Why did I start TokudAw Inc.?

Hi! I am Wanping, one of the Managing Directors of TokudAw Inc. (pronounced as to-ku-daw). We have had many comments about the difficulty in pronouncing in our company’s name or people could not understand the exact service that we are providing. So I guess this is the article that addresses everyone’s concerns.

What is TokudAw?

It is a hybrid of Tokuda (the other Managing Director in the business) and Aw (which is my family name). Although our main service is providing fully customized private tours around Japan, what we hope to achieve is to contribute to the exchange of cultures amongst the Japanese and travelers, so that everyone can get to know each other better, become better versions of themselves, and in turn maybe lead to a more compassionate and caring society.

We hope that by you, by joining our tour activities, you can take a bit of Japan that you experienced and integrate into your current lifestyle, which explains the hybrid of our names in our company name.

How did we both meet?

We met about five years ago where Tokuda was working as a bus driver serving the inbound tourism market. I love travelling, photography and eating good food so I signed up as an assistant bus guide. In all the tours we did together, our customers often asked us for many local recommendations which I was able to dish out, much thanks to Tokuda. We had so much fun with the customers who rode on our bus, grew together as a team; I learnt about the secret local places that only the Japanese knew, and Tokuda learnt about what was popular on social media with the travelers.

At Oshino Hakkai, a Japanese Village near Mt. Fuji (Image credit: TokudAw Inc.)

Why did we start TokudAw?

I am originally from Singapore and moved to Japan 12 years ago. I was really into Japanese drama and music during university, so I did a 3 weeks-homestay and realized I wanted to live in this country. In my 12 years here, I evolved from a idol-chaser around Japan using overnight coaches to a seasonal-flower chaser zipping all over Japan in private cars or shinkansens with my customers. I have had been very lucky to be awarded many scholarships during my education here in Japan, and met many kind Japanese who helped me and guided me in my career. I have grown to love this place, to call this place my another home, and I just want to play my part to let more people know about the hidden beauty in country.

To be honest, living in Japan, I sometimes feel frustrated with the way how the Japanese society works. I grew to realize that there are many ways that we can both grow to learn how to accept each other, just that there are not enough opportunities to do so. Which is why, I hope that through the authentic tour experiences provided by TokudAw Inc., my customers can have a first hand experience in interacting with the local Japanese, and the locals can learn about non-Japanese culture, and with time, we can help in building a more compassionate and caring society.

Visit our website to learn more about the experiences we provide.