Originally from Mallorca, Spain, and currently based in Nagoya, Japan, Elisabeth Llopis (Elly) has called Japan home for almost 20 years.
“Design brought me to Japan. Curiosity has kept me exploring.”
With a background in web and graphic design, much of it connected to Japan’s hospitality industry, Elly’s career gradually evolved from designing how destinations and businesses communicate with international visitors to creating the experiences and stories behind them.
Today, she is the founder and CEO of Nanobo Inc., the company behind Nagoya is not boring, and works across tourism product development, tour operations, inbound consulting, international marketing, and content creation.
Her particular passion is Nagoya and Central Japan, a region she believes has extraordinary food, craftsmanship, history, traditions, and people, but whose stories are still too often overlooked by international travelers.
Elly originally came to Japan through her career in web and graphic design.
Over more than two decades working in design and digital communication, including projects within Japan’s hospitality and tourism industries, she developed a deep interest in how Japan presents itself to international audiences.
That eventually led her beyond the screen.
Rather than simply designing tourism websites and promotional materials, she became increasingly involved in discovering destinations firsthand, meeting local businesses and craftspeople, developing tourism content, and thinking about how Japanese experiences could be made more accessible and engaging for international visitors.
Her background in design still influences how she approaches tourism today: start with the visitor, understand the story, and find the most meaningful way to connect the two.
Before Nagoya is not boring existed, Elly created Kawaii Aichi, an English/Spanish-language project introducing international audiences to destinations, events, food, culture, and experiences around Aichi Prefecture.
What began as content creation increasingly brought her into direct contact with local communities, tourism organizations, businesses, artisans, and international visitors.
It also reinforced something that would eventually become central to her work:
“The places travelers overlook often have some of the best stories.”
From traditional crafts and centuries-old festivals to tiny local restaurants, regional dishes, industrial heritage, and conversations with people preserving local traditions, Elly became increasingly interested in showing international visitors a side of Central Japan that rarely appears on the standard Tokyo–Kyoto itinerary.
In 2020, Elly co-founded Nagoya is not boring with a simple idea behind its deliberately provocative name:
“Nagoya is definitely not boring! You just need to know where to look.”
What began as a platform introducing international visitors to the city has grown into a specialist travel brand and tour operator offering original tours and experiences across Nagoya, Aichi, Gifu, and the wider Central Japan region.
Working closely with local guides, hosts, craftspeople, restaurants, cultural practitioners, and tourism partners, Nagoya is not boring creates experiences that help travelers go beyond sightseeing and connect with the people and stories behind a destination.
From local food and sake to samurai history, traditional crafts, hiking, cultural experiences, and tailor-made private tours, the focus remains on experiences with a strong connection to the region.
Elly is also the founder and CEO of Nanobo Inc., the company behind Nagoya is not boring.
Through Nanobo, she works with tourism organizations, local governments, travel companies, accommodations, attractions, and experience providers on projects related to inbound tourism and international visitors.
Her work includes:
A central part of her work is helping local partners answer a deceptively simple question:
“Would an international visitor understand, value, and want to experience this?”
Rather than simply translating an existing Japanese tourism product into English, Elly focuses on adapting the storytelling, flow, communication, and overall experience to make it genuinely meaningful for international guests.
Elly is also a passionate sumo fan.
In 2023, she launched Sumo Tours, specializing in guided Grand Sumo Tournament experiences for international visitors.
Her goal is to transform watching sumo from simply seeing bouts in an arena into understanding the fascinating world surrounding them: the rankings, rituals, techniques, traditions, personalities, and stories that make Japan’s national sport so compelling.
Today, Elly and her team welcome both first-time spectators and longtime sumo fans to Grand Sumo Tournaments across Japan.
Storytelling remains an important part of Elly’s work.
Over the years, she has contributed to tourism projects, international media, television productions, online content, and destination-promotion initiatives related to Nagoya, Aichi, and Central Japan.
She has appeared as a presenter and local expert in tourism-related television productions and works with Japanese organizations looking to communicate their destinations and experiences to international audiences.
She is also a Deep Japan Senpai, contributing first-person stories about Japan and the lesser-known destinations, people, food, and traditions she encounters through her work and travels.
Whether through a guided tour, an article, a video, or a tourism-development project, the philosophy is much the same:
“After almost 20 years in Japan, I’m still discovering places that surprise me. What I love most is that some of the best stories are found in the places people tend to overlook.”
Inbound Tourism & International Visitor Experience
Helping Japanese tourism businesses and destinations better understand and serve international travelers.
Tourism Product Development
Developing and refining experiences, itineraries, storytelling, and operational structures for international markets.
Nagoya & Central Japan Travel
Specializing in Nagoya, Aichi, Gifu, and lesser-known destinations throughout Central Japan.
Food & Cultural Tourism
Connecting travelers with regional cuisine, sake, traditional crafts, local communities, festivals, and cultural experiences.
International Content & Marketing
Creating English-language tourism content and helping regional stories reach international audiences.
Languages
Spanish · Catalan · English · Japanese
Interested in developing an inbound tourism experience, creating a new Central Japan itinerary, collaborating with Nagoya is not boring, or introducing your destination to international travelers?
For tourism development, B2B partnerships, and inbound consulting:
→ Contact Nanobo Inc.
For travelers looking to explore Nagoya and Central Japan:
→ Discover Nagoya is not boring Tours & Experiences
Email: eli_llopis@nagoyaisnotboring.com
