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Meet the InsideJapan Tours' UK Team! The internet is a wonderful thing but it can be a little anonymous and sometimes it is nice to know who you are dealing with, especially when planning something as important as a holiday! This page is where you can read about who we are. If you wish to visit us at our office in Bristol (UK) we would be delighted to welcome you - we are open for personal callers 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 11am to 4pm on Saturdays. Simon King - Director Alastair Donnelly - Director James Mundy - PR Manager Harry Sargant - Sales Manager Ruth Hubbard - Travel Consultant Jocelyn Knightly Brown - Travel Consultant Naomi Rogalska - Financial Controller Matt Spiller - Travel Consultant Asami Oba-Bennett - Administrative Support David Wall - Travel Consultant Mark Johnson - Group Tours Consultant
Simon King Director Call: 0117 314 4634 It is Simon who can perhaps be credited with the spark of inspiration that led from the outer reaches of the Siberian wilderness to the creation of InsideJapan Tours. Simon taught English in Japan for three years before going on to found the company with university friend and co-Director Alastair. Simon, a strong Japanese speaker, takes charge of the the day-to-day running of InsideJapan Tours. When on tour with Simon you can be sure that the itinerary will run like clockwork and if you're 'lucky', you may be treated to Karaoke renditions of some pop music classics. Simon takes a leading role in the financial management of the company as well as overseeing all product development. Outside of work Simon's main interests are music and film although he has been known to indulge in the odd lager or two with his friends of a weekend!	Alastair Donnelly Director Call: 0117 314 4631 Alastair's interest in Japan dates back to his university days when he took a paper in Japanese history for his finals. After graduating and a series of part time jobs, an opportunity then arose to join his friend Simon out in Toyota City and thus began an ongoing love affair with Japan. Alastair is a solid speaker of Japanese and brings a laid-back approach to leading tours. In addition to his day-to-day office duties Alastair plays a key role in the design and upkeep of the web-site and in the production of all advertising and printed material. As IT manager he is also a little too keen to discuss the intricacies of WANs and LANs and scheduled packets and server configurations with anyone who will listen (and often those who won't!). In the non-virtual world, Alastair has a passion for food and loves to take any available opportunity to serve up a dinner party feast. He can also be seen about town on his pride and joy - a Vespa scooter - and down Ashton Gate of a Saturday afternoon cheering on the mighty Bristol City.	James Mundy PR Manager Call: 0117 314 4633 Jim has two passions in life - Japan and the claret and blue shirts of West Ham United FC. It is hard times for the Hammers but at least since joining the InsideJapan team in April 2005 Jim can share his passion for Japan on a daily basis! Jim's experience of Japan is extensive having spent 3 years working in Junior High Schools in the back and beyond of rural Gunma Prefecture before following this up with a year teaching English in Tokyo for a year - two very different experiences of life in Japan. After returning to the UK in the summer of 2003 Jim worked for a Japanese engineering company before deciding to make sharing his love of all things Japan more than just a way of annoying his friends! He has travelled extensively throughout Japan and speaks excellent Japanese, some of it perhaps not quite what your grandmother would want to hear! On tour Jim is sure to keep everyone amused with his quick wit, cheeky persona and renditions of the best of Japanese comedy. When he's not injured, Jim is also a dangerous midfield man but never quite made it to pulling on one of those beloved shirts. As well as planning tailored packages and tour leading, Jim also takes responsibility for PR, a role for which he is ideally suited!
