The Story Behind
Aska’s Tour

Hi, I’m Aska, the founder of Aska’s Tour.
Thank you so much for visiting our website.

In this blog, I’d like to share a little bit about my life and the story behind why I started Aska’s Tour.

I grew up as a beach girl in Shonan, about an hour from Tokyo. I was always watching Disney Channel, and it sparked my curiosity about foreign cultures and made me dream of living in another country someday.

When I entered middle school, I started feeling uncomfortable with the Japanese school system and, more broadly, with the way society worked in Japan.

The United States

Then I discovered High School Musical.

I remember wondering, “Is high school in America really like this?”
The American high school life looked way too cool to me.

So I decided that I wanted to go to high school in the United States.

After many conversations and difficulties with my parents and school, I eventually made it happen and went to America as a high school exchange student.

And the funny thing was—I could barely speak English at the time.

Spending a year as an American high school student completely changed my life.

It felt like entering another world. Every day was full of surprises, new experiences, and adventures.

I learned that the things I thought were “right” were not always right, and the things I thought were “wrong” were not always wrong.

My way of seeing the world became much bigger.

If you are thinking about becoming a high school exchange student, I say: go for it.
And if you are a parent, I truly believe that sending your child to experience another country at a young age can be life-changing.

You’ll understand what I mean when you experience it yourself.

I honestly believe that if more people had the opportunity to spend a year living in another country at a young age, the world could become a very different place.

Anyway, I had an incredible year in the US.

But when I came back to Japan, I was filled with a strange sense of disappointment. I found it difficult to fit back into Japanese society.

In Japan, there can be a strong expectation to fit into a certain standard and behave in a certain way. But after experiencing life in another culture, I realized that I didn’t want to simply fit into one standard.

So I decided to explore more of the world.

The UK

I went to the UK for university.

That was another completely different experience.

I had plenty of hard times—especially with the British weather!—but I was also lucky enough to travel to many different countries across Europe.

After graduating from university, I eventually came back to Japan.

Kyoto

And somehow, I ended up in Kyoto.

At that point, I was traveling around Asia and trying to figure out where I wanted to settle and where I truly felt at home.

Kyoto caught my attention because it is one of the most historical and culturally rich cities in Japan, while at the same time being home to people from all over the world.

I felt comfortable here.

And the more time I spent in Kyoto, the more I wanted to learn about this incredible city and its culture.

I also started noticing something.

I saw many foreign visitors struggling to communicate with local people. At the same time, I realized just how deep and fascinating Japanese culture is—and how difficult it can be for visitors to truly understand it during a short trip.

That’s when the idea for Aska’s Tour was born.

I wanted to become a bridge connecting cultures and people.

I want visitors to experience more than just the famous tourist spots. I want them to understand the stories, culture, people, and little details that make Japan special.

No matter how different our cultures may be, we are all human beings.

And I believe the more we understand each other, the more fun, interesting, and meaningful the world becomes.

That is what I want to do through Aska’s Tour.

I’m still building it, one step at a time.

And I’m trying to create a bigger bridge across the world.