Our team at Inside Japan Tours

After swapping her home in Los Altos, California to spend a summer volunteering in Panama during high school, the seeds were sown for Kirsten's busy life criss-crossing the globe, picking up friends, experiences and memories along the way.

Big on languages, she loved chatting to locals in Spanish during her trip, but it was when hosting a Japanese student during her final year that she really found her calling. Inspired by Japanese language and culture, she went on to study Japanese at Brown University, and after visiting her host student in Shizuoka, fell for just about everything ("from the food to the landscapes to the people"). Returning full-time was inevitable, and after graduating, Kirsten packed her bags to work as a teacher for two years in Hamada, Shimane prefecture.

After this stint, it wasn't long before she was on the move again, heading to London to do a Master's in Tourism, Environment and Development. The metropolis didn't have Hamada's mountains and seaside views, but roast dinners, full English breakfasts and pub quizzes had a charm all of their own! Her final semester was spent travelling (of course) to study in India, Argentina and South Africa.

When she's not busy boarding planes, 9 times out of 10 you'll find Kirsten outdoors. She played soccer and polo at university, spent countless summers working as a soccer camp counsellor, and competed in two triathlons in London. But in Japan she really upped the ante, learning to ski and snowboard, joining an ultimate frisbee team, teaching futsal and cycling 300km through the countryside. Phew! Anyone else exhausted? If you were thinking of emulating the mammoth cycle ride, she recommends rounding off the day with a well-deserved pint of beer and a bowl of karaage (fried chicken). We might just skip to that bit.