INTERVIEWS | My Eyes Tokyo

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

2009-05-09

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

2009-04-29

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.

2009-04-29

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.

2008-10-11

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.

2008-09-03

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.

2008-08-22

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

2008-08-12

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.

2008-08-12

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.

2008-05-16

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

I wouldn’t trust other people at all for the rest of my life if I gave it up.

2008-05-16

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi & Hisa Written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Eriko Yamaguchi Part1 Bag designer/CEO We bring you the interview with Eriko Yamaguchi, a young Japanese entrepreneur who manages her own bag brand called “Motherhouse“. Her bags are made in Bangladesh and made from jute, a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber. Jute bags are sold at other shops, too, in Japan but the features that differentiate her bags from others are cute, fancy and functional quality. Motherhouse declares on their brochures proudly: “We want to show to people that there are wonderful resources and possibilities in the places lumped together

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams