INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEWS

No one will ever be able to destroy the relationship between us and people in China.

2012-11-01

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   GYPSY QUEEN Musical group When we heard that they call themselves “Asian band”, we wondered why they didn’t say they are a Japanese band. But they said with a laugh. “Japan is part of Asia, isn’t it?” Absolutely! But it’s not the only reason for it. They’ve performed in 10 countries so far, such as China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and Japan. Such an “Asiatrotting” band has tons of stories but we were limited in time so they picked the stories of their first tour in China.

INTERVIEWS

You’ll have stimulating experiences if you interact with people from other countries.

2012-10-03

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Tao Romera Martinez (Spain) Engineer of Sanpo The 1st interview with a man from Spain! Tao Romera Martinez, an engineer of the smartphone application service called “Sanpo“. Sanpo (散歩, walk or outing in Japanese) is like “Google Map for people who enjoy the slow life”. Google Map shows the shortest distance from A to B, but Sanpo tells you the courses from A to B that are wonderful to stroll or cycling irrespective of distance. We got to know the existence of this service at Samurai Venture Summit (Sept 2012),

INTERVIEWS

I want to make Japan an entrepreneurs’ country.

2012-10-02

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Kentaro Sakakibara Incubator “We will create a second Google or second Facebook!” If you heard that, what would you think? Some of you might think, “No, it’s impossible”. But today we introduces a man who makes it his mission to realize such a thing. Kentaro Sakakibara, President of Samurai Incubate Inc. We got to know about him in April, 2012. We found him in a magazine which featured Japanese entrepreneurs who were aiming for a global expansion and their supporters such as incubators and investors. The word “Samurai” was burned

INTERVIEWS

Who makes you grow bigger or ceases growing yourself? That’s you.

2012-10-01

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Ayaka Sugiyama “vivi” Executive Director of Kawakami Sangyo The theme of today’s interview is kind of extreme; A challenge to Marissa Mayer. Marissa Mayer, a woman who became CEO of Yahoo! at the age of just 37. She is awesome and no one disputes that. But there are many young female corporate managers in Japan as well. Ayaka Sugiyama is one of them, she is an executive director of Kawakami Sangyo Co.Ltd, a manufacturer of bubble wrap which is known by its nickname “Putiputi” in Japan. However there are some

INTERVIEWS

There won’t be a war as long as you know about others and talk to them.

2012-09-08

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   David Sindell (USA) Lawyer David Sindell is a business immigration lawyer with offices in New York, San Francisco (Silicon Valley), and recently in Tokyo. We met him at the presentation and exchange event for entrepreneurs called “GTIC (Global Techno Innovation Cafe)”, which was held by Tomo Akiyama, a Japanese venture capitalist. He’s been traveling between America and Japan for many years and recently became a gaikokuho bengoshi (foreign law registered lawyer) in Japan. Specifically through his Silicon Valley office, he acts as a bridge between Japanese ventures and the mecca of

INTERVIEWS

Startups that don’t make innovation happen aren’t worthy of existence.

2012-08-21

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Hiroaki Taira Entrepreneur Today we features a Japanese IT entrepreneur who used to live in the Silicon Valley in his youth. Hiroaki Taira moved around Japan with his family because his father, a semi-conductor engineer, was transferred to some branches. Then his family went to Silicon Valley, but he left the ventures’ playground long before he started business. Eventually he looked at Thailand, which is still a “developing” country in the IT field. He gambled on its possibility and aimed at a place which has not been reclaimed yet, not

INTERVIEWS

We hope to help other areas around the WORLD, not just in Japan.

2012-08-17

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Angela Ortiz (USA) Part2 Director of Administration of O.G.A. For AID Interview with Angela Ortiz, who’s been supporting people in the devastated area in the Northern part of Japan since 3.11 Earthquake occurred, still continues. In this part, we tell you about her team’s long-term projects for supporting residents in Tohoku. *Part1… click here! *Interview at Sea Side Center (Minami-sanriku, Miyagi Pref) 日本語 Photos by O.G.A. For AID   Supporting evacuees by farming In June 2012, we applied for NPO / Ippan shadan houjin (general incorporated association) status. We used to

INTERVIEWS

“Japan is home. we’ve been here for too long, to do anything other than stay.”

2012-08-17

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Angela Ortiz (USA) Part1 Director of Administration of O.G.A. For AID My Eyes Tokyo flew to Tohoku finally in the summer 2012. We wanted to see an American woman who’s been supporting the 3.11 earthquake evacuees and residents in a quake-stricken area since the disaster occurred. And we wanted to say thank you to her. Isao Tokuhashi, My Eyes Tokyo organizer, sent a friend request to Angela Ortiz on Facebook in 2011 because he was going to ask her to tell us what was going on in Tohoku at that

INTERVIEWS

I need to accommodate myself to Japanese culture in order to be here.

2012-08-02

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Houda Sellami Tunisian cuisine instructor (She’s been in Japan since June 2010) Today we introduce you to a cooking instructor from Tunisia, a North African country along the Mediterranean Sea. Houda Sellami, a very calm, very motherly and gentle-mannered woman. I didn’t believe that she came from a country where the Jasmine Revolution took place in 2010. I told her that and she laughed; “I called my family when it occurred. They told me that they were OK and I didn’t need to worry that much. Media always exaggerate things”.

INTERVIEWS

Enjoying communications with people who have many different background – that’s the origin of our services.

2012-07-25

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: info@myeyestokyo.com   Suguru Sakanishi Multilingual communication system developer Today we tell you a story of a man who aims at building a prosperous and happy world for where people exchange various kinds of languages. Suguru Sakanishi, who developed “WorldJumper Localizer“, a system that makes them multilingual automatically by adding a little something to your website. Much cheaper than translation agencies, much more precise than automated translation and your website will be translated into English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Traditional/Simplified) within a short time. I learned this breathtaking service at the session of “GTIC”