On April 2024, Air Travel Tokushima added two new English-speaking staff members – David Moreton from Canada and Sydney Bartig from the United States.
Tokushima is home to a myriad of sights and activities that you just can’t find in the big cities. Crossing a swaying vine bridge in the midst of nature, walking a portion of the famous Shikoku Pilgrimage, getting up close with massive whirlpools... all of this can be done in Tokushima! For those who are worried about the lack of readily-available English information, the aiTripper website is perfect for you!
Reservations can be made easily through the aiTripper website in English, so there is no need to worry if you can’t read Japanese. Want to try indigo dyeing or perhaps take the ropeway up to Tairyuji Temple? You can easily book online through aiTripper! We will be updating the English aiTripper page with plenty of information and tours that those from around the world can enjoy!
The official aiTripper SNS accounts (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) also includes English, so you can always get information about the newest plans and seasonal tours. Make sure to give us a like!
If you have any questions, or are thinking about travelling in Tokushima, do not hesitate to get in touch with us!
David Moreton
Hello! My name is David Moreton, Manager of Air Travel Tokushima's Tourism Strategies Office and Planning Department. I am originally from Canada but have lived in Japan for over 30 years. In 2001, after graduating from the University of British Columbia with a Master’s degree in Asian Studies, I came to live and work in Tokushima. Previously, I was an associate professor at Tokushima University, where my research included such topics as the history of Westerners and the Shikoku pilgrimage, Westerners who lived in Tokushima and traveled to Shikoku from the 1930s to the 1950s, and the history of inbound tourism and travel to Shikoku. For a long time, Shikoku was largely overlooked by foreign visitors to Japan, but as early as the 1930s, various Japanese tourist organizations promoted Shikoku as a place worth visiting in brochures and other materials prepared for foreign visitors. From my research and interviews with people who have visited Tokushima and Shikoku to make pilgrimages and experience the area I have discovered that they have all had a memorable time, they want to tell others about their wonderful stay here, and they want to come back. Shikoku is a place that affects visitors in a unique and special way. It is like a magnet, drawing people in and making them want to visit again. At Air Travel Tokushima, I plan to do such things as answer questions, create itineraries, and arrange accommodations for those who are interested in visiting Tokushima Prefecture. If you would like to experience the allure of Tokushima, please feel free to contact me.
Sydney Bartig
After studying Japanese in college, I came to Tokushima in the summer of 2019. I worked at the Tokushima Prefectural Office (International Division/Diversity Promotion Division) and the Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA) for roughly 5 years as a coordinator for international relations. I then started working at Air Travel Tokushima from April 2024. As a member of Air Travel Tokushima’s Planning Division & Tourism Strategies Office, I hope to share Tokushima with people from around the world. My hobbies are playing koto, visiting cat-related sightseeing spots, tea ceremony, reading, and collecting goshuin stamps from temples/shrines.
I look forward to helping everyone enjoy their trip to Tokushima/Shikoku!
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