Mitsutoshi Masunari aka Mitch is a retired businessman. He has a national license as an interpreter and tour guide. He maintains this blogsite to introduce Yokohama where he lives and its surrounding cities such as Kamakura,Yokosuka,Fujisawa, Kawasaki and Tokyo.
Yesterday I had a chance to be interviewed by Mr.Jon Mitchell, a Welsh-born writer, who is currently based in Yokohama. This time he is in charge of a column of The Japan Times-VIEWS FROM THE STREET. His assignment is to follow Yokohama City's plan to vitalize an aging area of this city. I look forward to the article-the changing face of the Kotobukicho area of Yokohama-on June 29. This chance will propel my career as an English speaking guide-interpreter. Written and posted by Mitsutoshi Masunari on May 27.
Hi! I am Mitsutoshi Masunari.I live in Yokohama, Japan. Yokohama is the second most populous city after Tokyo. I'd like to introduce myself how I became a national guide-interpreter MITCH. While I was a student of Economic Department of Keio University, I belonged to Keio English Speaking Society. I attended debating contests very often and won many prizes. In 1967 I passed the first grade test of English proficiency at my first trial. When I was a senior (=fourth year student), I stayed in Vancouver as an exchange student of AIESEC and worked for an auditing firm 'Dunwoody and Co. as a trainee for two months in the summer of 1968. That was my first experience of an overseas trip. My Canadian co-workers called me Mitch during my stay in Vancouver and I like this nickname. So I decided to use 'MITCH' as my pseudonym. After graduation from Keio University I got a job atThe Industrial Bank of Japan in 1969 for which I worked until the end of December of 2001. As a chief auditor of the bank I have been to London, New York, Los Angeles,Paris, Luxenburg, Toronto and many other cities of Europe,China and Southeast Asia. From 1996 to 1999 I visited those cities for 28 times. After that I worked for its subsidiary as its head director until the end of July 2009. I obtained this qualification in February of 2007. It covers your trip all over Japan. Now that I live in Yokohama, I will be able to show you around Yokohama, Tokyo where I grew up, and some other surrounding cities like Kamakura, Kawasakiand Yokosukawith full responsibility with short notice: As an independent professional interpreter and tour guide speaking English and Japanese I have carried insurance. I welcome your request for my guide in English through e-mail. PS I quit this job as a tour guide as of Oct.17,2012 .
