Osaka | My Eyes Tokyo

This Japanese improv group is fast becoming recognized around the world as Japan’s top group.

2016-11-22

Edited by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Mike Staffa (USA) Improv comedy group founder The Pirates of Tokyo Bay (POTB), Tokyo’s only bilingual improv comedy group, which we’ve featured twice before, will mark their 6th anniversary with a special show on December 4th at SuperDeluxe in Roppongi. Mike Staffa, the founder of POTB, tells you about their vast range of activities in Japan and abroad that they’ve done this year. Also he shares what you can see and experience at the upcoming Anniversary show. *Past interviews with Mike; 1st (January 18, 2014) 2nd (November 10, 2015) 日本語 Becoming world-famous

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