Europe | My Eyes Tokyo

My wish is to show what Serbia and the Balkans really are.

2011-05-29

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Jelena Jeremic (Serbia) Serbian/Greek cuisine instructor (She’s been in Japan since 2009) My Eyes Tokyo brings you interviews with teachers from “Niki’s Kitchen“. It’s a cooking school in which foreigners teach their homeland dishes to Japanese people. This is a story about the first Serbian whom we met in our life: Jelena Jeremic, a young, cheerful, intelligent and humorous woman. She loves telling jokes all the time and she keeps the smile on her students’ faces during her classes. You can learn how to cook Serbian and Greek dishes,

I really wondered when and where Japanese people learned being friendly and caring about each other.

2011-05-08

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi & Masayuki Abe Written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Tanja Sobko (Sweden) Nutritionist/cooking instructor (She’d been in Japan from 2006 to early 2009) We introduce you to a wonderful lady. Tanja Sobko, a Swedish nutritionist who currently works in Hong Kong. She came to Japan in 2006 after she gained the chance of coming to Japan. It has been her true love since she was a little girl, and she interacted with folks here with boundless love. Japanese people also became big fans of her, too. So she came over to the people like

Dance like yourself.

2010-04-30

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Elina Kalita (Ukraine) Belly dancer/instructor (She’s been in Japan since mid 90s) Today we introduce you to a beautiful belly dancer. Elina Kalita from Ukraine is a born artist. Her career as a belly dancer spans about two decades and she’s been raised on many kinds of performing arts since she was a child. Now she is both a performer and an instructor of belly dancing. She always tells her students, “Do not copy me”. What does she mean? Is there a teacher who says you do not need to take him/her

Japanese society is more welcoming to foreigners than Switzerland or US.

2010-04-05

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Sibylle Ito (Switzerland) Businessperson Today we introduce you to Sibylle Ito, a businessperson originally from Switzerland. She is working for a global company and is solely in charge of developing the Japanese market. Ms. Ito came to Japan after a 7-year stay in the U.S. and this is now her eighth year in Japan. She told us how she perceives Japan, and additionally the reasons why she has been living in several countries so far. We believe she is different from a “typical” foreigner, because she looks at things from

You can’t clap with one hand, so I need others help. I want to expand our business with good people.

2009-09-05

Interviewed & Written by Isao Tokuhashi & Chinatsu Suzuki Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Selami Kucuk (Turkey) Kebab stall co-owner (He’s been in Japan since 2003) We introduce you to a Turkish guy who runs a kebab stall in Chiba, a suburb area of Tokyo. His name is Selami Kucuk and his background is unique. He used to be a professional soccer player in his country! Turkey is one of the world-class soccer powers and it placed third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. But now a former professional soccer player is making doner kebab everyday in Japan, outside Tokyo. Do you want to

Laughter is international.

2009-08-21

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Diane Orrett (UK) Rakugo performer/Balloon artist (She’s been in Japan since 1990) My Eyes Tokyo flew to Osaka, the Japanese capital of comedy again! We’ve had interviews with two foreign entertainers in Osaka in early 2008. Then we found a new foreign performer there recently. Diane Orrett, a British woman who performs a Japanese traditional comic story telling called “rakugo（落語）”. She performs rakugo in both Japanese and English. Also she works as a balloon artist who makes animals, cartoon characters and so on. We talked to her over the phone before

I believe Japanese songs must reach Russians.

2009-06-05

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Ekaterina (Russia) Singer/Pianist (She’s been in Japan since ’95) Ekaterina, a wonderful diva from Russia! She sings Russian folk songs, Japanese songs in 80s and J-POP (Japanese popular songs after 90s). She lives for promoting exchange between Japan and Russia through singing. Her songs were aired on TV and she has sung the Russian anthem at international soccer matches. But she is always friendly, not haughty and spontaneous. She is very flexible, enough so to perform at both big halls and small live houses. Her smile is really friendly. Such

Whenever I’m in Tokyo, I feel as though I become another person. I feel free more than in Germany.

2009-05-15

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com kai (Germany) Singer songwriter/Lyricist (Writes songs in Japanese) We introduce you to a German singer songwriter who sings and writes songs in Japanese. kai, a.k.a. shigure, loves Japanese culture very much and has come here six or seven times so far. This time he is still a tourist who can’t stay here more than 90 days. Even though he’s never stayed in Japan for a long time, he speaks Japanese really, really well. We think musicians have good ears and a high-level of listening skills. But above all, it’s thanks

Rakugo is a way of expressing myself which I found at last.

2008-03-22

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Mizirakli Halit (Turkey) Rakugo performer/Graduate school student (He’s been in Japan in 2001-02, 2004-) The second interview from the Kansai region is with Mizirakli Halit, a rakugo performer from Turkey. He talks quietly and gently, like he is trying to choose the right words. When he came to Japan for the first time in 2001, he experienced rakugo. Three years later, he came to Japan again and started his activities as a rakugo performer in the Osaka area. After he started learning rakugo, he got interested in his roots. “Meddahlik“, a Turkish

What I hate in Japan is that people don’t make much of their own history.

2008-03-10

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Stephane Danton (France) Japanese tea merchant (He’s been in Japan since ’92) Stephane Danton has been offering unique products with his fresh ideas. You can relax yourself with a cup of fragrantly-scented tea and delicious cakes there. Also you can buy adorable gadgets at a shop. He created such a relaxing space, so you may think he is a calm person. But actually he offers harsh words about Japan and Japanese people. This healing space was created by his adversarial quality. *Interview at “Ocharaka” (Kichijoji, Tokyo) *You can learn his business

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams