INTERVIEWS | My Eyes Tokyo

The “Pirates” is a family. Trust off stage makes the trust on stage.

March 30 2014

Written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Mike Staffa (USA) Improv comedy group founder Photo Credit: Michael Holmes Photo Today we introduce you to the “Leader of the Pirates”. Mike Staffa, the founder of the improv comedy group called the “Pirates of Tokyo Bay” (POTB). As soon as he stepped in the venue for this interview, he said, “I’m sweating today!” even though it was a cold day outside. Because according to him, where he comes from was currently -40C that day! We’re not sure he was joking or not, but anyway he is totally a funny guy.

If they are interested in tea, they would be interested in Japanese tea.

February 28 2014

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Ian Chun (USA) Tea Merchant Ian at the symbolic starting point of all roads in Japan at the Nihonbashi bridge in Tokyo.“We all have a starting point on the road to discovering Japanese culture.” My Eyes Tokyo welcomed the 2nd guest speaker for MET Morning Interview at the end of 2013. Ian Chun is the founder of Match Latte Media, and has introduced Japanese tea to people in about 50 countries around the world. We met him at a small entrepreneurial event in Tokyo in 2012. There were many entrepreneurs

Tokyo doesn’t need to be like anybody else. Tokyo doesn’t need to be like New York or London.

January 07 2014

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Loren Fykes (USA) Entrepreneur We have been organizing asakatsu (literally “morning activities”) meetups since early 2013. Initially, we focused on bringing people together for discussions on hot topics in English with English learners and native English speakers. From these meetings, we had the idea to start a new project. Because My Eyes Tokyo does regular interviews with both local and international artists and business, we thought it would be interesting to do bring these interviewees to asakatsu and conduct the interview openly in English with meetup participants. We have

Orphans need people who would love them, care for them like their moms would do.

December 10 2013

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com K.M (She’s been in Japan since October 2011) She is studying at a Japanese university, and she is an orphan. She made a speech at a charity party which was held by PLAS (Positive Living through AIDS Orphan Support), a Japanese NGO who gives aid to AIDS orphans, and told us her story; how she grew up in her country after she lost her dad and how she came to Japan. It was a short speech, but we were really moved. So we wanted to hear her stories more. How

I always want to know something that I don’t know. I couldn’t have come this far without curiosity.

October 01 2013

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Tomoko Komatsuzaki PR Producer She looks lily, but actually she is very energetic and passionate. Her target is mainly Asia and has introduced 1000 million people to services and products from Japan. And she challenged a big international project – selling Japanese “Night views” to Hong Kong. We met her at an event which was held by “GTIC” (Global Techno Innovation Cafe) in the summer of 2012. GTIC is an entrepreneurial group led by Tomo Akiyama, a startup accelerator, and she joined his meetup as a presenter. We felt empathy

To know the differences between Japanese and English is the best way to learn English.

February 04 2013

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Mike Cadman (Canada) Educator (He’s been in Japan since 2004) Nowadays, My Eyes Tokyo is engaged in English-related projects because we’d like to encourage people who want to be able to speak English well. Today’s interview will help them a great deal. It is with Mike Cadman, an English educator here in Tokyo. He came up with the word “Janglish”, which means “Japanese-English”. He researched how it differs from natural English and turned it into a book. He tells us that a good way to learn a language is “to

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

January 05 2013

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

Cooking is not something to teach.

November 21 2012

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Munshi R. Sultana (Bangladesh) Bangladesh cuisine instructor (She’s been in Japan since 1976) She conveys an extremely gentle atmosphere which embraces her students, so they totally became like her daughter. They were charmed by her gentle way of talking, her smile which seems like it accepts everything and of course her cuisine. They lost track of time talking to each other with laughs. It was already candle-night when they looked at a clock and hastily cleared off the dishes and washed them. Once you step in her classroom, everyone becomes

I feel my activities connect Vietnam and Japan so I’m really happy now.

November 14 2012

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com Hai Trieu (Vietnam) Singer (He’s been in Japan since 2001) We met him for the first time at the event called “Love Asia Vol.18” which was held in Shibuya in October 2012. Its slogan is “Unify Asian nations through music” and Hai sang songs with his band. He looked a little bit small in stature from a distance, but we were really amazed with the incredible strength of his voice and his commanding performance. After his show, we were called by Ayaka Sugiyama, MC/organizer of the event who is the

To eliminate cultural and economical segregation – that’s my dream.

November 05 2012

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com DongYol Lee (S. Korea) Social entrepreneur/Chief organizer & Global facilitator of Startup Weekend Tokyo (He’s been in Japan since 2005) This is the interview for those who are interested in bootstrapping. DongYol Lee organizes the event called “Startup Weekend Tokyo”, It’s a Tokyo version of Startup Weekend, which originated in Seattle and is now held in about 300 cities in the world. Things participants do are forming a team, making a product or service and pitching in 54 hours during the weekend. You pay only $75 per event and join

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams