Founder

As a long time Japan resident and founder of Esprit Travel & Tours, Steve Beimel has been involved with Japanese culture since the early 1970s.  He holds an M.A. in Applied Counseling Psychology and runs A to B Seminars for goal clarification and attainment.

Director

American entrepreneur, philanthropist, political activist and passionate student of Japan and her Crafts. He is founder and Chairman  of TIGER 21, the Chairman of Earthjustice Action, Chairman of both MUUS & Company and MUUS Climate Partners, an investor in young companies that focus on decarbonizing the atmosphere. The MUUS Collection (www.muuscollection.com) is a growing archive of renown photographers featuring quintessentially American photographers.

Director

A fresco painter and architectural restorer who divides her time between Paris and Los Angeles. With experience as curator and manager at two art galleries, she originally studied art history at Duke University. 

Director

A long time high school history teacher at the American School in Japan (ASIJ). An active member of the expat community in Tokyo, she is currently working with the International Womens College in Bangladesh. She holds an M.A. in Japanese history.

Director

Leading authority and collector of Japanese Bamboo art baskets and a forest  business owner. Following a record industry career, he managed performers  through his company, Saito & Associates, Ltd., and headed PR branding and identity projects for the Hawks baseball team and the Japan Racing Association.  Saito coordinated major Japanese bamboo art basket exhibitions (works of Iizuka Rokansai, the Lloyd Cotsen Collection, etc.) and other exhibition work involved the Musee du quai Branly in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum in NY, and the Tomo Museum in Tokyo.

Executive Director

Keiko Kamei has a background in gallery management and art museum education and has worked with a number of galleries in the Tokyo area. She has a MA with a concentration in art museum education from New York University. Keiko is based in Tokyo and Gunma and is a freelance art consultant and guide.