Asia | My Eyes Tokyo

I began learning Japanese for a trivial reason, yet it paved the path to my dreams. Now, I aim to elevate this dream to a grander scale worldwide.

April 04 2024

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi info@myeyestokyo.com Vinod Vijayasankaran (India) Cinematographer/Filmmaker/Video Director We would like to introduce a longtime friend of ours. A filmmaker from India: the land of cinema. We met him through LinkedIn about 7 years ago. After reading one of our articles, he became interested in our activities. At that point, he was already working on several films and approached us to collaborate. Although we met him several times, we lost touch with him for a while. Last summer, after several years, we approached him for a project, reigniting our connection and leading to this interview. In the

I have made all my own decisions so far. I have no regrets in my life.

July 13 2023

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi info@myeyestokyo.com Kelly Sun (Hong Kong/Canada) Educator This summer, My Eyes Tokyo team is going to Canada, a country known for its multicultural communities. To commemorate this trip, we would like to introduce a Canadian woman who has been a friend of ours for many years. Kelly Sun, an educator and a school owner from Vancouver. She used to help us with some interviews. You can see her in the following articles: –I want to make Japan a better place with my idol group. –What does “MARU” mean? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.16 We had

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

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

Happy Birthday to Brunei!

February 23 2019

Bandar Seri Begawan (formerly known as Brunei Town), the capital city of Brunei. *Photo from Wikipedia February 23 is National Day of Brunei, which remarks the Independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. (*Its actual independence day is January 1) At the peak of the Bruneian Empire, Sultan Bolkiah is alleged to have had control over most regions of Borneo. The maritime state was visited by Spain’s Magellan Expedition in 1521 and fought against Spain in 1578’s Castille War. During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline. The Sultanate ceded Sarawak (Kuching) to James Brooke and installed him

Happy Birthday to Sri Lanka!

February 04 2019

Typical Sri Lankan dish of rice and prawns. *Photo from Wikipedia February 4 is Sri Lanka’s Independence Day, which is celebrated to commemorate its internal political independence from British rule on that day in 1948. Its geographic location and deep harbors made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II. From the 16th century, some coastal areas of the country were also controlled by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Between 1597 and 1658, a substantial part of the island was under Portuguese rule. The Portuguese lost their possessions in Ceylon

Happy Birthday to Myanmar!

January 04 2019

Street food vendor in Yangon. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006. *Photo from Wikipedia January 4 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Myanmar (Burma) from the United Kingdom in 1948. The British conquered Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar became an independent nation in 1948, initially as a democratic nation and then, following a coup d’état in 1962, a military dictatorship. In 2011, the military junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election, and a nominally civilian government was installed. While former military leaders

Happy Birthday to Brunei!

January 01 2019

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, which is often considered as one of the most beautiful mosques in the Asia Pacific. *Photo from Wikipedia January 1 is: Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Brunei from United Kingdom in 1984. During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline. The Sultanate ceded Sarawak to James Brooke and installed him as the White Rajah. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate and was assigned a British resident as colonial manager in 1906. After the Japanese occupation during World War II, in 1959 a new constitution was written. In 1962, a small armed rebellion

Happy Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day!

December 20 2018

View of the old city in Macau. *Photo from Wikipedia December 20 is Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day. The first recorded Chinese inhabitants of the region now called Macau were people seeking refuge in the area from invading Mongols during the Southern Song (1127–1279). Under the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), fishermen migrated to Macau from Guangdong and Fujian. The Macau native people were Tanka (疍家 or 蜑家) boat people. Macau did not develop as a major settlement until the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 1550s. In 1557, Macau was rented to

Happy Bhutan’s National Day!

December 17 2018

A classroom in a school in Thimph, the capital and largest city of Bhutan. *Photo from Wikipedia December 17 is Bhutan’s National Day. The date marks the coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck as the first Druk Gyalpo (the head of state of Bhutan) of modern Bhutan. Bhutan is one of only a few countries which have been independent throughout their history, never conquered, occupied, or governed by an outside power. Although there has been speculation that it was under the Kamarupa Kingdom (one of the historical kingdoms of Assam, a state in northeastern India) or the Tibetan Empire in the 7th

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams