INTERVIEWS | My Eyes Tokyo

Whenever I’m in Tokyo, I feel as though I become another person. I feel free more than in Germany.

May 15 2009

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com kai (Germany) Singer songwriter/Lyricist (Writes songs in Japanese) We introduce you to a German singer songwriter who sings and writes songs in Japanese. kai, a.k.a. shigure, loves Japanese culture very much and has come here six or seven times so far. This time he is still a tourist who can’t stay here more than 90 days. Even though he’s never stayed in Japan for a long time, he speaks Japanese really, really well. We think musicians have good ears and a high-level of listening skills. But above all, it’s thanks

I’ll never give up my dream for the rest of my life.

May 09 2009

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Mohammed Khairul Islam (Bangladesh) Trading company CEO (He’s been in Japan since 2001) We introduce you to a hot-blooded man from Bangladesh. Mohammed Khairul Islam is running various kinds of businesses such as exporting used cars. When we talked to him over the phone for the first time, we felt that he would be a gentle guy. But when we met him in person, he talked passionately, often flinging up his arms. He is like a ball of energy or of intellectual curiosity. However he is far from a big

Minsk

April 29 2009

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Belarussian restaurant (Roppongi) Republic of Belarus – It used to be a part of the former Soviet Union and it achieved nationality after the fall of the Soviet Union. It’s been called “Belorussia” for a long time. We happened upon a restaurant called “Minsk” when we were walking around the Roppongi area. We have been interested in this restaurant for several years since then. The other day we opened the door of and entered that restaurant. We didn’t imagine that there would be so many Japanese customers. We had meat-stuffed

“Hey, I would be dead if I tried to achieve that sales figure.” But he said that he wouldn’t care if I died.

April 29 2009

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Barysiuk Viktoryia (Belarus) Belarussian restaurant manager (She’s been in Japan since 2001) Long time no see! We’d been writing my book “My Eyes Tokyo” for six months (If you want to learn details of the book, click here!). We will keep on interviewing expats strenuously. BTW, we would like to introduce you to Barysiuk Viktoryia, a manager of a Belarussian restaurant in the central Tokyo. She speaks Japanese very fluently and it sounds really gentle. But she is not just sleek. She has sparkling eyes. As a manager, as a woman,

Japan is safe, but there is no peace.

October 11 2008

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Winchester Nii Tete (Ghana) African Percussionist (He’s been in Japan since ’04) We would like to introduce you to another super percussionist from Ghana. We’ve met Winchester Nii Tete when we went to Yuri Kageyama‘s poetry reading live performance. Nii Tete was playing percussion while she recited her poems. We just felt “WOW!!” as soon as we listened to his sound. We were really overwhelmed and riveted by that. We felt that his play was quintessential “art”. So we got interested in him. Rome was not built in a day – Nii

20 million tons of food was thrown away in Japan in one year.

September 03 2008

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Charles E. McJilton (USA) CEO/Executive Director of food bank (He’s been in Japan since ’91) Do you know a “food bank”? It’s an organization which collects food items from food companies or individuals and distributes them to non-profit agencies involved in local emergency food programs. Then those programs provide immediate hunger relief to individuals and families in need. It originated in the United States and it’s prevalent in America. About 40 years after the first food bank in the world was formed in the US, Charles E. McJilton organized the

I never think that giving something to people for free as a donation helps them.

August 22 2008

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Atif Dewan Rashid (Bangladesh) Matrighor Limited director *At that time Do you remember a Japanese woman, Eriko Yamaguchi who is making bags from jute in Bangladesh? Today we introduce you to a Bangladeshi gentleman, Atif Dewan Rashid, who is one of her most trusted partners. He is a director of the local corporation of Motherhouse, Yamaguchi’s bag company. Yamaguchi had faced many difficulties in Bangladesh when she started her business and she decided to hire a local staff of Motherhouse. Her ideal person was someone who understood the Japanese sense

Kabura-an *Closed

August 12 2008

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Buckwheat noodle shop (Musashi-kosugi, Kawasaki) Kawasaki – The megacity which is located next-door to Tokyo. Especially the area called “Musashi-Kosugi” is evolving at a rapid pace thanks to its convenient transportation system. There used to be many factories in that area, but now many high-rise condominiums replaced them and have changed the face of a former factory center. But there is a shop which has been in the rapidly changing town for 16 years. It’s a buckwheat noodle (soba) shop called “Kabura-an (蕪庵)”, which is run by an Algerian man. “Recently

I needed to bottle up my emotions in order to get one step ahead. Otherwise a foreigner couldn’t have run a noodle shop here.

August 12 2008

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Belouazani Lakhdar (Algeria) Shopkeeper of a buckwheat noodle shop (He’s been in Japan since ’88) Belouazani Lakhdar is an Algerian buckwheat (soba) noodle chef. He’s been making soba noodles for 16 years in the area called Musashi-kosugi, a town which has been changing dramatically. It’s striking that his shop, Kabura-an, is located in a local shopping area that’s kind of closed, not opened to foreigners. How has a foreigner been taking pride in working as a soba chef in a closed community? How has he integrated in the local society? *Interview

I experienced both more happy things and more hard things after starting this business. So my challenge enhanced my life.

May 16 2008

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi & Hisa Written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Eriko Yamaguchi Part2 Bag designer/CEO We are bringing you the interview with Eriko Yamaguchi, a young entrepreneur who manages her own bag brand called “Motherhouse”. In this part, we tell you about her present state and future vision. *You can go to the first part from here! *Eriko Yamaguchi (1981-) Born in Saitama, Japan. She endured fierce bullying as a grade school girl. She started practicing judo in junior high school and then joined a “men’s” judo club in high school. She placed 7th in the national competition of judo. Educated

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams