Aside from this website, you may have
read his advertisements in local newspapers
Perhaps you have wondered: "Who is Mr Oka?"
Mr Oka is a retired professional tour guide. He conducted Japanese groups through America and Europe for many years. Upon stepping down from the demands of the industry and returning to Japan, he realized that Tokyo remained a real challenge for English speakers. Modern Tokyo is quite well covered by guide books, but how could a foreigner come to appreciate where it all came from? Japanese people have already soaked up the underlying history through school and cultural ambience.
As you make your way past the nooks and crannies or towers of Tokyo--if you have been on Mr. Oka's walks, you would find Tokyo more reveals. You know what is behind the concrete, the unexpected red-flagged shrines, those odd stones inscribed with what must be important Japanese. Mr Oka takes you to the museums, special parks, hidden shrines and mysterious neighborhoods that created today's dynamic Tokyo way of life. He wants you to uncover the history and excitement underlying the sometimes quiet, sometimes rambunctious urban-scape as you walk through it with him. His excellent English and lifetime of research and experience provides a rare opportunity to discover the sights and sounds of the past in a day and throughout the year. Although originally from Kochi-ken, Mr Oka first set foot in Tokyo in 1950 and he hasn't stopped walking since.
Who makes Mr. Oka's website?
That would be Patricia Yarrow, who has enjoyed all of the walking tours and thought that Mr. Oka's perspective should be available to the world on-line. Most of the photos were taken by her on the walking tours. She has credited the photographs of others where possible. Please feel free to e-mail any comments about this website to the footsore Patricia Yarrow.
She completed her M.A. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations (Japanese) at the University of Colorado at Boulder as of August, 2005, with a rousing thesis on traditional Japanese sake' images on labels. After a memorable few months in Awaji-shima, offshore Osaka, she has returned to the big city metropolis of Tokyo. Currently she is teaching English and writing at several universities and continues her research into traditional Japan's sake, sumo and shitomachi life. She is also a nascent travel writer for the Shizuoka government. The link will be up in September 2009. Her personal website is Japan Monogatari, http://www.well.com/~pyarrow/tokyo/
Who is Mr Oka?
~ Historian, Storyteller, Retired Tour Guide, ~
