Aoi Yokoyama of Northern Iwate Transportation Inc,

A dream come true in Miyako

Jodogahama Beach （Miyako） is one of the best-known tourist spots in Iwate Prefecture.

Yokoyama says that she first decided to pursue her current career when riding one of the Miyako Jodogahama Bay Tour Boats during her summer holidays two years ago and being deeply impressed with the “Marine Guides” who provide information on the boats. It was at that point, she says, that she decided she too wanted to become a Marine Guide.

After graduating high school and joining the company in March 2015, she undertook training in Morioka and Miyako, and on April 30 finally made her debut as a Marine Guide.

While many other young people are leaving the region, Yokoyama was able to make her dream come true in Miyako, the town where she was born and raised.

The importance of a smile to the tourism industry

The Miyako Jodogahama Bay Tour Boats sail around the Jodogahama area for around 40 minutes at a time. She says it can be difficult memorizing the names and locations of all the famous spots dotting the coastline, and occasionally she has to battle with seasickness, but she says the work is very happy and rewarding. “When I see the passengers listening intently to what I’m telling them, and when they come up and talk to me as they are getting off the boat, I feel really good about myself and that I’m doing something worthwhile,” she told us.

Smiling, she says about her hopes for the future, “I hope to keep studying hard, so that I can become an excellent tour guide like the older guides, and make the passengers happy.”

We wish Ms. Yokoyama all the best as she works hard to rebuild Sanriku through tourism.

Profile

Aoi Yokoyama: Originally from Miyako, Iwate.

In March 2015 she graduated a local high school and found employment at Northern Iwate Transportation, Inc.

She began training at the company after the entrance ceremony on March 19, 2015. On April 30, she made her debut as a Miyako Jodogahama Bay Tour Boat Marine Guide, the first high school graduate to do so in their first year in 25 years.