Akiko Thomas

Born to a Japanese mother and American father in Louisville, Akiko grew up surrounded by Kentucky's bourbon culture while maintaining strong connections to her Japanese heritage. Her career as a surveyor initially seemed separate from her passion for travel until she started documenting neighborhood transformations and craft production spaces during work trips. After her detailed blog about Louisville's urban evolution and distillery architecture went viral in maker communities, she realized her technical expertise offered a unique perspective in travel content that could help preserve and celebrate craft traditions worldwide.