Our Story
About Ion Catalyst Ridge
Born from a love of remote places and a belief that the best journeys are the ones hardest to reach.
Born from a love of remote places and a belief that the best journeys are the ones hardest to reach.
Ion Catalyst Ridge began in 2018 when founders Yuki Tanaka and James Morrow spent six days stranded on a small island in the Philippines waiting for a ferry that arrived three days late. Instead of frustration, they felt wonder — and realised the world needed better resources for remote island travel.
What started as a personal journal of island logistics has grown into the world's most trusted platform for coastal and island travel intelligence. Based in Odaiba, Tokyo — itself a man-made island — we've always had the ocean in our foundations.
Today, our team of 14 island specialists, marine biologists, and coastal writers cover destinations across 28 countries. We plan for the unexpected, celebrate the remote, and believe that every lost ferry leads somewhere worth finding.
Get in Touch →Every guide we write, resort we recommend, and route we map is filtered through these values.
We'd rather help you spend three weeks truly knowing one island than rush across ten. Depth of experience is our measure of a good journey.
Remote travel demands preparation. We provide the logistics, safety information, and local knowledge to help you reach difficult places safely.
Every destination we cover has communities and ecosystems that existed long before tourists. We champion travel that contributes more than it takes.
A small team with an enormous collective mileage of island travel experience.
Former marine biologist turned travel writer. Has visited 87 islands and counting. Based in Tokyo.
Sailed 40,000 nautical miles across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Expert in bluewater passages.
Environmental scientist specialising in island ecosystem conservation. Based between the Azores and Lisbon.
Award-winning underwater and coastal photographer. Has documented reefs across 15 countries.