ABOUT TABIMAWARI

I’m Marie. I’m from Réunion Island, a French island in the Indian Ocean. I fell in love with Japan very early. Back in high school, I spent hours watching YouTube videos, reading blogs, watching anime, trying to understand the culture and the language. When high school ended, I had to choose a path.
University, studies, a “real plan”. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life. But I knew one thing for sure: I loved Japan, and I wanted to learn the language and understand the culture properly.

So I made a decision that felt a bit crazy at the time.
I moved to Japan. I lived one year in Kyoto.
I enrolled in a Japanese language school and went from zero to JLPT N3 in 10 months, studying around 3 hours a day (at school only + hours at home) with cultural activities on the side (tea ceremony, maiko experiences, etc.). I was also living with a host family, which made everything even more special.
That year was honestly one of the best years of my life.

I didn’t have a clear plan. I didn’t know what job I wanted. I just knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I will always be grateful to my parents for supporting me during that time. That said, being from Réunion Island, I knew I wouldn’t stay in mainland France long-term. At some point, I had to choose between France or Japan.

After that year in Japan, I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do professionally. But one thing became very clear to me: I wasn’t made for the corporate world (even though I didn’t even work my first job by then, but I KNEW 1. I couldn’t make it to the Japan corporate 2. I’ll not have a job related to Japan or Japanese in reunion island > so I HAD to create it some way)
And I wanted a life between Réunion Island and Japan.

I then moved to Paris and lived there for 5 years. I got into a well-known university and studied Japanese language, culture and history (LLCER), with international trade as a second major. I studied there for 3 years. The last two years were during Covid. Zoom classes, Zoom exams, everything online.

Paris was actually a really good experience. I met amazing people, made strong friendships, and there’s a big Japanese community there too. I grew a lot during that time.
After finishing my degree, I started thinking seriously about building my own business, ideally something connected to Japan and Réunion Island.
At first, I had very different ideas.
An arcade game center. A karaoke place. Things that didn’t exist back home at the time. But those projects required a lot of money, which I didn’t have. But anyway to make that happen, I needed & decided to learn business properly first. I then joined a Master’s degree in business and entrepreneurship for 2 years, with an internship as a second-hand to an AI tech CEO. This period taught me a lot. Not only about business, but also about myself. We were surrounded by inspiring people, mentors, and strong values. It helped me grow a lot on a personal level.

In 2023, after Covid, I finally went back to Japan. This time, with a clear intention: to take quality photos and videos, as many as possible. My older photos & videos wasn’t usable anymore, and I wanted to build an instagram, this one.
& That’s when I started this account. At first, it was just a project. A way to share my passion for Japan, test content, apply marketing strategies, and maybe sell a few ebooks or itineraries on the side. I basically apply here what I learned at business school.

I didn’t make much money at all. The main goal was learning and growing the account. But something interesting happened.
Friends. Family. Then followers. People started asking me questions about Japan. Advice. Help with planning. Then actual itineraries. I found myself helping people structure their trips, choose routes, manage timing, avoid classic mistakes. And I fell in love with that. I put more and more energy into the account, and it grew to 20k in the first year.

That felt unreal to me. As my Master’s degree was coming to an end, I started thinking seriously:
“What if this wasn’t just a side project?” My internship was great.
But I didn’t feel fulfilled by the corporate path. Especially knowing if I choose that then it means staying in Paris. And Paris is great, there’s so much to do & explore & it’s a great base city but I didn’t fell in love with Paris as much as I did with Japan or my home, Reunion.
What I truly enjoyed was: creating content, building guides,
organising trips, and helping people travel better. I knew it would be hard. But I decided that after my Master’s, I would give myself time to build something of my own.

Around January 2025, I moved back to Réunion Island. I started by rebuilding my guide properly, integrating interactive tools like Rexby, and structuring everything more seriously. Then I officially started working as a Japan travel planner, helping people build 100% custom trips to Japan. And to be honest, it’s an hard work to make sales when being almost with only organics posts on socials. But I wanted people to know my true value & why they should trust me. (I didn’t want to get followers or grow the account by ads/ nor attract customers that way) I’ll eventually think more about it in the future. But not for now.

In September 2025, I went back to Japan again to discover new places, test routes, and enrich both my guide and my travel planning services.
It’s been less than a year since I officially started as a travel planner. There’s still a long way to go.
But I can honestly say this: I love what I do.
For the first time, I feel aligned.
I feel useful. And I feel like I’ve found my Ikigai, at least for now.

Why Me?

My goal is simple: to help you create your own unforgettable journey to Japan. By sharing my experiences, itineraries, and insider knowledge, I want to make your trip stress-free, memorable, and full of magic. Whether you’re dreaming of Japan or already planning your adventure, you’ll find everything you need right here.

Let’s Explore Together

Japan changed my life, and now I want to help it change yours. Follow me for more travel tips, stories, and guides, and don’t forget to check the captions for detailed insights into each post.

👉 Plan your journey today with my insider guides at Tabimawari and discover the Japan you’ve always dreamed of! 🇯🇵✨