OUR GUIDES
By joining a tour with Fuji Mountain Guides, you're climbing with some of the most qualified guides on the mountain. Each group tour is led by native English-speaking and bilingual mountain guides.
Phil Welch
Originally from London, Phil served for eight years in the British Army before leaving to travel the world. He now lives year-round in Hokkaido. Working as a backcountry ski guide in the winter, raft guide in the spring and hiking guide/ farm worker in the summer, he is lucky enough to spend all year-round in the beautiful Japanese outdoors.
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Motohiro Hayashi
Moto was born and raised in Saitama, Japan. In his early twenties, he traveled to Nepal, exposing him to mountain activities through the Himalayans. This experience led Moto to seek a future in guiding and other outdoor pursuits. Just back from a few years working in and exploring Australia and New Zealand, his time there was spent guiding multinational guests on one of greatest walks in New Zealand, the Milford Track. During the winter, Moto works for the ski patrol team at Hakuba and enjoys backcountry skiing. His favorite pastime these days is trail running, sometimes spanning 100 miles!
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Masato Ogata
Masato was born and raised in Japan. He spent the summer of 2017 as staff at a mountain hut on Mt. Fuji, introducing many of our guests and other international travelers to Japanese culture. Through this two-month experience, Masato gained valuable knowledge of both Mt. Fuji's culture and terrain, holding an "insider" view of the mountain. Masato enjoys traveling and climbing both in his home country and overseas.
He looks forward to guiding tourists in Japan, paying it forward to all the locals that have assisted him in his travels abroad. Masato enjoys music, traveling, nature and meeting new people from all over the world. Certifications
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Daniel Busby
Originally from the northeast of England, Daniel has had a passion for traveling and the outdoors from a young age. This love took him all over the world skiing and snowboarding before finding himself in Japan. In Japan, he has worked in several different outdoor industries, from bungee to ski patrolling and ski and snowboard instructing. Shortly after coming here, he discovered a talent for Japanese, leading to working in several Japanese companies. Currently living in Gotemba at the base of Mt. Fuji, Daniel loves nothing more than a day hiking or a round of golf, except for perhaps the beer afterwards.
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Michael Chan
Michael was raised in Sydney, Australia, born to Cantonese and Vietnamese parents. Rock climbing, exploring mountains, and snowboarding are his life passions. Michael quit his full-time job as an architect for the dream of pursuing a life exploring and working in the mountains. He has worked as a snowboard instructor in Hakuba and Niseko and has sport climbed across Australia and Japan. Michael is a bundle of energy you'll be pleased to be accompanied by on your climb up Mt. Fuji!
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Yannis Karrer
Growing up on the German-Swiss border, Yannis spent the better part of his childhood skiing and hiking in the Alps and developed a strong passion for the mountains from a young age. Upon finishing his Marine Biology degree and working as a scuba diving instructor at the Great Barrier Reef, Yannis moved to Australia’s hiking mecca, Tasmania, where he worked as a hiking guide on the prestigious Overland Track. Yannis is an outdoor enthusiast and loves to spend his free time rock-climbing, freediving, skiing and trail running. Over the years, Yannis has developed a keen interest in Japan’s rich culture and is excited to share this passion as well as his expertise in the mountains with you on the trail to one of the world’s most iconic summits.
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John Llyweyn
John was born in North Wales and grew up hiking the mountains of Eryri National Park. After spending eight years in the Merchant Navy he decided to continue pursuing his passion for the outdoors by chasing the winter as a ski instructor in Canada, New Zealand and eventually Japan. Now a year-round resident of Hokkaido, he skis in the winter and rafts in the summer, although he doesn't have much time for that now as he continuously takes on more renovation projects than he can handle. John is soon to be the landlord of a pub in Niseko and invites anyone who shares his love of the outdoors to come for a drink.
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Charles Yates
Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Charles now lives full-time in Japan, based on the island of Hokkaido. Aside from guiding on Mt. Fuji, Charles spends the summers rafting, hiking and camping. During the winter he works as a cat ski guide and operator in Hokkaido.
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Andrew Quirk
What Andy lacks in karaoke talent, he makes up for on the sporting field! After playing rugby for 20 years, Andy took up snowboarding in Fukui, Japan, first, then the famed Furano, which was akin to surfing on snow, and an addiction soon surfaced. After over eight snow seasons, Andy decided to run eight marathons. His most recent was in Berlin, training in the outback of Australia. He has worked as a Japanese-speaking guide at Vald'isere, Whistler and in Australia. Andy has a keen interest in travel, languages, Japanese food and culture as well as the sake.
