Osaka Culinary Immersion
We recontext: Japan.
Rebuilding the context around Japan, through the eyes of the world.
The value imbued in a city or region – in its history, its culture, its food, its daily life – becomes apparent only when seen from the outside. We rediscover Japan through a global lens, rebuild the context around what we find, and shape it into stories that travel. That work of rebuilding context runs through everything we do: we operate at the intersection of tourism, food, culture and cities, growing ecosystems that could exist nowhere else alongside the people who live there, and connecting those ecosystems to the global market.
Selected Work
culture
Since 1968, and now across 350 cities, Time Out has published local experts’ picks of the best things to do, see, eat and drink. We turn those insights into real experiences.
cities
Jimbocho was named Time Out’s World’s Coolest Neighbourhood in 2025
food
Connecting Osaka’s diverse food culture to the global market
heritage
How the foresight of Ise Grand Shrine and the Ise region holds the key to a more sustainable society
luxury tourism
Designing stays and cultural experiences in Japan that speak to global leaders and affluent travellers
3D Method — 01
Rediscovering hidden value through the eyes of the world
3D Method — 02
Rebuilding the context
3D Method — 03
Delivering the story effectively
Business
Time Out Tokyo
Founded in London in 1968, Time Out is a global media brand spanning more than 350 cities and reaching a monthly audience of 250 million. With Time Out Tokyo (launched 2009) at the core of our business, we share the best of Japan with audiences at home and abroad in both English and Japanese.
Sekaimesen Consulting
Drawing on our global network, we conduct case study research and analysis around the world. Drawing on the hands-on knowledge of first-rate specialists, our work helps solve challenges in sustainable regional development through tourism, the building of international cultural tourism cities, and the inscription and utilisation of World Heritage Sites.
Multilingual Support
Our multilingual interpretive work is built on know-how gleaned in the global media business. Through research, contextualisation, and writing by professional native-speaker editors, we provide a level of quality that machine translation and low-cost services cannot deliver. At the heart of this work is reinterpreting local heritage so that its value can be properly conveyed to an international audience.
About
A team of specialists who re-edit context so it resonates with the world and opens up business opportunities.
Hiroyuki Fushitani
President / Publisher
Hiroyuki Fushitani is the former CEO of Tower Records Japan and Napster Japan. He founded ORIGINAL Inc. in 2007 and launched Time Out Tokyo in 2009. Working across media, government and the private sector, he recontextualises Japan’s appeal through a global lens to share it with audiences around the world.
Member, Commissioner’s Advisory Board, Japan Tourism Agency / Member, Cultural Policy Subcommittee, Council for Cultural Affairs / Expert member, Cabinet Office council on regional revitalisation hubs, among others
Akiko Toya
Executive Vice President
A graduate of Waseda University, Akiko Toya directed programmes at Tokyo FM before joining ORIGINAL in 2010. As planning producer, she led an Osaka Prefecture initiative to showcase the region’s rich food culture to a worldwide audience. An expert in project design and delivery, she draws on an extensive international network.
Cool Japan Producer, Cabinet Office / Tourism Creator, Kyushu District Transport Bureau, MLIT
Marcus Webb
Editorial Director
Marcus is a four-time winner of the BSME Independent Editor of the Year award and one of Britain’s leading editors. His Slow Journalism magazine, Delayed Gratification, has been praised by the BBC among others. Marcus oversees ORIGINAL’s English-language content, ensuring that it resonates with international readers.
Featured by the BBC and other major outlets / Producer of Microsoft’s Signal magazine / Conducts Japan location research for a global hotel brand
Kazushige Hirayama
Senior Consultant
Kazushige Hirayama dropped out of graduate school at the University of Tokyo to join Inspire, an investment fund founded by Makoto Naruke, one-time CEO of Microsoft Japan. He has an extensive track record supporting the market entry and business development of Japanese companies across the Asia-Pacific region, and played a key role in establishing and managing Japan’s first halal investment fund.
Leads research design, data analysis and the structuring of reports for Sekaimesen Consulting. His knowledge runs particularly deep in urban development, food and retail.
Masashi Takahashi
Advisor
As a diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Masashi Takahashi was in charge of UNESCO affairs, contributing to the inscription of several Japanese World Heritage Sites. He developed a proprietary methodology for reinterpreting local heritage and transforming it into compelling narratives. His track record includes a Japan Tourism Agency programme involving Ise Grand Shrine, as well as interpreter training for the Iga ninja heritage programme.
Ise Grand Shrine interpreter training, Japan Tourism Agency / Interpreter training in Iga (ninja heritage) and Goto, both Japan Heritage areas
Ili Saarinen
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Time Out Tokyo
Ili has worked on the Japan Tourism Agency’s multilingual interpretation project since its launch in 2018. In FY 2022, his writing was recognised as an “exemplary expository text” by the JTA. He has covered five Japan Heritage sites and numerous World Heritage sites, earning the trust of both national and regional governments. He specialises in high-quality reporting and interpretive writing.
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