ABOUT US

A part of the Chuosen Aruaru Project, Experience Suginami Tokyo is a tourism website that intends to give full and useful sightseeing information about Suginami,Tokyo. All year round in this area you can enjoy various events and there are a variety of unique spots scattered about including restaurants (there are hundreds with English menus that we have listed on this site), ramen shops, izakaya and bars, second hand clothing, antique shops, music venues, an anime district and an anime museum. These types of places are introduced here by foreign residents in Japan who are living and/or working in Suginami, with some help from Japanese locals. If you are headed out for some Tokyo sightseeing or wandering, please take a look at this page and by all means get on the Chuo-Line and come to Suginami– only 10 minutes from Shinjuku! In particular, here you will find places not introduced in Tokyo guide books that offer a glimpse at the lives of Tokyo locals. If you are interested in a specific aspect of Japanese culture, you can find your niche in Suginami!

Experience Suginami Tokyo is the work of many people from many different countries, from Japanese residents of Suginami to foreign residents from various countries. The main staff doing the photography and writing are from across the globe. Here we’d like to introduce our team.

  • Greg (U.S.A.)
    director, writer, photographer

    Greg is from Boston and has been in Japan since 2010, first gaining an interest in the culture from origami. He has also been practicing karate and kendo for many years. A big fan of the art and culture of Suginami, he is always tempted by Japanese sweets containing anko red bean paste, especially with a fragrant cup of green tea.

  • Mark (U.S.A.)
    writer, photographer, videographer

    Mark is from Massachusetts in the US. He has lived in Suginami Tokyo for almost 2 decades. He is an actor and model in Japanese dramas, movies, promotional videos and commercials. When not in front of the camera acting or behind the camera taking photos for Experience Suginami, you’ll find him socializing and taking street photos around Suginami.
    Instagram: tokyo_tableaux

  • Minako (Japan)
    photo snapper, translator, writer

    Suginami-born (in a vegetarian maternity hospital in Ogikubo), having lived in Seoul, Florida, Hong Kong, Liverpool and now based near Nishi-Ogikubo. She enjoys art, electronic music, bird watching, snapping photos and savouring delicious plant-based offerings in Suginami!
    Instagram: minapopgoldfish

  • Ian (U.K.)
    writer, web assistance

    Ian moved to Japan with his wife, Minako, in 2016. Born in Liverpool, Ian retired after many years in IT specialising in databases. He loves art and design and music, spending his days exploring galleries, strolling around Zenpukuji Park or enjoying some of the many vegan restaurants on offer in Suginami.
    Instagram: itsianjackson

  • Miho (Japan)
    writer, translator, social media

    Miho was born in Tokyo and has been spending long years in Suginami, a native Suginamian.
    She’s happy to introduce the charm of the local area with information that only locals know. She’s also totally absorbed in spending time in cafes and art galleries.

  • Diego (Colombia, Canada)
    photographer, tourism ambassador

    Diego is a freelance photographer and writer. He is a native of Colombia who at an early age moved to Canada. He lived in Tokyo from 2014 until 2019, during which time he took a great deal of photos for Experience Suginami Tokyo. Now he resides in New York, U.S.A., as a freelance photographer and promoting Suginami on the side!
    Instagram: diego_rojasrey