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Harry Sargant Sales Manager Call: 0117 314 4630 After three fun-filled years in Niigata teaching some of Japan’s youngest English students, Harry returned to the UK and immediately started work with IJT. After just one week in the office his new colleagues got fed up with him and sent him straight back to Japan on tour! Harry shares his colleagues’ passion for good food and can be relied upon to find the right restaurant whatever the required cuisine. His search for Japan’s Best Gyoza continues each time he returns to the country and he will happily introduce you to these delicious little treats (but mind the garlic!). He is a big fan of Japanese matsuri (festivals) and can advise you on the best time and place to catch local events and celebrations. Harry has always been very sporty and has, at various stages been a keen player of football, rugby, water polo and squash; He’s even worked as a trampoline coach! He has travelled extensively throughout Japan and enjoys collecting visa stamps from elsewhere in the world whenever possible. Harry is manager of our tailored department and helps ensure that InsideJapan Tours continue to deliver tailored holidays unrivalled in the quality of experience and variety options available. Harry also oversees our Japan Rail Pass department and is in charge of InsideJapan Tours' responsible tourism policies including looking after our nominated charities both here in the UK and in Japan.	Ruth Hubbard Travel Consultant Call: 0117 314 4623 Hailing from the small village of West Coker in Somerset (just outside Yeovil), Ruth comes to InsideJapan Tours fresh from life in Kyoto as an English teacher on the JET scheme. In her two years in Japan's historic capital, she got to know the city inside out and whether you are after the best temples and shrines, the most delicious Kyoto cuisine, or the cheapest beer in the city, Ruth is the perfect person to advise you. Having studied German and Italian at Bath university, Ruth is an exceptional linguist and is aiming to keep up her Japanese now she has returned to the UK. A year spent at Bosch in Germany also means she has something of a reputation as a power tools specialist! Perhaps most significant of all though is her status as InsideJapan's new champion cake baker - a sure fire way to win over all her colleagues. Outside of the office, Ruth is known as something of a drama queen - not for over the top histrionics but rather for her keen interest in the theatre. New to Bristol she is looking to get involved in the local scene as soon as possible. At InsideJapan Tours Ruth is one of our expert travel consultants putting her passion for all things Japanese into beautifully crafted tailormade itineraries.	Jocelyn Knightly Brown Travel Consultant Call: 0117 314 4639 After heading to Japan on a vague whim after university, lured by the crazy culture and opportunity to travel, Jocelyn found herself in a small beachside town in Shizuoka Prefecture, in view of the magnificent Mount Fuji. The friendly people, relaxed way of life and regular karaoke persuaded her to stay for two years, teaching at a lively high school surrounded by green tea fields. Jocelyn travelled through much of Japan whilst living there, citing a school trip to Okinawa amongst her highlights: though even her extensive love of souvenir shopping was stretched to the limits by the stamina of her Japanese colleagues. She also rocked out two years in a row to the sounds of her favourite bands at Fuji Rock Festival, and intends to persuade her bosses it is imperative she return to track the changes in 2010. Now back in the UK, Jocelyn continues to compare the awesome festivals, beautiful weather and mouth-watering food of Japan against their weaker English counterparts whilst also enjoying the chance to ride her horse again at weekends. She is also a real show stopper at karaoke!! Jocelyn brings a wide range of new itinerary ideas and unsual Japan experiences to her role as expert travel consultant.
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Naomi Rogalska Financial Controller Call: 0117 314 4635 Naomi joined InsideJapan Tours in February of 2008 as our first non-Japan recruit. Naomi brings years of financial and accounts experience to the company helping to ensure that the company maintains its strong financial position as well as making sure we never run out of fruit in the office! Unfortunately she is a little camera shy so only provided us with a picture of her adorable daughter, Alice. Naomi has a history in the travel business having worked for several years at the Hyde Park Hilton in London, where she met her partner Seb, a top class French chef! Before coming to InsideJapan Naomi was helping the homeless of Bristol as financial controller at the Big Issue magazine. When not at work or looking after Alice at home, Naomi enjoys a glass of wine and has been seen shaking her thang on the dance floors of Bristol. She also, unsurprisingly, enjoys eating in - food courtesy of Seb of course! With her immaculate eye for detail and healthy obsession with accuracy, Naomi is an invaluable member of the InsideJapan Tours' team.	