One Life Japan

One Life Japan is a personal experiment in life

One Life is about living your life with the knowledge that it is the only one you have. One Life is about recognizing that your life and your neighbor's life can not be separate. One life is about realizing that we all - you, me, the earth, and everything in it are connected, and we only have one shot to make this work.

Both the founders - Tomoe and Kevin, are refugees from big city life and the corporate world. We began to question not only our involvment in an overwhelming system that endangers everything we care about in life, but also our own goals and ambitions. We began to question how we would feel if we spent our entire one life on the path we were on. We looked for what we felt truely passionate about in life - not just what "sounded good" in a job interview, or cleverly worded mission statements that served only to justify our jobs at the time - and we made the decision to follow that passion. We decided that the best way to live our one life, is to make our true passions in to our work.

For us, One Life Meant Sharing

One life is about sharing the experiences, knowledge and discovery we thrive on. We do this through a variety of activities and projects - each using Japan's natural history and culture to share a new view of how life can be lived, enjoyed, and savored. We use physical challenge to remind us that we are human - physical animals born to be active. We use traditional food to remind us of the connection between our natural surroundings and how to thrive within the limitations they impose. We use people's natural desire to be more than what their current carrer path prescribes as a launching point for life changing learning. We use the kindness and openness of our rural neighbors to share a different perspective with our clients.

Who Is One Life?

One Life was founded and is run by Kevin and Tomoe. We have been bike-touring Japan together since 2001, and we both share a passion for finding ways to live a healthy, fulfilling, fun, learningful, and sustainable lifestyle with a close connection to community, and the environment. This has convinced us that the best and most fulfilling way to really experience the natural, cultural, and historical beauty - not to mention incredible hospitality - that Japan has to offer is at 18 km/hr on a bycicle.

Learn more about:

• Kevin
• Tomoe
• The One Life Staff

Kevin top

Kevin is the dreamer that sets the courses using his uncanny ability to intuit which path will lead to the next great adventure. "It's not all intuition though, I also rely on careful research, trip planning, and preparation. I have over a decade of study of Japanese culture and history, fluency in the language, and the ability to charm even the most serious of local farmers into a conversation about politics, food, or life in the mountains. And, when my mojo is working, I have even been known to work in an unplanned home-cooked dinner and peak into the real life of the locals."

"Throughout my life I have been biking, kayaking, hiking, climbing, rafting, sailing, skiing, diving, and studying around the world, from across the US, to the Canadian wilderness, to the rain-forests of Costa Rica, Malaysia and Thailand, the reefs of Jamaica, the tundras of Sweden, the mountains of Norway, and of course all across Japan. I am an American certified Wilderness First Responder, and have organized and led biking, kayaking, and skiing adventures from the coasts of Maine to to icy waters of the Baltic Sea, to the mountains of Japan and Noreway.

I have been touring Japan by bike since 1995, when I first arrived to study in a small town on the island of Shikoku. After three years studying Japanese history and literature, including a year in Kyushyu University, where I explored Japan's southern most island, I once again returned to the United States where I met Tomoe and graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Japanese Language and Literature.

After a stint with a sea-kayak touring company on the coast of Maine, I moved to Tokyo in 1999, where I first worked as an translator and teacher, later joining the business world in investor relations at an all (but for me) Japanese company, followed by a four year career as a web-developer and new-media designer. Most recently, I spent a year in Sweden where I earned a masters degree in "Strategic Leadership for Sustainable Development" and strengthened my own understanding of the natural world while living and working on an organic farm and nature reserve. When I'm not leading bike tours to the Japan country-side, I divide my time between my photography, volunteering with local organic farmers, and working with the premier sustainable business development consultancy in Tokyo."

Tomoe top

Tomoe keeps everything together. She is an expert in modern Japanese culture with a special passion for exploring both new and traditional methods of healthy, environmentally sound cooking, and learning about how food and food production has influenced peoples lifestyles in Japan. She is also an expert in corporate finance, organizational leadership, and sustainable business to boot.

After graduating from the Japan's most prestigious University, with both an undergrad and graduate degree in environmental studies and business, Tomoe breezed through a highly competitive training program designed to develop leaders at General Electric, major multi-national corporation famous for their human resource development. After three years of leadership training, she felt compelled to use what she had learned for purposes closer to her own heart and conscience. She has recently left her job with with one of Japan's most respected environmental consulting companies - helping businesses meet the demands of Japan's growing conscientious, environmentally minded, "LOHAS" consumers - in order to lead One Life Japan's Food and Life programs, integrating her main passions of food and health, with her amazing ability to chat for hours with the locals about things most mortals would not even notice.

Having spent over three years in the United States and England for both work and study, Tomoe is fluent in English and understands what makes us gaijin (that's a foreigner in Japan) tick. She puts that understanding to good use by constantly picking up on and pointing out the subtle nuances of Japanese culture that tend to go unnoticed.

One Life Staff top

While One life is mainly run by Kevin and Tomoe. Larger tours and busy seasons provide an opportunity for us to hire other carefully screened individuals, based on their:

• Adventureous spirit
• Knowledge of Japan and Japanese culture
• Ability to provide a one of a kind travel experience for our guests
• English language ability (for English based tours)
• Commitment to the environment and sustainability

While self-guided tours are always an option, and extremely fulfilling, we guarantee that having one of our guides with you will take your experience in Japan to a completely new level.