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Takashi Yoshimura
Takashi was born and raised in Osaka. Takashi worked as a middle school physical education teacher before discovering his love for snowboarding and the outdoors. Over the past 10 years, he has traveled the world, indulging in outdoor activities such as snowboarding, climbing, surfing and mountain trekking. During winters, you'll find him guiding splitboarding tours in Hokkaido. Takashi, who has a passion for nature and adventure, looks forward to meeting you all.
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Jen Blakeley
Jen was born and raised in North Island, New Zealand. Growing up in the outdoors, she acquired a passion for hiking, camping and swimming. After finishing her degree in Geoscience, she moved to the South Island to guide on the Milford Track and learn to ski over the winter. With a desire to go hiking around the world, Jen is excited to meet you in Japan and experience Mt. Fuji together.
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Takumaru Hotta
Taku was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan. He spent his high school years in British Columbia, Canada, where he fell in love with the outdoors. He enjoys rock climbing and hiking in the summer, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. During the winter you'll find Taku working as a ski patroller as well as ski and snowboard instructor in the mountains of Hakuba, Japan. He looks forward to enjoying the journey up Mt. Fuji together and spending time with people from all around the world.
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Emiko Nagai
Emiko was born to a Shanghainese mother and Japanese father and raised in Narita city Japan. Growing up with Canadian cousins, it was very natural for her to be interested in the world outside of Japan, leading her on travels and exploration around the world. A 3 year stint in Australia helped develop a love for nature and has been the centre of her life since. She enjoys heart opening conversations and making friends through shared experiences such as traveling, hiking and dancing to good music!
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Anna Janzen
Anna was born and raised in the beautiful province of British Columbia, Canada. Growing up surrounded by mountain peaks and an expansive coastline, she developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors. Her love for rock climbing and hiking led her to complete a diploma in Outdoor Recreation Management, where she gained extensive knowledge and skills in guiding, risk management, and outdoor education. Among her outdoor industry experiences are guiding guests through glacial melt on heli-kayak excursions, working at ski resorts, and guiding on Mt. Fuji!
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Melissa Chen
Growing up in Shanghai, Melissa would spend her winters skiing in Hokkaido, leading to her appreciation for Japan. She is currently a Kinesiology student at the University of British Columbia hoping to become a physiotherapist with NGOs like Doctors Without Borders.
Melissa is an avid fan of skiing, surfing, climbing, and backpacking and has experience as a horseback guide in Banff National Park. Squamish and Whistler have provided the perfect setting for Melissa to pursue her outdoor activities. Melissa loves meeting new people and solo travelling to experience new cultures. Certifications
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Satoru Ozawa
Satoru was raised in the Rocky Mountains in Western Canada. From a young age he learned to appreciate and enjoy the outdoors. Growing up around the outdoor tourism industry he was exposed to the opportunities and enjoyment that guiding brings. This season is his first with FMG. He has spent 2 seasons in Canada working as a whitewater raft guide. When he is not working you'll see him out hiking, scrambling, climbing, biking, skiing, rafting or kayaking. Through working at FMG he plans to further his guiding skills and abilities.
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Scott Wallis
Scott's roots lie in New Zealand, where his love affair with the outdoors began. With extensive hiking and mountain climbing experience in his homeland, he's honed a deep connection to nature. Scott indulges in an array of thrilling pursuits, from packrafting and ocean kayaking to fishing, spearfishing, and sailing. However, it's skiing that truly captivates him, leading him to traverse the world's finest slopes, culminating in unforgettable experiences in the snowy peaks of Japan, where he's spent the past two winters in Hokkaido. Scott's profound appreciation for the mountains and his fascination with Japanese culture are passions he's eager to share with fellow adventurers on the thrilling journey to conquer Mt. Fuji.
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Dillon Valentine
Dillon was born and raised in the beautiful country of New Zealand and has developed a passion for multi-day hiking! With the outdoors an ever present part of his childhood, Dillon completed all levels of The Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award and is now an instructing groups of children/adolescents to gain the award themselves. In his down time, Dillon will enjoy playing video games, board games, puzzles, escape rooms, and watching anime.
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Colleen Booth
Colleen was born in Australia and raised in the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, Calgary. She completed some of her first hikes as an accessory to her parent's backpack. With two younger brothers she was soon taking charge and diving into outdoor culture with Girl Guides, competitive swimming, and winter sports. For three years in Australia, she worked for a harm reduction organization in tandem with medical teams at outdoor festivals providing safe spaces and guidance as well as educational resources.
In 2019, Colleen embarked on a solo quest around the world, volunteering in the US, Sweden, Estonia, Turkey, and India. Whether you're in need of emotional support :) or guidance up Japan's tallest mountain, Colleen is looking forward to being part of your journey. Certifications
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Henrika Ahola
Henrika grew up in Finland and spent much of her childhood outdoors camping and hiking as a scout. After graduating high school, she moved to the UK to pursue higher education in biosciences. During her studies, she continued to explore the outdoors through hikes and climbs in the national parks of the UK, as well as a summer spent working as a camp leader in rural Inner Mongolia, China. She moved to Japan to continue her studies and is excited to work on Mount Fuji this summer!
