peace | My Eyes Tokyo

A lot of luck led me to Japan. Thanks to the help of many people, I was able to survive in Japan as a refugee. I am grateful to all the people I’ve met.

November 14 2023

日本語 Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Jennifer A. Hoff info@myeyestokyo.com Yoshihiro Paul Kitagawa Former Refugee and Company Owner My Eyes Tokyo has interviewed many people who have come to Japan from various countries. Some of them are refugees, and others are supporters of refugees. We would like to introduce to you Yoshihiro Kitagawa, who arrived in Japan as a refugee, and later became the president of a company. Aw Wanping, an entrepreneur from Singapore, whom we interviewed in the spring of this year (2023), was who told us about Kitagawa. She said, “I have a business partner who

For me, social contribution is the “water of life”. It’s what has kept me alive.

January 26 2023

日本語 Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi Translated by Heartship Myanmar Japan *Click here to read the original article info@myeyestokyo.com Sawmi (Lal Sawm Lian) NPO Founder and Leader As we enter the year 2023, the world is still far from peace. The relationship between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of improvement even though it has been almost a year since the war started. While many media outlets follow the current state and course of this war, there are clashes occuring in other parts of the world as well. One such place is Myanmar. Since the Myanmar military seized power through

End-of-war Memorial Day

August 15 2018

The National Memorial Service for War Dead, August 15, 2008. *Photo from Wikipedia August 15 is Japan’s End-of-war memorial day. It marks the end of World War II (August 15, 1945) as per the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The day is called Shūsen-kinenbi (Japanese: 終戦記念日), also written as shūsen no hi (Japanese: 終戦の日). It is an informal reference used by the public, for August 15 and related to the historical events that culminated with the ending of World War II, and the restoration of Japanese political independence. Those events were: ●August 14, 1945, the day the Imperial Japanese government gave

Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony

August 09 2018

Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. *Photo from Wikipedia August 9 is Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony. Nagasaki is devastated when an atomic bomb, Fat Man, was dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar at 11:02 A.M., August 9, 1945. 35,000 people were killed outright, including 23,200 – 28,200 Japanese war workers, 2,000 Korean forced workers, and 150 Japanese soldiers. Victims of the Nagasaki bombing are commemorated on August 9 each year. Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony is held in the Nagasaki Peace Park. The Mayor of Nagasaki delivers a solemn speech on the occasion. In commemoration of

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony

August 06 2018

Atomic Bomb Dome, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The ruin of the hall serves as a memorial to the people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. *Photo from Wikipedia August 6 is the day Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is held. On Monday, August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., the nuclear weapon “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima by an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, directly killing an estimated 70,000 people, including 20,000 Japanese combatants and 2,000 Korean slave laborers. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of

Rakugo might prevent conflicts. I’ll try to achieve peace through it.

January 29 2015

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Kimie Oshima Professor/English-Rakugo Performer Have you heard of the word “Rakugo”? It’s a form of Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone storyteller sits on stage, using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and does not stand up from the sitting position. Actually My Eyes Tokyo has interviewed some foreign rakugo performers so far such as Diane Orrett from UK and Mizirakli Halit from Turkey. Also we met Johan Nilsson Björk, a rakugo performer from Sweden. They learned rakugo after coming to Japan, fell in love with the

There’re many Israelis and Palestinians who overcome religious and racial differences and make friends with each other.

May 11 2011

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi & Mai Namiki Written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Kazuya Ogawa (Part3) Filmmaker We are bringing you the interview with Kazuya Ogawa, a film director who made a movie called “Pink Subaru”. The last part is the unique standpoint and ideas of a filmmaker who filmed a comedy movie in a conflict-affected region. *Interview in Omote-sando, Shibuya-ku *Edited by Daniel Penso 校正協力：ダニエル・ペンソ日本語 *Pink Subaru official website (Japanese): Click here! *You can go to the previous parts here; Part1　Part2 Tokuhashi: I’ve heard that you studied film in New York before you went to Italy.

People lead regular lives exist even in extraordinary circumstances.

May 11 2011

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi & Mai Namiki Written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Kazuya Ogawa (Part2) Filmmaker Kazuya Ogawa, a young auteur or film director who made a movie called “Pink Subaru”, which is set in a town on the Israeli-Palestinian border. In this part, we tell you about the true aspects of the Middle East which Ogawa and his staff saw. *You can go to the first part from here! *Interview in Omote-sando, Shibuya-ku *Edited by Daniel Penso 校正協力：ダニエル・ペンソ *Pink Subaru official website (Japanese): Click here! Tokuhashi: When did you step into Palestine for the first time? The

I felt something strangely familiar about Palestine when I got there.

May 11 2011

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi & Mai Namiki Written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Kazuya Ogawa (Part1) Filmmaker Today we’re introducing you to Kazuya Ogawa, a young auteur or film director who made a movie called “Pink Subaru”. The movie is set in Tayibe, a town on the Israeli-Parestinian border. A man fulfilled his heart’s desire and got a new Subaru Legacy, but he was robbed of his treasure on the following day. The story opens from that moment. Some of you may think that the movie depicts a war or is political. If so, it’s totally different from what

People never need my activities; that’s my ideal world.

April 16 2010

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Hector Sierra (Colombia) Founder of “Artists Without Borders” （He’s been in Japan since ’93) We can’t say that we’re in peace. The guns never fall silent and people release gunfire in any number of places. There is a man who walks through the conflict regions with crayons and drawing papers. His name is Hector Sierra, the founder of the Tokyo-based organization called “Artists Without Borders”. Sierra is from Colombia, a country struggling with civil war. The reason he came to Japan is because he was attracted to security and prosperity of the country.

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams