Kansai | My Eyes Tokyo

Kobe welcomes global entrepreneurs and catapults Japanese entrepreneurs out into the world

2022-04-29

Reported by Isao Tokuhashi and Jennifer A. Hoff (My Eyes Tokyo) Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com In the past, Japan could have been considered an “underdeveloped country” in terms of entrepreneurship, with only a small population of entrepreneurs and an environment that was not built to foster it. Since then however, both the national and local governments as well as the private sector have been working together to create a more fertile landscape for startups, which has been increasing entrepreneurial awareness. As a result now, even foreign investors have started to take an interest in Japan-born startup companies, and it is

Kobe nurtures entrepreneurs who take on the challenge of solving social issues

2021-12-03

Reported by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Many cities in Japan are becoming centers for startups. In addition to Tokyo, which is one of the most global cities in the world, other places such as Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Sendai are actively supporting startups. There is one more place that should not be forgotten when talking about the startup scene in Japan – Kobe, one of the metropolises in the Kansai region where city and nature exist in beautiful harmony. People of Kobe, the third largest port city in Japan, are open-minded and have been

Sake is an entry into a great experience in Japan.

2016-01-26

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

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

2016-01-22

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

Hack Osaka!

2013-02-14

Hi, nice to meet you! I’m Tazu Yamada, Kansai Area Manager of My Eyes Tokyo. I’ve delivered some news articles and interviews with wonderful people from the area including Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe in Japanese, but today I will try to tell you what I saw and felt in English for the first time. Today’s topic is “Hack Osaka”. Do you know what it means? It’s a subtitle of the big international conference called “Global Innovation Osaka 2013” which was held in order to discuss how Osaka should be changed right before the opening of the innovative complex facility called

My goal is to spread fake food replicas originating from Osaka around the world.

2013-01-05

Justin D. Hanus (USA) Founder/CEO of Fake Food Japan (Resident in Japan since 2001) Have you seen “fake food replicas”? Ones that are made out of plastic and sculpted to look like actual dishes? The fake food items we’re referring to are the ones in display cases of restaurants or cafes throughout Japan. Mr. Hanus started the “Fake Food

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

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

One rakugo performer is holding very simple tools and create anything by themselves. That’s the magic of rakugo.

2008-03-21

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Spence Zaorski (USA) Graduate student/Rakugo researcher (He’s been in Japan since 2006) My Eyes Tokyo went west to Osaka and Kyoto (cities in Kansai region, western Japan) then we had interviews with two foreigners. Both of them really loves one of the traditional Japanese art called “rakugo”（落語）. Rakugo is a Japanese verbal entertainment. Look at a picture above. A guy wearing kimono sits on a cushion and tell comedic stories to the audience. “Raku” means “fall”, “Go” means “Words” then “rakugo” means “punchline”. (see more → Click) . Rakugo has a very long history and people

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams