After graduating from the Nancy School of Fine Arts, she spent a year in Athens, Greece, where she found her first calling, being a French teacher for foreigners, which led her to live most of her adult abroad. First in Albania, then in Hong Kong and finally in Japan, where she has lived since 2010.

She fell in love with the country for good during a stay in Kyoto, invited by a Japanese friend whose kindness deeply moved her and who, through walks in the city, a tea ceremony and an introduction to the art of wearing a kimono, made her discover the beauty, refinement and richness of its culture.

Today she lives in the countryside of Nara with her husband and her family.

When she's not working as a guide or French teacher, Isabelle can be found running her online kimono shop, making pottery in her local workshop, or hiking in the Kansai mountains.