INTERVIEWS

Working at the Rugby World Cup will be the most amazing experience because you’ll see so many different people from so many different countries!

Interview by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Kate Grannan (UK) Operations Director, JLE Japan – staffing agency for international sporting events including the Rugby World Cup 2019 The huge sports events are coming to Japan from this year to next year. One is Tokyo Olympics which will be held from July until August 2020. Another is the Rugby World Cup which will take place from September until November this year. We met Kate Grannan from JLE Japan, who is from the UK and is hoping to play a valuable role in ensuring as many people as possible get to

INTERVIEWS

Tell me, Japanese people! @ Company Vol.2

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   We’ve started with a new series of interviews that highlights foreign staff working at Japanese companies in 2017 to learn about their unique perspectives on Japan and its corporate culture. Our second interview was conducted with one Japanese startup company called Table Cross. The company was founded in 2014. Kaoru Joho, founder and CEO of Table Cross, was just a 21-year old college girl when she released the app (also named Table Cross), which would enable people to give school meals to children in developing countries by booking seats at restaurants, bars,

INTERVIEWS

Why are your shoes one size too big? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.20

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Yanesen This word is formed with the initials of three neighborhoods: Yanaka (谷中), Nezu (根津) and Sendagi (千駄木) in Bunkyo-ku and Taito-ku, the northeastern area of Tokyo. It’s a non-commercial residential area known as “Shitamachi” (下町, old downtown) where there is a significant nostalgic and retro local atmosphere remaining. 日本語   Yanaka Located north of Ueno, there are around 70 small, privately owned stores in the area. Also, it is a district where more than 60 small Buddhist temples are situated. Couple from the US “We are from

INTERVIEWS

I don’t want Japan to change to be a lot more comfortable for me.

Interviewed by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Daniel Snowden (UK) Software Developer Today we introduce you to one of frequent visitors to Japan – Daniel Snowden from the United Kingdom. When we held a small drinking party in Roppongi, one of its attendees joined us with him. Fortunately all of our attendees could speak English, so he seemed to enjoy talking to local Japanese people and sharing his ideas with them. We’ve met him almost every time he came to Tokyo so far. Therefore we came up with an idea of interviewing him to return his attachment to our

INTERVIEWS

Do you get bored of cold weather? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.18

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Katy Phillips Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   SHIBUYA HOTEL EN *Photo provided by SHIBUYA HOTEL EN The hotel is a 7-minute walk from Shibuya station and its JR, Tokyu, Keio, and Tokyo Metro lines. From the outside, it looks very western, but inside each floor is decorated to showcase both traditional and modern Japan. Many visitors from around the world have chosen this hotel for their travels around Tokyo. *See this page for more details. *Photos provided by SHIBUYA HOTEL EN 日本語   Man from UK I’m from Cardiff in Wales. This is my first

INTERVIEWS

What should you NOT do in Japan? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.17

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Alisa Sanada Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Shinjuku Taken by Masaomi Takahashi A major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest railway station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo. *Shinjuku. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved December 19, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku 日本語   Woman from Mexico I’m from Mexico City, but now I’m living in Dresden, Germany, with my German husband. Actually I came here with him, but he came to Japan on business so I’m alone on holidays. This is my first visit to Japan

INTERVIEWS

I want to create a reality where foreign actors can play ordinary roles in Japanese.

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Reina (UK) Voice actor/actress Born and raised in London, we first met Reina in the spring of 2014, when she was an audience member at Swedish rakugo performer, Johan Nilsson Björk’s show in Tokyo. We heard about her story after the event and we got interested in her activities as a voice actor. We decided to interview her right after she got her first big break – costarring with Japanese big names and performing only in Japanese in October 2016. We looked for an opportunity to interview her to show

INTERVIEWS

Why do some Japanese people wear masks? – Tell me, Japanese people! Vol.9

Produced by Isao Tokuhashi Edited by Daniel Penso Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden A large park and garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya. It was originally a residence of one of the most powerful and wealthy Japanese families (Naito Family) in the Edo period. Afterwards, it became a garden under the management of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. It is now a national park under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment. *Shinjuku Gyoen. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 28, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Gyoen 日本語   Family from France We came to Tokyo from a small town

INTERVIEWS

The sympathy with the aftermath of the earthquake almost doesn’t exist abroad. But there are still tons of problems to be solved in Tohoku.

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Andrew Grimes Psychotherapist/Clinical Psychologist   One day, we received a mail from a gentleman. “I am very impressed by your website and the interviews there. If you would be interested in interviewing me, I would be grateful to you. We need to remind the rest of the country that there are still tens of thousands of people and children living in poor accommodation and with the fear of radiation”. He is Andrew Grimes, a UK-born psychologist/psychotherapist who has been working in Tokyo for about 30 years. He asked us to

INTERVIEWS

Laughter is international.

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