Meet Giulia, an Italian tour guide living in Tokyo. With a degree in Japanese language, culture, and society, she creates unforgettable experiences for travelers. Giulia is passionate about Japan’s vibrant city life, art, and culture, and loves sharing her deep knowledge of the country with her clients.
Interview – Japan
- WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
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Italy
- WHAT DO YOU DO IN JAPAN?
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I’m currently working as a Tour Guide! I travel around Japan with customers from all over the world, making sure to create a unique and unforgettable experience for each one of them.
- WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JAPAN?
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I’ve always been fascinated by different cultures but, it may sound like a cliché, I got particularly interested in Japan thanks to Jrock, videogames, anime, and manga. I then started studying the Japanese language, culture, and society and became more interested in other aspects of the culture, especially folklore, religion, and philosophy.
- WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STAY IN THIS CITY?
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I lived in Japan while studying, and before COVID as well, before moving here permanently, but I’ve always lived in Tokyo. I’m a city girl, I don’t like the countryside and I absolutely hate driving. I’ve recently moved to Taito-ku and I am obsessed, even though I am within walking distance of Ueno Park and Senso-ji I’m in a quiet residential area and it’s amazing!
- WHERE IS YOUR LOCAL RECOMMENDATION IN THIS CITY?
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Food: Tsukiji Pepper Café for sure. Even though it’s in Tsukiji it’s a little bit hidden in between the main lanes and they have the best coffee in Tokyo, approved by all my picky Italian customers! Their food is amazing as well!
Shopping: I am a big fan of Nippori Fabric Town or the B1 floor of Nakano Broadway for second-hand Kimono and accessories.
- WHAT DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST WHILE STAYING ABROAD?
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I like big cities, events, museums and art galleries night life, and people watching and Tokyo gives me all of it in the best-organized chaos I’ve ever seen. I don’t think it’s for everyone but it definitely works for me!
- WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE BEING IN JAPAN?
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Probably the absolute lack of flexibility in the Japanese mindset. Don’t get me wrong, I like how organized Japan is and I believe rules are fundamental, but sometimes it gets so frustrating trying to get things done and having to follow absurd protocols and unspoken rules.
- WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JAPAN AND YOUR COUNTRY?
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Well, mostly the perception of time and rules and how they can or cannot be bent, but also how direct you can be when talking to someone, that’s very tricky as well!
- DID YOU EXPERIENCE ANY CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS?
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I’ve always known I wanted to travel and didn’t want to live in Italy my whole life, now I’m just making that happen! I thought I would become a teacher but ended up being a tour guide and I found out it’s not that different and I like it more than being in a classroom, so I think I’ll stick to that for now.
- WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?
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To have some peace of mind and be happy. I don’t care where or how but I just wanna be able to do what I like with the people I like. Oh and traveling around while I am at it!
- MESSAGE TO OUR FRIENDS WHO WILL GO TO JAPAN.
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Please, be respectful. I love the fact that you love Japan and you wanna come over, that’s amazing and you should definitely do it asap, but we are struggling a lot with over-tourism right now mostly because people are unable to behave. Japan is a real country with real people living here and too many tourists are treating it like their personal theme park. Just try your best to be as responsible as possible so that Japan can be enjoyed by everyone!
- HOW DO YOU LEARN JAPANESE?
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I studied at Ca’ Foscari, in Venice, and have a Bachelor’s degree in Japanese language, culture, and society. When I moved to Japan I also studied for a year and a half in a Japanese language school.
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