is forged through years of quiet, relentless toil. To become a true itamae — a master sushi chef — is not a career choice.

It is a lifelong calling. In traditional Japan, the path demands nothing less than a decade of humble dedication. Ten long years… sometimes more.

#sushi #japanesefood #sashimi #japan #chef

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

Spot-billed ducks enjoyed walking on the pedestrian path in the public park in my neighborhood. They kept walking to search for food, although many cars and buses were running and residents were walking by. It’s a peaceful scene in my town, Yokohama.

[🌾Food Sake Tokyo🍙🌻坂本ゆかり @YukariSakamoto]

Do you know #doburoku? The precursor to sake. This ancient beverage is made from rice, koji, and water. The unfiltered drink is often sweet and tart. A fun drink to try.

#foodsaketokyo

[Elle Lookbook @EvaLovesDesign]

Cherry blossom season (🌸 sakura) in Shibuya, Tokyo, is a unique mix of nature and city vibes, neon lights, cafés, and soft pink flowers all together.

[Mio_Sub🇯🇵 @MyColleagueMio2]

Witnessing an Oiran Dochu, a traditional procession of high-ranking courtesans from Japan's Edo period, with stunning kimonos and their unique Sotohachimonji walk, is truly mesmerizing! ✨🌸

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

Miyagikyo, one of the flagship malt whiskies of Nikka, a major distiller in Japan, offers me a hint of apple-like flavor with a slight sweetness. Its smooth taste spreads all over my mouth. It suits a lovely spring late afternoon on Sunday.

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

I like the brown-eared bulbul’s way to suck the nectar of cherry blossoms. Its acrobatic movement is amazing.
It was so keen on sucking it that it never cared about cars running under the trees.

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

Nikka Whisky’s single malt whisky, All Malt, smoothly flows down through my throat. It’s a kind of vintage malt whisky, since Nikka stopped distilling it in 2005. I was excited to find that my favorite bar in town has kept a bottle of it behind the others on the shelf. It still retains a hint of sweetness from malt. Great!

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

It’s a peaceful but energetic morning scene of Japanese spring, a bird busy drinking cherry blossoms’ nectar.

[Hi, I'm Toru, Your Guide in Japan @ToruGuide]

Shochiu, a Japanese spirit, is my soul drink since I celebrated my first success in a tunnel construction project in 1996. My choice of the day is Mogura, brewed with Japanese sweet potato and distilled into spirits. My friendly bar staff recommends Mogura, which has a bit of a strong scent but becomes addictive once you get familiar with the flavor.