[Japanese Interviews: Life in LA] Yukari Fowler : Travel Trade Representative, Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau

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“For more than 20 years, I worked for a travel company in Tokyo specializing in Europe and Africa. The company viewed travel as a form of cultural exchange, and we planned experiences that individuals could not easily arrange on their own—journeys that people could talk about for the rest of their lives.”

Yukari Fowler now serves as a Travel Trade Representative for Mariposa County, located in the central Sierra Nevada region of California.

Yosemite National Park covers approximately 3,080 square kilometers—about 1.4 times the size of Tokyo—and welcomes more than 4.3 million visitors annually. Because the park spans four counties, most visitors tend to concentrate in Yosemite Valley, an area of only about 18 square kilometers located within Mariposa County, though surprisingly few people realize this.

■ Half Dome, the iconic symbol of Yosemite National Park. In autumn, it becomes especially beautiful.

“Ninety percent of Yosemite National Park remains untouched wilderness. In reality, visitors are concentrated in less than five percent of the park,” Fowler explains. “My mission is to share the beauty of Yosemite throughout all four seasons, encourage visitors to stay overnight rather than make only day trips, help them experience nature by actually walking through it, increase repeat visitors, and inspire people to extend their stays. I also want to introduce lesser-known attractions—not only nature, but historic towns that still preserve the atmosphere of the Gold Rush era.”

■ Early Life Across Japan

Born in 1965 in Moji, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fowler was named “Yukari” after Mekari Shrine, located along the Kanmon Strait at the northernmost point of Kyushu. Her father worked for the Japan Coast Guard, a profession known for frequent relocations, and her family moved constantly throughout Japan during her childhood. “Where are we moving next?” became her signature phrase as a child. She lived in places such as Yamagata, Niigata, Awaji Island, Hakodate, and Tokyo. During her university years, her family home was even in Naha, Okinawa.

■ University Years and a Love of Travel

At Chuo University, where she majored in Japanese literature, she obtained teaching credentials for middle and high school, as well as certifications as a librarian and teacher-librarian. “It wasn’t that I specifically wanted to become a teacher,” she says. “I wanted to experience student teaching because it’s something you can only do once in your life, and I also wanted qualifications as proof of my university education.”

During college, she joined a travel club called “Waraji no Kai,” where members traveled by local buses and on foot. Her love of travel has remained unchanged ever since.

■ Working in Travel and Life in Greece

After graduation, she joined a travel company. Five years later, her desire to actually live abroad grew stronger, and she spent eight months in Greece. The company valued her so highly that it created a leave-of-absence system that had never existed before and even sent her a return airline ticket, hoping she would come back.

■ Move to the United States and a New Role

In 2007, she moved to the United States after marrying her husband, a scholar of Japanese literature. As she frequently traveled between her home and her in-laws’ residence in Mariposa, she was introduced by Visit California to the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, eventually becoming an ambassador and liaison for the Japanese travel industry.

“My teaching practicum at my alma mater, living in Greece without even knowing the alphabet, moving overseas, and having an international marriage—I feel that curiosity has guided my entire life,” she says with a smile. “You only live once, so it would be a waste not to enjoy as many experiences as possible.”

■Long-time volunteer at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar