Get to Know our Travel Guides Series: Let’s Meet Ike

Today we have the great pleasure of interviewing Ike, one of our senior tour guides in Osaka. If you are planning on visiting the city, you can browse Arigato Travel’s tours and request him!

Hello and thank you for joining us for this interview! Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello, my name is Noriyuki “Ike” lkegami. I was born and raised in Japan. My family moved a lot when I was a child because of my father’s job, so I have gotten to see lots of different places in Japan. I lived in Tokyo, Ehime, Fukuoka, then moved back to Tokyo, as well as Kanagawa. I have a pretty strong musical background. When I was growing up, I played piano, trumpet, and folk guitar, and when I was 14 or so, I started playing drums, which is now my main musical instrument. When I was 21, I went to Boston MA in the US to go to the Berklee College of Music and I ended up staying in the Boston area for about 35 years. The reason I came back to Japan is that my wife and I, who is from Osaka and whom I met in Boston, had a daughter 9 years ago. When she was 4 years old or so we thought about educational systems and all of the different environmental factors for her and decided that Japan might be a better fit. As a result, we came back to Japan in 2018. 

What was your experience like moving to Boston in 1983 to attend music school?

When I was 17 to 21 years old, I was taking drum lessons at Yamaha Music School in Shibuya. My teacher used to go to Berklee, so he helped me to go there. The school was very good and taught me a lot about not only drums but also some musical arrangements, harmony, conducting, film scoring, and more. Also, I met many great teachers and friends from all over the world.

You mentioned that while living in Boston for music school you also got involved in the restaurant business around that time. How did that happen?

After school, I played in a Reggae band, an African band, and an R&B band. I did national tours twice and I went to Jamaica for recording. I did lots of traveling so I got to see many different states. The US is just enormous, different states look and feel like entirely different countries. Anyway, after playing in different bands for over 20 years with the help of my parents, I opened up my own little Sushi restaurant called Sushiemon in Boston from 2013 to 2017.

During your 35 years in Boston, you had experience as a sushi chef, manager at a Japanese market, and restaurant owner. What were some memorable moments you had while working in Boston and how did this experience shape your knowledge of Japanese food?

For those 35 years, I came back to Japan every year for about 2 weeks, and every time I came back I was gaining about 5kg of weight because the food in Japan is so good. One noteworthy thing is that the water in Japan is very good, so everything tastes better. Because of my job, I could get pretty much anything from Japan, but the reason that I was gaining so much weight was because of one thing, the water quality.  Of course, the level of food in restaurants and shops is also very high. 

In 2004, the band I was playing in called One People won the Boston Music Award in the world beat category, and also I ran the Boston Marathon 4 times between 2011 and 2014, which were both good challenges I’m glad I had the chance to face. 

What inspired you to become a tour guide in Japan?

One of the main reasons was that I wanted to keep up my English-speaking ability. Another factor was that I wanted to meet people from all over the world and get to know them and their cultures. 

Do you have any favorite places to recommend in Osaka? Something off-the-beaten-path?

I am not from Osaka originally so I am not sure about something off-the-beaten-path, but I like the Nanba area because it’s really got that Osaka atmosphere. It’s lively and has big 3D signs that are very symbolic of the city. I also like the Umeda area since there are tons of things to do and there are many ways. to enjoy it. If you like drinking, you have to check out the B1 and B2 floors of Osaka Eki Biru (station building) from No.1 to No.4 where there are so many drinking places and shops. It’s amazing!

What is your favorite food from Osaka and do you have any restaurant recommendations?

I’ve loved Takoyaki ever since I was a kid even though I’m not from Osaka. My older brother got into Takoyaki when he was 13 years old, that’s when I was 9 or so. He got a small Takoyaki pan and we used to make Takoyaki regularly. Wanaka is one of my favorite Takoyaki places. They are a chain, but their Takoyaki is very good. I also like noodles, so I recommend Tsurutontan for Udon and Kamukura ramen. 

What was a favorite experience you have had as a tour guide?

I like building relationships with new people even though the tour is only 3 hours long. It is totally ichigo ichie (一期一会) once in a lifetime meeting, so we have to cherish the time we have together. So sometimes we become like close friends, which is a good feeling. Also, I used to work at one of Kani Douraku crab restaurants and they taught me how to fold the crab with Origami, and now I give one out to each group. They are usually surprised by how detailed it is and they are very happy to receive it. 

Thank you for your time and insightful responses, Ike! To all our readers, don’t forget to request Ike for an Arigato Travel Tour if you’re visiting Osaka!

Social Media to get in contact with Ike:

• Facebook: Nori Ikegami