Columnist Susan Snyder: Entrepreneur dreaming deeply

Monday, Dec. 13, 2004 | 8:22 a.m.

The Grand Canyon's innermost depths inspire visitors to dream, and Kazuhiko Yamashita is no different.

Yamashita, manager of a Las Vegas-based tour service for Japanese visitors, has been hiking or riding mules to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon for 20 years. But he says too few of his countrymen and women follow his lead.

"One million Japanese a year visit the South Rim and take a look down into the canyon. They watch the people go down on the mules," Yamashita said. "My dream for 20 years is to have those people riding down the trail like everybody else."

Yamashita talked of his dream over hikers' stew in the Phantom Ranch mess hall and later in his cabin, during a break in the seven-card-stud poker game he was playing with Yasushi Narumi, his chief tour instructor, and Kumiko Katafushi, whose financial backing allowed the trio to open Tour Club USA Inc.

The three had ridden to the ranch atop the Grand Canyon National Park's sure-footed mules, covering icy terrain near the rim, slogging through thick mud farther down Bright Angel Trail and making the always-exciting crossing over the Colorado River on a 440-foot-long suspension bridge built in 1928.

"It was fun," Katafushi said of her first venture below the rim. "But I don't think I could hike up."

Yamashita has led "Grand Circle" bus tours, in which Japanese visitors leave Las Vegas' casinos for a few days to see Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon national parks by luxury motor coach.

They arrive at the Grand Canyon by the busload, where they typically walk along the rim, pose for a few pictures and pick up the T-shirt before getting back on the bus, Yamashita said.

"A lot of people come back four times or six times and just look," he said.

Some will venture a little ways below the rim in good weather, usually along the popular Bright Angel Trail. But few come prepared for a real hike to the bottom or ask to book a mule ride.

"You know, they want to go a ways, but not to the bottom," Yamashita said. "They need to come down here and talk with the people. But they hesitate to speak English. The language barrier is a very big problem."

In August Yamashita's company took three groups of Japanese tourists by horseback to Havasupi Falls at the Grand Canyon's west end. The area is part of the Havasupi Indian Reservation, so tours are arranged through the tribe.

But traveling to Havasupi is easy, Yamashita said, because he was able to teach the Havasupi Indians enough Japanese to put their foreign visitors at ease.

Katafushi moved to Las Vegas from New York City in March because she'd grown weary of the Big Apple's pace. She met Yamashita and Narumi soon after, and liked the idea of putting some adventure into Japanese tourists' trips.

"A lot of Japanese come to the United States for shopping," she said. "We're hoping for a market for this."

They have booked another tour to Havasupi in February. Meanwhile, Yamashita will post photos and details of last week's adventure to Phantom Ranch on the company's Web site.

"And next time," he said, "maybe here."