Your Japan Private Tours travel blog

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Your Japan Private Tours: Hello! My name is Ian Ropke (born and raised in Canada) and I created Your Japan Private Tours in 1990. I have been active in the Japanese travel and tourism industry for more than 25 years. In addition to working with a stable of great guides (tour guides are freelancers by definition), I have guided many individuals and groups through Kyoto and Tokyo since 1990. I have also lectured at seminars and for corporate clients on Japanese culture and history. I have done work for Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Prudential Life Insurance, and the CEOs (and their families) of many international corporations. I was the editor-in-chief of the Kyoto Visitor's Guide from 1994-2009 and also the editor-in-chief of the Osaka Visitor's Guide from 1993 to 1997. I am also the author of the Historical Dictionary of Kyoto and Osaka.