Matt Spiller Travel Consultant Call: 0117 314 4632 After graduating University, Matt flew to Japan to teach English as part of the JET Programme with no real knowledge of the country. Luckily, he found his feet in the historic seaside town of Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and fell in love with the country, it’s people and culture. After spending three years as a teacher in Hagi’s Senior High and Elementary schools, Matt has now taken a position at IJT. One of Matt’s favourite aspects of Japanese culture is the huge variety of festivals, with the Aio Shrimp Catching Festival and the Saijo Sake Festival at the top of his list. The most bizarre festival Matt has taken part in is definitely the Okayama Naked Man Festival and, despite claiming once was enough, he foolishly went back a second time. Being a keen snowboarder, Matt wants to return to Japan and experience the Sapporo Snow Festival at some point in the near future. Now back in the UK, Matt does miss the culinary delights that Japan has to offer, especially MOS Burger. Unfortunately, Western fast food restaurants just don’t make the grade and are a constant disappointment.	Asami Oba-Bennett Administrative Support Call: 0117 314 4622 Having joined InsideJapan in February of 2008 on work experience for her business course, Asami quickly made herself indespensible to our team in Bristol and now is full time. As our first Japanese member of staff in the UK, Asami has been invaluable in assistng with hotel reservtions and communicating with our suppliers. She has also been able to correct the rest of the team's Japanese! Asami is in charge of the important are of feedback, finding out from our clients all about their experience of Japan and of the InsideJapan service. Asami originally hails from cosmopolitan city of Kobe, close to Osaka on the Pacific Coast. However, now she is firmly entrenched in west country, living in Bristol with her husband and indulging in the odd cider at the weekend! However, her self-professed favourite activity away from the office is sleeping! At IJT Asami is in charge of the rail pass department making sure all those orders go out on time - no mean feat in peak season. She also oversees all brochure requests as well as dealing with those extra tricky hotel bookings where native speaker Japanese makes all the difference!
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David Wall Travel Consultant Call: 0117 314 4635 Before discovering the delights of Bristol, David liked to dwell in the London urban jungle and escape to the great outdoors some weekends, hiking up mountains and ambling down country lanes. He headed out to Japan to follow in the footprints of the literary geniuses David Mitchell and Haruki Murakami, and discover what his globetrotting grandfather had been talking about all these years. Working in the crazy but super-clean suburbs of Tokyo suited him down to the ground, as he delved the depths of Shinjuku to find late-night shoebox bars one weekend, and explored the surrounding magical mountain realms the next. He is a keen believer in going everywhere by public transport and pedal bike (which is nothing to do with his terrible driving skills of course) and some of his best memories are of cycling around places like Kamakura and Tazawako with half-hidden temples and nature all around. Always looking for creative outlets, he went out to Japan armed with a pen, a mini-keyboard and laptop and got inspired by everything from the gentle glow of ryokan windows to the buzz and bright lights of Tokyo. Reams of travel writing and half-baked odes to Bladerunner are now littering his laptop, which will become finished creations eventually if he can just stop buying new bits of music software to mess around with. It looks like Bristol will provide another burst of creative inspiration, and he is looking forward to exploring the theatres and music venues (where Britain has the edge over Japan for once). In the office, David is a travel consultant in the independent travel team and endeavours to bring his enthusiasm for all things Japanese to every itinerary he works on.	Mark Johnson Group Tours Consultant Call: 0117 314 4635 Mark’s interest in Japan was first sparked by two quintessential elements of Japanese culture: Sumo wrestling - as seen on Channel 4 - and the mesmerizing classic animation film, Akira. It wasn't until 2005 that he finally made it to Japan, embarking on a two month solo backpacking trip. Bitten by the Japan bug, he quickly returned, signing up for a three year stint teaching English in Yamaguchi prefecture (southwest Japan). With spare weekends spent exploring the country, Mark has travelled extensively from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the far south. But with no place like home, his favourite prefecture is still Yamaguchi! Between travel adventures, Mark also managed to find time for regular karaoke (a must for any member of the IJT team) and to study calligraphy. Not content with returning to UK the conventional way, in summer 2009 Mark followed in the footsteps of company directors Alastair and Simon, embarking on a one month overland adventure (despite his passion for travel Mark is embarrassed to admit he has a slight fear of flying!) which included the epic Trans-Mongolian Railway from Beijing to Moscow. On arrival back in the UK Mark sought a job combining his love of Japan and his previous experience in tourism and found both with a position at IJT! As Group Tours Consultant Mark is due to lead a handful of tours throughout the year and is responsible for the promotion and sales of group tours when in the UK.
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