Core Team
Tyler Harder (Director)
A 15 year veteran of the print, web and multimedia industry, with a passion for international travel and tourism, Tyler finds his calling in team management and creative planning, and cares about both producing successful finished products - and keeping our clients happy!
Yumi Komatsu (Project Coordinator)
A Tokyo native who spent 3 years in London, England, Yumi has extensive experience in both traditional and web publishing. Gigs and films, and a dog named May count among Yumi's passions, along with a strong interest in photography, management and communications.
Christopher Jue (Photo Editor)
Originally from California, Christopher first hit Japanese shores in 2005, where he has since created more than a splash in his chosen profession of photography. Chris has been published in several fields ranging from fashion to travel, photographed countless famous faces, and been published on both sides of the Pacific.
Kyle Fujita (Art Director)
A Canadian-born 4 year resident of the Japanese capital, Kyle's interest in media and design saw him join the Japan-i team in May, 2009. He now heads up the production of the monthly Japan-i tabloid - and enjoys seeing the publication establish itself as one of the leading sources of inbound tourist information for all things Japan.
Risa Kuwahara (Chinese Editor)
Originally born in Shanghai China, Risa has been living in Japan for 18 years and has 15 years of experience working in translation (English, Japanese, Chinese) and editing. Risa is an open-minded and optimistic person, and likes to travel and make friends with all kinds of people around the world. She wants to make a bridge between Japan and the rest of the world!
Mantas Masalikis (Programmer)
With nearly 6 years of php/Ruby and iOS experience - and an adventurous spirit - Mantas left his home in Vilnius, Lithuania for Tokyo after high-school and never turned back. Involved in startups including Soundpedia.com, and extensive online experience with PHP/Javascript and numerous contracted clients, Tsunago counts him as one of our most talented young developers. Cycling worldwide, and coding-on-the-go are his hobbies!
Mark Buckton (Editor)
A long term resident of Tokyo, and founding editor of Japan-i, Mark has been covering Japanese culture for over a decade in both the domestic and international media. He has a particular interest in the sport of sumo, and various forms of Japanese theatre, and has been published widely across three contintents. On sumo, he has also served as the go-to man in recent years for international meda and news organizations including the BBC and CNN.
Bomee Kim (Korean Editor)
This Korean Kiwi girl works for various mass media as an editor, translator, and researcher, alongside her dedicated journalism studies at Waseda University. She aims to become a queen of PR and journalist extraordinaire! This of course leaves her very little spare time for her hobbies - photography - and to hunt for prince-charming.
Pete Richardson (Web Producer)
Pete hails from the land of marmite and lukewarm beer. After experiencing two years in rural Japan, Pete's currently based in Tokyo and specialises in web design and development. In his spare time he enjoys board sports and strumming stringed instruments with friends.
Mari Kiguchi (Client Liaison)
Mari Kiguchi is from Okinawa (ok, just at heart - actually Saitama), and loves showing off Japanese traditional culture. She studied film in Los Angeles for 2 years before returning to Tokyo to take up photography and writing. In Mari’s spare time, when not traveling, she tunes up cars and rides fast horses!
Berndt Otto (Videographer)
An engineer, photographer and videographer, Berndt captures his experiences in Japan with beauty and poise - and perhaps no subject more actively than weddings, where he has experience on three sides of the Japanese pulpit - as both priest, husband and videographer!