It is nice to meet you! I am Mami Igarashi and I am a National Licensed English Tour Guide. My name might remind you of a mother. Therefore, it is easier for you to remember. I came back to Nagano which is my hometown in 2025. Before that, I lived in Saitama which is north of Tokyo for more than 20 years.
As a guide, I focus on local tours and I would like you to experience true Japanese culture and real lifestyle of the locals. I hope you will enjoy the Japanese everyday life with them. It is my great pleasure to work like your mother so that you will be able to have another family in Japan. My dream is that the places which you have visited will become a second home for you. The areas we will visit together will be mainly Nagano and Saitama.
For some people, when it comes to Nagano, they just know Matsumoto castle, Kamikochi and Snow Monkeys. As for Saitama, they don’t know anything about this place.
I would say that local areas have a lot more unique attractions and discoveries which might be beyond your imagination!
Well, how many following questions about Nagano and Saitama can you answer?
Questions about Nagano:
1) Nagano is famous for soba noodles. When you eat soba at restaurants, soba-yu which is the water left after boiling soba is usually served for drinking. It is said that the custom started from Nagano. Do you know the reason why?
2) Nagano is the top producer of some fermented seasoning. It is essential for Washoku. It is used for the soup eaten with rice. What is that?
3) A certain industry thrived in some areas including my place called Ueda. This prosperity helped Nagano to become the biggest producer of the above seasoning in the question No.2. What types of industry is that?
Questions about Saitama:
1) Gyoda city in Saitama is the top producer of something in Japan. They usually come with a kimono. What is that?
2) Saitama is the 4th biggest producer of some beverage following Nada, Kyoto and Niigata. What beverage is that? It was designated as UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2024.
3) Washi which is Japanese paper produced in Saitama was listed in the UNESCO in 2014. What are the big differences between Japanese paper and western paper?
Do you know the answers to these questions?
Can you tell the reason for all of them?
Let’s explore the areas together and discover new things along the way. Let’s learn and appreciate the areas and understand the background. Having conversation with the locals will let us get closer to them. We are no longer tourists who just pass through. Let’s dive into a new world and blend into it!