INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEWS

Refugees can change their lives by themselves as long as they are in Japan.

2010-09-22

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Kanako Iwase & Arusha（Part2） Nail salon manager We are bringing you part two of the interview with Kanako Iwase, a manager of the nail salon called “Arusha”, which hires refugees as manicurists. In this part, I tell you about her present state and future vision. *Interview at Arusha (Minato-ku, Tokyo) *Edited by Daniel Penso 校正協力：ダニエル・ペンソ 日本語   Where did people who took nail art training come from? All over the world. They’ve been given official refugee status and had valid working visas. In order to eliminate the risk of brushing

INTERVIEWS

I didn’t know about refugees in Japan at all.

2010-09-22

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Kanako Iwase & Arusha（Part1） Nail salon manager We’re introducing you to a nail salon called “Arusha“, which is managed by a Japanese young entrepreneur. There are some differences between Arusha and other nail salons. 1) All of the manicurists of Arusha are foreigners. 2) Most of them are refugees. But there’s no somber atmosphere at all in the salon. They welcome you with very friendly smiles. And while you get your nails done, manicurists and customers enjoy talking. I interviewed Kanako Iwase, a representative of Arusha. This interview is divided into

INTERVIEWS

There are many kinds of gaps in the world. Bridging them, that’s my assignment.

2010-08-08

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Naoko Tanase Cooking school representative Today’s interviewee is a Japanese woman who manages a school called ”Niki’s Kitchen”, which operates cooking classes in Tokyo and the suburbs. Its cooking classes are very unique. Firstly, you can learn ”home-style dishes” of different countries from foreign cooks. Secondly, each class is held at a cook’s house. And lastly, you can learn whatever and whenever you want because it’s not membership-based. Those are the most distinctive features of Niki’s Kitchen. I got interested in its concept, “Learning various home-style dishes at foreign cooks’

INTERVIEWS

Living your dream is the easiest thing to do in life. What is difficult, is to pretend that your dream does not exist.

2010-07-26

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   I Believe That Dreams Can Come True Part2 (Singapore) Dream-inspiring-dream project Tay & Val, Singaporean girls who carry out the global project called “I Believe That Dreams Can Come True“, said bye to everything in their home and started a long, long journey to inspire people to pursue their dreams, prompt smiles from people and make them happy. They’re going to do this across the globe. They don’t imagine how many people they’ll meet. And they don’t seem to imagine how many dreams they hear and talk to others about.

INTERVIEWS

The moment you tell people about your dream, you have already taken one step closer to it.

2010-07-26

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   I Believe That Dreams Can Come True Part1 (Singapore) Dream-inspiring-dream project We bring you the interviews with “I Believe That Dreams Can Come True”, the global-scale project by little girls. Two Singaporean girls, Tay and Val, embarked on an around-the-globe journey. They didn’t choose to take any public transportation. They decided to travel around the world by tiny, little bicycles. They set out on a journey with no end in sight in order to talk to people about the importance of dreams. They plan to see old and young people all

INTERVIEWS

The visually impaired can study and get jobs here. Those are impossible things to do in Sudan.

2010-07-20

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Mohamed Bashir (Sudan) Mutual fund employee （He’s been in Japan since 2000） Interviewees whom we’ve talked to so far told us about their life in Tokyo or Japan through their eyes. But today we introduce you to a man who can have nothing meet his eyes. His name is Mohamed Bashir from Sudan, a country in northeastern Africa. He smiles wonderfully at us but he lost his sight at age 11. He’s not been able to see anything since then. But Bashir looks very happy! While we heard his story,

INTERVIEWS

Dance like yourself.

2010-04-30

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Elina Kalita (Ukraine) Belly dancer/instructor (She’s been in Japan since mid 90s) Today we introduce you to a beautiful belly dancer. Elina Kalita from Ukraine is a born artist. Her career as a belly dancer spans about two decades and she’s been raised on many kinds of performing arts since she was a child. Now she is both a performer and an instructor of belly dancing. She always tells her students, “Do not copy me”. What does she mean? Is there a teacher who says you do not need to take him/her

INTERVIEWS

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

2010-04-16

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

What people eat or what people drink is a window onto the culture.

2010-04-12

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Melinda Joe (USA) Sake/food journalist （She’s been in Japan for several years）   Do you like sake, a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice? If so, how much do you love it? We met an American woman who really loves it enough to work for that. Melinda Joe, a sake/food journalist. She is the drinks editor for Bento.com (a website which provides you information of restaurants and bars in Japan) and a frequent contributor to publications such as CNNGo and Japan Times (One of Japan’s English newspapers). Also she writes articles

INTERVIEWS

There are people who will kill you for only US$100.

2010-04-10

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Robert Koch (South Africa) Audio products manufacturer （He’s been in Japan since 2006） My Eyes Tokyo had its first interview with a South African guy, Robert Koch, a craftsman who makes high end audio products in Tokyo. South Africa is the host country for the FIFA World Cup 2010, which will be held from June 11 to July 11, 2010. So the country is drawing attention from all over the world. But on the other hand, there are concerns about its security. Also South Africa used to adopt a system