Our team at Inside Japan Tours

The sun never sets on the InsideJapan Tours team (well, maybe on Sundays) as we have offices in Bristol (UK), Broomfield, (USA), Brisbane (Australia) and Nagoya (Japan). On this page you can meet the people behind our Japan tours and holidays.

We have a wide range of backgrounds and interests, but you can be sure that the one thing that ties us all together is a love of Japan, Japanese culture and a passionate desire to share that with other people.

From the accounts department, through the travel consultant teams to the tour leaders and guides on the ground, you can rest assured that everything we do is to make sure you have the best possible experience of Japan.

Tyler Palma
Head of Operations
Email: [email protected]
Location (Japan)

Tyler has worked in the travel industry for over a decade in roles spanning seven countries, but it is Japan that has really become his second home.

After visiting the Far East on an around the world boat journey, Tyler spent the next 20 years working and living in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, China, South Korea and Japan. He began his journey as an adventure tour leader but has since gone on to get a master’s degree in East Asian studies and is now the Head of Operations for the InsideJapan and InsideAsia. He is deeply committed to responsible tourism and has even advised the Japanese government on their national tourism policy.

Although Tyler’s wanderlust has taken him to nearly 70 countries, he always comes back to East Asia, a place that he maintains is a traveller’s paradise. He now lives in Tokyo with his wife, daughter and son in a house that he designed himself, but he is far from settled. He continues to travel to all parts of Japan at every chance he gets. In his free time Tyler enjoys studying calligraphy, skateboarding, playing golf, or taking photographs.

Tyler has taken journalists, politicians, celebrities, and royalty around Japan and he maintains that nothing could be better than introducing enthusiastic travellers to his favourite places in his favourite country.

What is your top tip for people visiting Japan for the first time?

"Visit an izakaya for a real sense of a typical but quite special Japanese evening out on the town. Better still, book our izakaya evening - you'll visit a great izakaya with an InsideJapan tour leader who can help you make sense of the menu, explain a bit about the dishes and fill you in on Japanese dining etiquette.

"I also recommend making use of the numerous convenience stores (called konbini in Japanese). They are a cultural experience in and of themselves!"

Relive a favourite moment in Japan...

Visiting Nagasaki

"Because Nagasaki was the first place I ever visited in Japan, it holds a very special place in my heart. I also love the beautiful mountain vistas of Kamikochi - especially barbecuing in front of the little cabins you can rent in the area.

"I've visited both Nagasaki and Kamikochi numerous times over my years in Japan and I have so many wonderful memories from both."