Nationality: American-Australian
Time Living in Japan: 30 years
Areas of Expertise: Japanese Employment Law and Employment Practices, Corporate Governance, finding fun and interesting travel destinations in Japan, promoting in-bound tourism
Education: BA, MA, JD, LLM
Publications Featured In: JAPAN TODAY, SavvyTokyo, Metropolis, Tokyo Weekender, ACCJ Journal, HR Agenda
Favorite Thing About Living in Japan: Always something new to learn or explore.
Favorite Place to Visit in Japan: Kamakura
BIO: Vicki is a professor of law and former in-house employment/corporate lawyer. She is also a freelance travel writer who has been writing about exploring Japan for a decade, capitalizing on three decades of experience living and traveling in Japan. She has visited every prefecture in Japan. She’s particularly interested in the relationship between people and places, both historically and currently. From mid-2018, Vicki was appointed as a “Cool Ota-ku Ambassador” (a/k/a Global City Ota Ambassador) to aid Tokyo’s Ota Ward (where she lives) in its efforts to promote international tourism in the area. In 2021 she was appointed as a judge for the Japan Travel Awards. You can read an interview with her here.
Recently Published Work
- “Mukai Craft Brewery: Making Beer While Revitalizing Rural Japan” [Tokyo Weekender, April 13, 2021]
- “Japan’s Far More Female Future: Bill Emmott Analyses Women in the Workplace.” [No. 1 Shimbun, September 2020]
- “Miles to Go and Promises Unkept: Women’s Rights in Postwar Japan.” [No. 1 Shimbun, September 2020]
- “The Japanese Hanko: Indispensable Signature Seals or an Idea Whose Time has Gone?” [Tokyo Weekender, June 29, 2020]
- “Supporters, Critics and Statistics: Another Look at Japan’s Handling of COVID-19.” [Tokyo Weekender, May 25, 2020]
- “Ladies and the Law: Japanese court cases where women have made a difference”, a series of short articles for Savvytokyo.com
- Monthly travel articles for Japantoday.com
- Articles for Tokyo Weekender and Metropolis
Vicki Beyer went on a consulting trip for Jarman International to one of Japan’s richest cultural heritage destinations, Kanazawa.
As a history lover, I find Kanazawa to be a fascinating place. On my most recent visit, in addition to enjoying the experience of Kaga Yuzen dyeing, I spent a day enjoying Kanazawa sightseeing and exploring the city using machi-nori bicycles.
First I rode along the Asano River to reach the Kanazawa Gold Leaf Museum. I learned so much from the exhibits at the museum, and also from visiting a nearby workshop.
Then I meandered through Higashi Chaya and enjoyed an excellent lunch in one of the “tea houses”. Next, I bicycled to Oyama Shrine, with its unique front gate. Finally, I rode to the Naga-machi Buke-yashiki Samurai district. Since it had started to rain, I popped into a couple of the museums of that area and was fascinated by the artifacts there.
There is so much to explore in Kanazawa. I hope I can return again soon!
Articles about my experience:
- Heritage preservation in Kanazawa – a Chance Encounter
- Experiencing a traditional Silk dyeing technique in Kanazawa