Connecting people across cultures in Tokyo for 18+ years
I’m Peter Chen. Born in Taiwan, raised in Costa Rica from age 8, and based in Japan for more than 18 years. I founded Tokyo International Friends & Events (TIFE) in 2015 and now run 50+ events a month while creating hotel, food and travel content across Japan.
🚀 What I do today
Founder & CEO, TIFE
Language exchanges, sports, karaoke and social events for expats, locals and travellers. 35,000+ community members from 69+ countries.
About TIFE → 🏨CEO Hotel Adventures
Hotel reviews and video content based on stays I’ve personally tested, in Japan and abroad.
See hotel picks → 🇹🇼在日台灣人 community
Community and 日台交流 events for Taiwanese living in Japan.
Visit → 📣Brand & venue promotion
Influencer features for restaurants, hotels and events, plus sponsorship through TIFE.
Sponsor options →🎓 Education & background
After Japanese language school I studied hospitality and business management at Oberlin University (桜美林大学). That training in Japanese service culture, omotenashi, still shapes how I run events: every newcomer should feel looked after from the moment they arrive.
🏨 Hospitality career
- Became a hotel General Manager within one year of entering the industry
- Broke company revenue records in my first year as GM
- Managed Sakura Hostel Asakusa, featured on national TV in 2020
- Led multicultural teams in fast-paced Tokyo hospitality
📺 TV appearances
As manager of Sakura Hostel Asakusa and with Sakura Hotel Jimbocho (videos on my YouTube channel).
- 2020-01-18Kando! Omotenashi Special (感動！おもてなしスペシャル) · NHKWatch ▶
- 2020-01-30ZIP! · Nippon TVWatch ▶
- 2020-02-27Hirunandesu! (ヒルナンデス！) · Nippon TVWatch ▶
- 2020IKKO feature (IKKO衝撃映像) · Japanese TVWatch ▶
- 2020Shutoken Joho Netadori! (首都圏情報ネタドリ！) · NHKWatch ▶
More videos: YouTube @ThehotelhopperPeter
🧠 Areas of expertise
- International community building & events in Tokyo
- Hospitality management & guest experience
- Communication in 4 languages (EN/JP/ES/ZH)
- Hotel, restaurant & travel content creation
- Event planning at scale (50+ events a month)
- Practical expat life in Japan
🤝 Brands & hotels I’ve collaborated with
❓ About Peter Chen: FAQ
Who is Peter Chen?
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Has Peter Chen appeared on Japanese TV?
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Let’s work together
Hotels, restaurants, brands and media: tell me what you want to achieve and I’ll tell you honestly if TIFE’s audience is the right fit.