Akihiro Wada – English and French tour guide in Japan

My name is Akihiro and I have been active as a field guide in Japan since 2008
I am a National Certified English and French tour guide in Japan.

I was born and grew up near Hakone in Kanagawa prefecture. At the age of 20, I travelled to the US and went to a community college and a university in Seattle, Washington, to study American and English literature. During my student years abroad, I did backpacking all over Europe, and experienced a farm stay in France. I also studied at a French university in Nantes as a part of an exchange program.

After graduation, I came back to Japan and when I was 29, I traveled from Tokyo by bicycle all the way to Kagoshima prefecture, southern end of Kyushu. Before returning to Tokyo, a friend of mine recommended visiting an island in Kagoshima, Yakushima island, which is known as UNESCO World Natural Heritage. This visit turned out to be the  beginning of my career as a field guide. I lived and worked on the island for 13 years, attending guests from all over the world.

In 2021, I returned to my hometown in Kanagawa to live near my parents. Since then, I have explored with my wife many different trails and onsens in this region. We started Coconuts Hike Japan in Spring 2023.

We love traveling and whenever we find a trail to hike, we want to give it a try. We have hiked in many places in Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, including the Japanese Alps, and also in Korea, China, Nepal and Alaska. When we walk on foot, the scenery looks different. We feel the things we would just pass by when traveling on a vehicle.

Hakone is a good place to hike, with its rich history and beautiful landscape. I would like to discover the authentic elements of this region with you as we walk on the trail together.

Other than a certified French and English tour guide in Japan, I have licenses in the following area:

• National Certified Tour Guide (English, French) 観光庁認定通訳案内士(英語、フランス語)
• Certified Japan Mountain Guide 日本山岳ガイド協会認定登山ガイド
• Wilderness Advanced First Aid WAFA アドバンスレベル
• Basic Life-Saving Certification 普通救命講習受講

Please see the reviews or testimonials from my past customers when I was working in Yakushima as a French and English tour guide in Japan.  

I used to work with Junichi-san in Yakushima in his company called Yakushima Geographic Tours.

Chiu Carmen – BA Manager

My name is Carmen and I am the Travel Consultant at Coconuts Hike Japan
I am originally from Hong Kong and used to run a tutorial centre there.  But now I am living in Japan with Akihiro.

I love travelling and have been to over 80 countries so far.  Japan and Thailand are the two countries I have visited the most before. I love Hokkaido in winter and Nagano in summer.  To me, hiking in Japan is more challenging than hiking in other countries such as the USA or Canada.

I love mountains too and diving is also my hobby, but I hike more than I dive.  My favourite mountain in Japan is Kitadake and my favourite trail is the one in Hakone – from Myojingatake to Mt Kintoki.

I have also logged more than a hundred dives so far, and the best liveaboard is in Cuba – Jardine de la Reina.  I look forward to exploring the sea in Japan more often.

I have tailored-made quite a few tours for my family and friends to Japan and they all enjoy my itinerary so much that they encourage me to do this commerically.

I think it is not my planning, but it is the country – Japan that has a lot to offer for tourists and there is not a bored moment in their trip.