Staff

Meet the HappyRaft Crew…
We have a great team who love living and working on the Yoshino River. All of our guides are licenced by the RAJ - Rafting Association of Japan, and our canyoning guides hold licences from the CIC. We undergo rigourous training throughout the summer to ensure the safest most fun day possible. Our Kitchen staff make the finest river lunches anywhere.

Mark Treston

Mark is the owner of HappyRaft. He has been rafting and kayaking for twelve years in Australia, Nepal, Canada, and Japan. He likes all water sports, rugby, and snow-boarding. He also likes katsu curries and fish and chips, and will do anything for a meat pie. Mark is married to Sachi -the bagel making genius, and has a daughter named Ellie who is 7.

Teru Katsuragawa

Teru is one of the founding members of HappyRaft. Teru has been rafting and kayaking for 9 years. He has rafted and kayaked some mean rivers in Japan, New Zealand, Chile and Australia. This year Teru competed in the Teva-Red-Bull Wairoa Extreme down-river kayak race and finished alive. Teru owns and runs the HappyGuest-House and is the proud dad of Shanty.

Akira Tanaka

Affectionately known as the skunk, Akira has been rafting and Kayaking for ten years. Before that Akira spent time adventuring, climbing trees and caving both in Japan and in the Amazon. In Winter he works in Hakuba in Nagano prefecture on ski-patrol. He rents and is renovating a rustic farm-house high in the mountains in an adjoining valley to HappyRaft. Akira is a trip-leader for both canyoning and rafting and likes eating spicy food.

Satoshi Asano

Satoshi has been rafting and kayaking for 7 years. He is an avid climber, and loves snow-boarding. Satoshi has been a lead member of our canyoning program since it began. In winter Satoshi works in Hakuba on ski-patrol. He is a big-waterfall specialist, and likes Katsu-dons cold beer and Tai food.

Ryoji Ito

Ryoji has been rafting for ５ years on the Yoshino river. Its his 2nd year with HappyRaft. Ryoji has been canyoning for 2 seasons and last year completed module 1 and 2 of the CIC canyoning course. He is a keen fisherman and kayaker.

Michael Balazik

Hi Mike Here.
I’m from Australia, Sydney. I’ve been living in Japan for over 2 years. Most of the time I spent in Hokkaido.Snowboarding and drinking during Winter and rafting just having fun during the Summer. Love travelling. Love meeting new people and most of all, just having fun. Bring it on!!

Yumi Noda

Yumi Noda 10 years guiding experience around the Yoshino river. An avid climber and kayaker, Yumi runs the Midorinotokei (green clock tower guest-house) and can drink beer with the best of them. She is HappyRafts most senior guide and a big sister to us all.