東京での多忙な会社員生活を経て、地元・和歌山に戻った渡叶恵さん。
現在は和歌山県観光連盟インバウンド担当コーディネーターとして、国内外の観光イベントで和歌山の魅力を世界に伝えている。
英語を駆使しながら地域の文化や人々の思いを伝え、ふるさとと世界をつなぐ仕事にやりがいを感じているという。
Kanae Watari’s role probably sounds like a dream job to many people. She’s the inbound coordinator for the Wakayama Prefectural Tourism Board. She promotes the region to Western markets, coordinating visits from international media and travel partners, and representing Wakayama at tourism events in Japan and abroad. At the same time, she enjoys living at home and being with her large, close-knit family.
Watari fell in love with the music of the Okinawan group HY as a teenager. She was drawn to the unique culture shaped by Okinawa’s heritage and the presence of U.S. military bases. She later spent a year abroad at the University of California, Riverside, where she formed friendships with English-speaking students. “The first few months were really tough — I could hardly understand what people were saying when we hung out! But I pushed myself to keep up, and after about three months it clicked,” she recalls.
After college, Watari joined a company headquartered in Wakayama but was assigned to its Tokyo branch. She handled sales and technical support for fashion design software. Although she enjoyed the challenge, after a few years the high-pressure environment of the capital began to wear her down. In January 2020, she decided to quit, taking time to travel while considering her next step.
After the pandemic shut down travel, she headed home to Wakayama. One day she noticed an ad in a local newspaper for a position in inbound tourism and immediately decided to apply. “This opportunity allowed me to realize both of my hopes — to work in an international environment and stay close to my family,” she says.
Watari’s job involves a lot of multitasking. She coordinates media visits, drives and guides for her guests, and writes emails and participates in online meetings in English. She enjoys helping to explain Wakayama’s culture and traditions in a simple yet accurate way to international media. It is deeply rewarding, she says, when her explanations are reflected in major outlets, letting her know her words have truly reached their audience.
One memorable experience was learning directly from a monk at Koyasan who shared his deep knowledge. When he was busy with other groups, she stepped in to explain what he had taught her. She was later praised by the monk. “He said, ‘If you have any questions, you can ask Kanae — she knows Koyasan very well,’ and that made me very happy,” she says.
Unlike most public office staff members who are transferred every few years, she can stay in her role indefinitely. Her long-term position allows her to maintain and deepen connections, making her a trusted presence for Wakayama. “For me, connections with media and tourism partners are about people — it’s the relationships we build in person that matter.”
Watari enjoys her job, but perhaps the best part of living in Wakayama is spending time with her family. As the youngest of three sisters, she has six nieces and nephews, aged from 4 to 14, who usually gather at their grandmother’s house after school.
“I love being a hands-on auntie — helping with homework, sharing family trips, watching them grow up. I hope that by spending time with them, I can also give them a sense of the world outside Japan and encourage them to see more possibilities for their future,” she says with a proud smile.
(Louise George Kittaka)
Words to live by
Go with the flow.
あまり「こうしなきゃ」と決めすぎず、流れに任せるタイプです。チャンスがあれば思いきり挑戦して、あとは川の流れのように、自然に進んでいけたらいいなと思っています。
プロフィール
渡叶恵（わたり かなえ）
1993年生まれ、和歌山県紀の川市出身。関西学院大学を2016年に卒業後、東京でファッションデザインソフトウェア会社に勤務。2020年、心機一転のため和歌山に戻り、和歌山県観光連盟インバウンド担当コーディネーターの募集広告を目にして応募。以降、海外メディアや旅行会社との連携を通じて、和歌山の魅力を発信している。
WACOCA: People, Life, Style.