INTERVIEWS | My Eyes Tokyo

You can’t clap with one hand, so I need others help. I want to expand our business with good people.

2009-09-05

Interviewed & Written by Isao Tokuhashi & Chinatsu Suzuki Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Selami Kucuk (Turkey) Kebab stall co-owner (He’s been in Japan since 2003) We introduce you to a Turkish guy who runs a kebab stall in Chiba, a suburb area of Tokyo. His name is Selami Kucuk and his background is unique. He used to be a professional soccer player in his country! Turkey is one of the world-class soccer powers and it placed third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. But now a former professional soccer player is making doner kebab everyday in Japan, outside Tokyo. Do you want to

Kebab61

2009-09-05

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi & Chinatsu Suzuki Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Kabab stall (Chuo-ku, Chiba) *It’s been a Turkish restaurant called “Karadeniz61” since 2015. There are so many kebab stalls in the middle of Tokyo. But once you step in the suburb area called Chiba Prefecture, that kind of shop becomes a curiosity. Kebab61 is in the central Chiba City, which is located 40km (25 miles) east of Tokyo. When you walk on the station road in the city center, the spicy savor of doner kebab titillates your nasal passage. This stall is run by the Kucuk brothers

Green Grass *Closed

2009-08-25

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Palestinian restaurant (Nishi-kawaguchi, Saitama) Have you ever had Palestinian cuisine? If no, come to Tokyo! We introduce you to the only Palestinian restaurant in Japan called “Green Grass” which is located in a suburb area of Tokyo. I didn’t imagine how Palestinian food would taste at all before I went. But we really liked it when we put it into my mouth. And we got very excited as we stuffed myself with delicious Palestinian dishes. The restaurants which we’ve introduced you to so far in My Eyes Tokyo are

I have to scare even yakuzas in this town in order to survive.

2009-08-25

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Iyad Mansour (Palestine) Managing chef of a Palestinian restautant (He’s been in Japan since 1997) Nishi-kawaguchi – It is located near the river which forms a boundary between Tokyo and outskirts. We introduce you to Iyad Mansour, who’s been running his own Palestinian restaurant in that town. He is a “man in a million” guy. His heart is direct and pure so he hates anything crooked. But he is not only stubborn but also mischievous. He holds belly dance shows on Fridays and Saturdays at his restaurant. He starts dancing

Laughter is international.

2009-08-21

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

I want to promote organic agricultural methods in the developing countries.

2009-07-27

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Donald Nordeng (USA) Organic certification organization president (He’s been in Japan since ’88) These days our interest in organic products is increasing here in Japan. Japanese people are said to be those who have been enjoying the beauty of nature since the dawn of time. And especially women have a desire to maintain their healthy and beautiful skin. My Eyes Tokyo believe these are the reasons we’ve accepted human-friendly and green organic products. We’ve met Donald Nordeng, who runs an organic certification organization, when we interviewed his wife, Elok Halimah, a

If I didn’t play taiko, I might not be alive, I might be in jail.

2009-07-21

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Isaku Kageyama Japanese drum (taiko) player (Born in the US and raised in Japan) Today we introduce you to a Japanese-American man who inherits the Japanese heritage which has been handed down to him for thousands of years. Isaku Kageyama, a young, up-and-coming star Japanese taiko drummer who won the championship twice at national taiko contests. On the other hand, he is making a new departure in the traditional music world. One of his approaches is playing Japanese traditional folk songs with electric instruments. He plays the taiko, or Japanese

We foreigners should not press for only own our demands.

2009-06-20

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Elok Halimah (Indonesia) Vice Chairperson of foreign representatives assembly (She’s been in Japan since 2002) Today we introduce you to Elok Halimah from Indonesia. She is a person whom My Eyes Tokyo has waited for because we felt the goal of her activities is close to our goal. She is working on creating a comfortable environment for foreigners in Kawasaki, a part of Greater Tokyo. Her activities are not at the grass-root level. They involve the government of Kawasaki, a city where 1.4 million people reside. Her goal is to create a

I believe Japanese songs must reach Russians.

2009-06-05

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com Ekaterina (Russia) Singer/Pianist (She’s been in Japan since ’95) Ekaterina, a wonderful diva from Russia! She sings Russian folk songs, Japanese songs in 80s and J-POP (Japanese popular songs after 90s). She lives for promoting exchange between Japan and Russia through singing. Her songs were aired on TV and she has sung the Russian anthem at international soccer matches. But she is always friendly, not haughty and spontaneous. She is very flexible, enough so to perform at both big halls and small live houses. Her smile is really friendly. Such

Whenever I’m in Tokyo, I feel as though I become another person. I feel free more than in Germany.

2009-05-15

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com kai (Germany) Singer songwriter/Lyricist (Writes songs in Japanese) We introduce you to a German singer songwriter who sings and writes songs in Japanese. kai, a.k.a. shigure, loves Japanese culture very much and has come here six or seven times so far. This time he is still a tourist who can’t stay here more than 90 days. Even though he’s never stayed in Japan for a long time, he speaks Japanese really, really well. We think musicians have good ears and a high-level of listening skills. But above all, it’s thanks

Interviews with Tokyo People Achieving Dreams