INTERVIEWS | My Eyes Tokyo

For me, social contribution is the “water of life”. It’s what has kept me alive.

January 26 2023

日本語 Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi Translated by Heartship Myanmar Japan *Click here to read the original article info@myeyestokyo.com Sawmi (Lal Sawm Lian) NPO Founder and Leader As we enter the year 2023, the world is still far from peace. The relationship between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of improvement even though it has been almost a year since the war started. While many media outlets follow the current state and course of this war, there are clashes occuring in other parts of the world as well. One such place is Myanmar. Since the Myanmar military seized power through

The war may not end anytime soon, but we will focus on what we can do now.

October 18 2022

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso info@myeyestokyo.com Matrëshka Russian restaurant When interviewing people from various countries, we have tried to avoid (1) biasing the country or region of origin of interviewees, (2) avoid asking them about religion, politics, or other personal matters, and (3) listen to the voices of people from both countries or regions that are said to be hostile to each other. The experience of (3) in particular was inspired by a TV documentary that My Eyes Tokyo editor-in-chief Tokuhashi once saw, in which young people from allegedly hostile countries were interacting with each

I wanted to be more honest with myself. If I want to change myself, I have to change my environment—that’s why I decided to go abroad.

October 17 2022

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff Steward Goenardy (Indonesia) International student We at My Eyes Tokyo have been listening to the voices of many people from Indonesia, including tourists visiting Japan. And this time, we would like to introduce you to a person who is probably the youngest among them so far: Steward Goenardy, who is engaged in research on microorganisms at a university in Tokyo. We have mainly met with people who are engaged in business or unique activities in Japan, but we rarely have the opportunity to meet with people who come to Japan

Even foreigners can do something in Japan. There is nothing they can’t do—That is what I want to prove.

September 06 2022

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso Rino Senlewa Cafe owner/Barista/Cafe consultant Finally, we were able to conduct an in-depth interview with this person. In October 2020, My Eyes Tokyo editor-in-chief Tokuhashi participated in a PR project. He visited an old private house cafe in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture. An Indonesian man, Rino Senlewa, ran a small Indonesian coffee shop called “Mahameru Coffee” there. He never stopped moving, not even for a second, talking to customers while taking their orders and brewing coffee, and politely answered Tokuhashi’s questions even though he was so busy. Around the time

We believe that Japan is suited to multiculturalism.

August 14 2022

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff (My Eyes Tokyo) info@myeyestokyo.com Menikaru Rakugo pair Does everybody remember the Swedish rakugo storyteller who My Eyes Tokyo interviewed in the past? At the time, he was performing amateur rakugo by the name “Borubotei Ikeya (Volvo-tei Ikea).” But in July 2016, Johan Nilsson Björk became an apprentice of Sanyutei Koraku, a well-known performer on the Japanese TV comedy program “Shoten” (笑点; English: “punchline”), and entered the professional entertainment world as “Sanyutei Juubee”. After about four years of training, he was promoted from zenza (前座, the lowest rank of performer)

Let’s be part of the team of the Multicultural One Family Festival!

August 06 2022

日本語 Interviews by Isao Tokuhashi and Jennifer A. Hoff (My Eyes Tokyo) Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff info@myeyestokyo.com Held on November 23, 2022 What we at My Eyes Tokyo have been aiming for through our activities is to convey “what people of various backgrounds universally possess”. By doing so, we aim to eliminate prejudice against various countries, not only among Japanese people but also among people living abroad. Last year, we came across an international peace organization – Global Peace Foundation Japan, the Japanese branch of the Global Peace Foundation (GPF), which is headquartered in the United States.

If you actively interact with the local people, they will treat you with respect—the secret to living comfortably in a foreign country.

July 08 2022

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff info@myeyestokyo.com Pozo Rodríguez Miguel Angel (Bolivia) Manufacturing company employee / soccer coach / enka singer manager “My determination to protect my family was that firm.” We met a man who fits the word “gentleman” perfectly. The day before the interview with Yolanda Tasico, the “first Filipino enka singer” whom we introduced in our previous article, she asked us, “I’m bringing my assistant tomorrow. Is that okay for you?” On the day of the interview, a man appeared with Yolanda near the Central Gate of JR Ueno Station. That is

I have received a lot of love from the people of Japan, and now I feel true happiness.

June 17 2022

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff info@myeyestokyo.com Yolanda Tasico (Philippines) Enka Singer Japan is filled with a wide variety of music, including J-pop, K-pop, Western music, world music, and so on. All of these are popular among people of all ages, but we must not forget the type of music that has moved the hearts of Japanese people since ages past. That would be: “enka” (演歌”). Enka, which has been popular since pre-war times, has been regarded as “that which sings the heart of Japan”. Since the 1980s, however, it has also been sung by singers

If you find yourself in a long, dark tunnel, think hard about that something that only you can do.

October 02 2021

Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff info@myeyestokyo.com Milly Nakai (Brazil) Multilingual interpreter and visual-media translator Early October 2017 – We visited a panel discussion organized by the “Global Communication Arts Institute” (GCAI). We met four women working in areas such as entrepreneurship, flower arrangement, and travel guide interpreting, who talked about how they have expanded the scope of their unique activities by sharing information overseas. One of the panelists was Ms. Milly Nakai, an interpreter and translator who speaks four languages, including Portuguese and Japanese, to bring voices from around the world to Japan. Born in Sao

I chose to “ignore” my other roots because my background was not something I could proudly talk about.

August 24 2021

Interviewed & Written by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso info@myeyestokyo.com Ryuta Hayashi (Japan/Fourth generation of overseas Chinese) Film Director Finally, the day has come for My Eyes Tokyo (MET) to introduce this person to you—Ryuta Hayashi, a film director. MET editor-in-chief Isao Tokuhashi met Hayashi about 20 years ago when he was working for a Japanese-language TV station in Orange County, California, and Hayashi was an international student at a local college. They lived with the same host family and spent their days talking about the American music scene, gossipy stories, and girls they saw on the street

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams