INTERVIEWS | My Eyes Tokyo

Isn’t it difficult to abide by social etiquette from a young age? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol. 22

2018-11-19

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture Located approximately 30 kilometers from downtown Tokyo. The city is known locally as “Little Edo” (小江戸 Koedo) after the old name for Tokyo, due to its many historic buildings. *Kawagoe. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved November 18, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawagoe,_Saitama *Related article: Tokyo Getaways #3 Kawagoe ‘Ancient Edo’ Walking Tour 日本語 Man from Australia I’m originally from Sydney but have been living in San Francisco for the last two years. The reason I came to Kawagoe is that my wife’s host suggested it to

Why do you want to learn English? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.21

2018-09-09

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Haneda Airport Located 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) south of Tokyo Station, it was the third-busiest airport in Asia and the fourth-busiest in the world in 2017, after Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport (Asia’s busiest), and Dubai International Airport. Haneda and Narita combined make Tokyo the third-busiest city airport system in the world, following London and New York City. *Haneda Airport. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 6, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haneda_Airport 日本語 Man from Indonesia I’m a medical doctor back home. This is our first trip

Tell me, Japanese people! @ Company Vol.2

2018-08-14

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com We’ve started with a new series of interviews that highlights foreign staff working at Japanese companies in 2017 to learn about their unique perspectives on Japan and its corporate culture. Our second interview was conducted with one Japanese startup company called Table Cross. The company was founded in 2014. Kaoru Joho, founder and CEO of Table Cross, was just a 21-year old college girl when she released the app (also named Table Cross), which would enable people to give school meals to children in developing countries by booking seats at restaurants, bars,

Expanding business all over the world and helping children in need – Both are my dreams.

2018-07-22

Interviewed & Written by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Serkan Toso (Turkey) Food Entrepreneur One day we received a mail saying, “I would like to collaborate with you.” The mail came from Serkan, a Turkish man who has his own online platform which provides information about food events to visitors to Tokyo. We got interested in him because of the reasons below; 1. He is from Turkey. We’ve never happened upon a Turkish IT entrepreneur in Japan. 2. He is Muslim, which means he must have food restrictions. It is interesting that that kind of

Sushi represents Japan. It doesn’t represent only Japanese culture, but Japan itself.

2018-07-05

Interviewed & Written by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Shihomi Homma & Ayumi Aalto Itamae/Sushi cooking instructors (*Continued from the featured article) The sushi class that we introduced to you in the previous page is very rare because there are just a few female itamae (板前, cook in a Japanese kitchen), even in Japan. We covered “Nadeshico Sushi”, a sushi restaurant in Akihabara, which only has female itamae, that opened around a decade ago, but we have never met women who work as itamae or chefs since then. But, recently we heard about a sushi

Why are your shoes one size too big? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.20

2018-06-11

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Yanesen This word is formed with the initials of three neighborhoods: Yanaka (谷中), Nezu (根津) and Sendagi (千駄木) in Bunkyo-ku and Taito-ku, the northeastern area of Tokyo. It’s a non-commercial residential area known as “Shitamachi” (下町, old downtown) where there is a significant nostalgic and retro local atmosphere remaining. 日本語 Yanaka Located north of Ueno, there are around 70 small, privately owned stores in the area. Also, it is a district where more than 60 small Buddhist temples are situated. Couple from the US “We are from

I want to make Japan a better place with my idol group.

2018-05-21

Interviewed by Kelly Sun Written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com James Collins (United States) Producer There are many idol groups in Japan. Male groups belonging to Johnny & Associates are popular, not only within Japan but also abroad, with other Asian countries making up the lion’s share of the market. Female groups too, such as AKB48 and their peers, receive widespread support across all age groups. Idol members are typically Japanese citizens. While there are some who have roots in foreign countries, they remain minorities. However, an American man is causing quite a stir in the supposedly “homogenous”

Why do you have the senior-junior relationship system? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.19

2018-04-29

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden One of the most popular destinations for cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo, which has approximately 1,500 cherry trees which bloom from late March (Shidare or Weeping Cherry), to early April (Somei or Tokyo Cherry), and into late April (Kanzan Cherry). *Shinjuku Gyoen. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 29, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Gyoen *Another interview session at Shinjuku Gyoen: See this page. 日本語 Family and their friends from Norway We’re from Oslo, the capital city of Norway, and Bergen, a city on the west

I don’t want Japan to change to be a lot more comfortable for me.

2018-03-21

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Daniel Snowden (UK) Software Developer Today we introduce you to one of frequent visitors to Japan – Daniel Snowden from the United Kingdom. When we held a small drinking party in Roppongi, one of its attendees joined us with him. Fortunately all of our attendees could speak English, so he seemed to enjoy talking to local Japanese people and sharing his ideas with them. We’ve met him almost every time he came to Tokyo so far. Therefore we came up with an idea of interviewing him to return his attachment to our

Do you get bored of cold weather? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.18

2018-02-08

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Katy Phillips Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com SHIBUYA HOTEL EN *Photo provided by SHIBUYA HOTEL EN The hotel is a 7-minute walk from Shibuya station and its JR, Tokyu, Keio, and Tokyo Metro lines. From the outside, it looks very western, but inside each floor is decorated to showcase both traditional and modern Japan. Many visitors from around the world have chosen this hotel for their travels around Tokyo. *See this page for more details. *Photos provided by SHIBUYA HOTEL EN 日本語 Man from UK I’m from Cardiff in Wales. This is my first

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams