INTERVIEWS

Why can’t you blow your nose in public? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.6

Produced by Isao TokuhashiEdited by Emma Withrow, Daniel PensoMail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Akihabara It gained the nickname “Electric Town” shortly after World War II for being a major shopping center for household electronic goods and the post-war black market. Nowadays, Akihabara is considered by many to be an otaku cultural center and a shopping district for video games, anime, manga, and computer goods. Icons from popular anime and manga are displayed prominently on the shops in the area, and numerous maid cafés are found throughout the district. *Akihabara. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved January 25, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara 日本語   Woman

INTERVIEWS

I confirmed that I wanted to come and live in Japan as a singer.

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Katy Phillips (Australia) Singer/performer One day our friend told us about a female singer who was singing near Harajuku Station. “She continued to perform for 2 hours and didn’t stop singing and performing at all even though just a few people looked at her.” That singer is today’s interviewee, Katy Phillips from Australia. We were moved by what we heard and became interested in her. We decided to hold the “Interview in public” with her since our friend who introduced her to us said that he had a space for

INTERVIEWS

Sake is an entry into a great experience in Japan.

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Andre Bishop Sake Samurai/Owner of Japanese restaurants & bars   The 2nd Kyoto interview is with Andre Bishop, “Sake Samurai” from Australia. His attachment to Japanese food and sake developed into owning his own Japanese restaurants and bars in his country. He has much knowledge of sake, but he wanted to learn how to make sake. In March 2015, Andre met Maho Otsuka, a toji (杜氏, Chief Sake Brewer) who worked for “Japan Brand Public Diplomacy Program” as a sake expert, in Australia. She held a seminar on climate, culture

INTERVIEWS

I want to tell the depth of sake to the world.

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Maho OtsukaToji (Chief Sake Brewer)   We’ll introduce you to 2 people who are involved in “sake”. One is a female toji (杜氏, Chief Sake Brewer), another is a “Sake Samurai” from Australia. First of all, let us share the stories of Maho Otsuka, a chief sake brewer of a 370 year-old brewery called “Shotoku Shuzo (招德酒造)”. Otsuka has been working at the brewery in Fushimi, a sake brewery town in Kyoto, as a toji since 2005. In March 2015, she worked for “Japan Brand Public Diplomacy Program” as a

INTERVIEWS

How can you guys be so polite and helpful? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.2

Produced by Isao TokuhashiEdited by Daniel PensoMail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Haneda Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport (羽田空港) is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area. It handled almost all domestic flights to and from Tokyo from 1978 to 2010, while Narita International Airport handled the vast majority of international flights. In 2010, a dedicated international terminal was opened at Haneda. The Japanese government is currently encouraging the use of Haneda for premium business routes and the use of Narita for leisure routes and by low-cost carriers. *Haneda Airport. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 23, 2015, from

INTERVIEWS

Why will nobody sit beside me on the train? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.1

Produced by Isao TokuhashiEdited by Daniel PensoMail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Kamakura, Kanagawa Pref A city located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south-south-west of Tokyo. Kamakura is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the Kamakura Period. *Kamakura. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 7, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura 日本語   Couple from Holland “This is our first trip to Japan. We planned to come here about 4 years ago, but the Fukushima issues occurred so we put off the trip to Japan. Japan is very

INTERVIEWS

I’m able to use a lot of knowledge and experience to my career as a geisha now.

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Sayuki (Australia) Geisha *Photo by Kerry Raftis Before Japan’s economy took off, foreigners conjured up an image of Japan represented by such Japanese things like geisha and Mt. Fuji. The feeling was that traditional Japanese culture was mysterious and exotic, and the world of the geisha seemed irredeemably closed to outsiders. But now a non-Japanese has finally opened a crack into this very closed world: Sayuki, the first foreigner to be a geisha in Japan. Japanese and foreign media are paying close attention to this Australian woman who debuted in

INTERVIEWS

I was looking through some apartments and one had “No foreigners allowed”.

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Lyle Warren (Australia) Manager of homestay company (He’s been in Japan since 2002)   A wonderful guy from Australia. He has been in Japan for four years and works every day very hard. He is the manager of a home-stay company, an English teacher for Japanese business persons and a science teacher for kids. He doesn’t stay at one place. He always moves around Tokyo. Now he might be in your town! *Interview in Sangenjaya, Setagaya-ku     I don’t even know what the “Japanese way of life” is I