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Thomas Hunt
Thomas has been based in Japan for seven years now. Living right at the base of Mt. Fuji, he enjoys frequent climbs up Japan's highest mountain. Thomas currently works for the U.S. Navy as a civilian. In his free time he enjoys taking the camper van out and traveling around Japan with his dog, whilst climbing mountains, skiing and surfing.
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Ayako Kuroda
Ayako was born and raised in Tokyo. During her high school years in Canada, she became fascinated with freeride skiing. Since then, she has been spending her winters skiing in mountains overseas and in Japan. Joining the FMG team in 2017, Ayako is thrilled in being able to meet and guide people from all over the world on Mt. Fuji. When she is not skiing or climbing Mt. Fuji, she enjoys traveling, reading, and CrossFit.
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Takaya Kawaguchi
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Kotaro Terasaka
Kotaro didn’t actually grow up liking the outdoors until he was 19 years old. Growing up in Ohio, he grew up walking around malls and playing video games. Once he got a job at a Halloween Store in southern California which exposed him to outdoor sports, he fell in love with it. While in San Diego he learned how to surf and was out most days before the sun came up. After a couple years he moved to the Bay area, learned to climb, bought a van to live in, and was chasing the nice weather. Kotaro has been in Moab Utah the last few years, working at cafes and bike shops, still trying to travel and bike when he has days off.
While not working or biking, Kotaro enjoys sewing/designing bags, working on his vehicles, running, traveling and drinking too much coffee when trying to relax. Certifications
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Keita Sugawara
Keita was born and raised in Tokyo. He spent his childhood immersed in Japan's nature, snowboarding and hiking in the Japanese Alps as well as catching waves on the pacific.
During university, Keita spent time as an exchange student in San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Portland. He looks forward to traveling the trail with you and providing insights into Japanese culture. Certifications
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Matthew Rascone
Matthew was born in Philadelphia and has grown up in the US and Canada. While living in Japan he turned his love of rock climbing to mountain guiding on Mt. Fuji. After living in Japan for four years he returned to Canada to pursue his Master's in psychology. When he is not studying Matthew likes to spend time with his family, run, and do yoga.
He is fortunate to combine his love for Japanese Culture with his love for the outdoors and cannot wait to see you on your upcoming Mt. Fuji trip! Certifications
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Troy Kendall
Born and raised in New Zealand, Troy has had a passion for the outdoors his entire life. He has been rock-climbing for the past ten years in New Zealand and overseas, and loves to share his passion of the outdoors with people from all walks of life. Troy quit his job as a Police Constable to pursue his life-long passion of climbing, seeing where he could push his limits and keep following his spirit of adventure. Troy is an outgoing and positive individual who’ll have you smiling throughout any day.
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Ella Garel-Jones
Ella was born and raised in London but has recently moved to Tokyo to find adventure and indulge in Japan's outstanding natural beauty. Her passion for outdoor activities started while hiking in the Sinai Desert on her year abroad in Cairo. Since then she has always looked for ways to escape the city and get back into nature, mostly by climbing mountains and going wild camping. This led her to work for a couple of years at a travel company both as an operational manager and a tour leader. When she is not working, she is always reading up about culture and history, learning a few languages and planning the next big trip.
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Malina Smith
Malina was born in Switzerland and grew up in the bush on the Australian East Coast. After traveling to Nepal at the age of 21 and falling in love with the mountains, she returned to Melbourne to work as a rock climbing instructor. She has enjoyed hiking all over, from the Australian desert to European forests and the Himalayas. In further pursuit of mountains, Malina spent a winter in the northern Alps of Japan and is now eager to share her love of walking with you on Mt. Fuji.
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Nicholas Woods
Nick grew up in the south of England and as a youngster was obsessed with all things water! Fishing, sailing, kitesurfing. His passion for mountains really grew when he moved to Scotland five years ago. He then discovered ski touring and mountaineering and hasn’t looked back since. Recently, he has been working as a marine ecologist for the Scottish government; however, his love of snow led him to spend a winter teaching skiing in Hokkaido! Now, Nick is continuing to use his mountain leadership experience on Mt. Fuji. Nick enjoys running around in nature and can’t wait to pass on his love of the outdoors to you this summer!
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Connie Gallop
Connie grew up in the Lake District National Park in the UK so her love of mountain environments started from a young age. She loves to hike, run, climb, mountain bike and ski her way round many different mountain ranges around the world. She spent a winter ski instructing in Kiroro, Hokkaido, and fell in love with ski touring in Japan. This led her to want to continue exploring the mountains, food and culture of Japan. She's now ready to spend the summer with you on Mt. Fuji!
