Our team at Inside Japan Tours

Little did Michael's parents know that the Origami handbook they bought him in 4th grade would inspire a lifelong passion for Japan.

Unfortunately, despite being somewhat of a child prodigy in the paper folding world, nowadays he would struggle to fashion anything more impressive than a paper cup.

From cookery classes with Princess Diana's former chef, to a stint at a fast food restaurant, Michael's first love isn't origami, but food. We've heard he can cook up a storm with nothing more than an idea, a hungry tummy and some ingenuity. Us, angling for a dinner party invite?

You're never far from a good meal in Japan and when living in Askashi, katsudon - fried pork with sweet and salty sauce topped with an egg - soon became his favourite. Katsudon isn't a health food, but it was great fuel for all his outdoor adventures; hiking Mount Fuji, Mount Ishizuchi and a quarter of the Kumano Kodo being just a few.

As if that wasn't enough, alongside cooking, hiking and origami, Michael enjoys crochet, and was a tissue engineering lab research assistant in a previous life. Plenty to talk about at that dinner party.