More Than Tokyo
Exploring Japan’s History, Culture, and Hidden Stories
Japan has been my home since 1987, and after nearly four decades, I am still discovering new stories, fascinating places, and unexpected connections to its past.
I’m Diane Tincher, a writer, lecturer, educator, and National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter based in Kagoshima, southern Japan. I spent much of my career teaching and directing schools in the Philippines and Japan before turning my attention to guiding. Since 2018, I have led cultural and historical tours throughout Japan for Walk Japan and Road Scholar, sharing the country’s history, traditions, and everyday life with visitors from around the world.
Growing up in northern Virginia, my life revolved around my Catholic school and the Fort Myers Officers’ swimming pool. When I tired of swimming on long summer days, I would walk under big shady trees through the old section of Arlington National Cemetery. Each unique 19th-century gravestone held such dignity. I marveled at their age and wondered at the people and stories behind them.
At that time, the farthest thought from my mind was that I would spend most of my life in rural Japan.
But here I am, in Kagoshima, Japan, living next to one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and where local gravestones are not a mere 200 years old, but many are over 1,000 years old.
Funny, the turns a life can take.
After 30 years of working and raising my rather large family, I finally have time to pursue my own interests. Alongside guiding and lecturing, I research and write about Japanese history, religion, folklore, vengeful ghosts—really anything in Japan that strikes my fancy.
I particularly enjoy researching subjects through Japanese-language sources where I feel more authenticity can be found. Or when I’m out and about and discover a small roadside statue that leads to a story stretching back centuries. Or a forgotten shrine that holds the first reference to shochu. Sometimes an obscure historical figure turns out to have played a surprisingly important role. And don’t get me started about elephants! Or cats—or their use as timepieces! There is always something new to discover.
I created More Than Tokyo to share my stories of the Japan that lies beyond the familiar landmarks and well-traveled tourist routes. From forgotten or little-known historical episodes (KFC for Christmas? Why?) and ancient legends to rural traditions and remarkable landscapes, there is so much more to this country than even a lifetime of exploring could uncover.