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Monica Leyland
Monica is originally from England and has spent the past few years living in Thailand, where she teaches Year 1 and runs international award programs at an international school. She loves trail running, hiking, rock climbing, and spending time at the beach. She frequently competes in both trail and road races and is always chasing her next adventure. Whether she’s climbing a rock face or leading a group up a mountain, Monica brings a whole lot of energy, experience, and a big smile to the trail.
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Rosie Clark
Raised in the North Island of New Zealand, Rosie grew up hiking the backcountry and, admittedly, wasn't the biggest fan of rough kiwi "tramping". She did, however, like the food.
Rediscovering a passion for the outdoors during university, she finally hung up her apron (after many years of working in and managing cafes and restaurants), travelled and hiked around the world, built schools in Nepal, studied Sustainable Tourism Management, worked as a Tour Guide in Queenstown, and found her calling working as a Hiking Guide on the Milford and Routeburn Tracks in the South Island of New Zealand since 2021. Certifications
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Luca Schmidt
Luca grew up near Cologne and spent a lot of time in nature as a child. She is a member of the Scouts, where she has explored the whole of Europe on foot or by canoe with just a rucksack and sleeping bag. Luca is always drawn out into the world to get to know new people, cultures and landscapes. She has lived in Germany, Chile and now in Japan. As a guide on Mt. Fuji she can now fully live out her passion for languages, people and nature.
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Julieta Rojas
Originally from Barcelona, Julieta is a passionate backpacker and hitchhiker whose love for traveling naturally led to a deep connection with hiking and the outdoors. With guiding experience in the Arctic wilds of Iceland and Finnish Lapland, and a background in primary education, Julieta enjoys connecting with people and creating good vibes on the trail. A big fan of nature, camping, and never running out of snacks, Julieta is thrilled to share the adventure of Mt. Fuji with hikers from all over the world.
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Jahla Wittenberg
Jahla grew up in the hinterland behind the Great Ocean Road of Victoria, Australia. He has always had a great love for exploring nature. In recent years he’s spent many days trekking all over the Australian high country as well as Tasmania and the outback.
Jahla has spent a winter working and skiing in Hakuba, Japan, as well as exploring much of Japan's natural beauty by bike and foot. Certifications
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Jessie Ponder
Jessie was raised in rural Australia where she developed a love of the outdoors. She left home at 17 and has been traveling and hiking around the world ever since. She has lived in Scotland, Russia, and most recently New Zealand where she worked as a guide on the Milford Track. During her travels Jessie fell in love with Japan and is so excited to be back on Mt. Fuji.
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Harry Masuda
Born at the foot of Mt. Fuji, Yuichiro “Harry” Masuda developed a deep connection with nature from an early age. After studying Oceanology at the University of the Ryukyus, where the stunning island environment deepened his appreciation for Japan’s diverse ecosystems, and attending the University of Hawaiʻi Graduate School, Harry shifted from his career as a science teacher to become a guide, sharing Japan’s beauty and culture with a wider audience.
Today, as a licensed interpreter and nature guide, Harry takes great joy in helping visitors experience the hidden treasures of Japan—especially around his beloved Mt. Fuji. Certifications
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Adam Tudgay
Adam is originally from South Wales, where he began his ski career teaching on artificial slopes before moving to Austria for four years to gain more qualifications. He now lives year-round in Hokkaido, working as a ski guide in the winter and raft guide in the summer. He also has a passion for golf, which takes up a lot of his free time. He feels lucky to live in such a special part of the world where he can enjoy many outdoor activities.
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Mark Symonds
Born in the Scottish highlands, Mark spent his younger years bagging Munro’s and resting in the heather. While working in the Scottish winter, he decided to head to even colder climates in the Alps to ski until the heather was back out in the highlands. This eventually led him to Japan, where he has spent the last five years exploring the land of the rising sun through winter and summer.
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Off Season 2 Day Fuji TourSep 11 - Oct 10Enjoy a more relaxed hike. Avoid the crowds and summit Mt. Fuji during the day instead of just before dawn. All transportation fees, lodging, and three hot meals included.
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In Season 2 Day Fuji TourJune 25 - Sep 10Our most popular summer offering. This trip will give you ample time to reach the summit for sunrise. Round trip transportation from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji, two meals, and mountain hut included.
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Private & Group ToursContact Us for DatesHike with a group of friends, colleagues, or family. We can arrange custom pick ups and drop offs too.
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Featured in the National Geographic Documentary Access 360: Mt. Fuji
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Featured as an "excellent tour" in multiple Lonely Planet guidebooks
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Fuji Mountain Guides
Copyright © 2007-2022
株式会社 Japan Guides Group
Nishi Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Copyright © 2007-2022
株式会社 Japan Guides Group
Nishi Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan