INTERVIEWS

We believe that Japan is suited to multiculturalism.

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)

INTERVIEWS

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

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.

MET Column

If you know them and know yourself, you need not fear communication with Japanese people!

Yuki Sakuragi Executive/leadership Coach / ICF-ACC Coach / Mentor / Trainer *This article is based on a lecture given by Ms. Sakuragi to Japanese people working in the pharmaceutical industry, with expressions adjusted for English-speaking readers.   I spent my childhood and adolescence in the U.S. After returning to Japan, I worked in the global R&D section of the pharmaceutical industry to bridge Japan and other countries. During that time, I felt frustrated every time I saw slight misunderstandings and struggles that occurred between non-Japanese and Japanese people. Later, as I was raising my son in Japan, I realized that

INTERVIEWS

I have spent almost half of my life outside of my comfort zone. Because of this experience, I believe that we can overcome this tough situation together.

Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Soichi Tatsuzato National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter After 2020, many of us have had the longest and hardest time we have ever experienced. Nevertheless, we believe that all of you who are now visiting us have overcome, or are about to overcome, such hardships. We would like to introduce you to a gentleman who has been working in one of the industries that the New Coronavirus has hit hard. Soichi Tatsuzato is a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter. He considers his job is to be an “entertainer”, and

MET Column

External coaching and mentoring is the key to onboarding support for foreign employees

Yuki Sakuragi ICF-ACC Coach / Mentor / GCDF-Japan Facilitator / Trainer   Samurai vs Kurofune Pharmaceutical companies make up one of the most globalized industries in the world, in which drugs are simultaneously developed worldwide.  For me, who has been raised in multiple cultures, I always thought about how I could contribute within this industry. The Japanese pharmaceutical company I first worked for had already been working on global drug development for many different countries, including the US and the EU.  However, many of the members at our foreign branches apparently wanted to take the lead of an entire project,

INTERVIEWS

Even just seeing the ocean was a new experience.

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi, Emma Withrow Edited by Emma Withrow Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Fariza Abidova (Uzbekistan) CEO & President of SOPHYS Corporation / Trusted Corporation   Earlier last December just as the holiday season began showing itself here in Tokyo we were fortunate to have the chance to sit down with Fariza Abidova for a cup of tea and a chat on referral from Verena Hopp. Over the course of our talk her tenacity and dedication was evident in her journey from Uzbekistan to Tokyo, and in the hopes and plans she has for her future. To best understand

INTERVIEWS

Standing in the bustle of Tokyo, I realized that at the very core, we are not so different after all.

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Bryan Sherman Global Human Resources consultant (In Japan this time since November 2007) We’ve interviewed people who came from “literally” all over the world. We did not have the intention of meeting people from around the world in order to convey the notion that “at the core, all people are essentially the same.” But, after many interviews, this is a point that I have heard echoed time and time again. Recently we met a man who espouses such ideas. Bryan Sherman, American born and raised, now calls Tokyo home. He