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Martin Fluck, the upscale hospitality expert, has worked in the hotel industry for over 20 years at hotels including the Park Hyatt, Tokyo Hilton and Oakwood. We ask him about his thoughts on if and when Japan will open its borders again for tourism as well as probing him about some tips on how to enjoy traveling in Japan. He also discusses how the hotel industry suffered during COVID-19 and how they were able to pull through.How do you choose the best hotel, entertainment and food while traveling in Japan? Watch to find out as Martin Fluck gives us his expert tips! Watch the interview on YouTube https://youtu.be/C4HnJswGomE ======= Follow Marin Fluck LinkedIn: https://jp.linkedin.com/in/mfluck

Dr. Andrijana Cvetkovikj joins us in today’s episode to discuss her career and thoughts on stereotypes in movies. Dr. Andrijana Cvetkovikj was the first Macedonian ambassador to Japan who received her PhD from Tokyo University. On top of that, she is an entrepreneur, advocate, public speaker, worked in the AI field, and is also a filmmaker. She created two films, Purple and Gold and Nami no Jikan, both of which received awards at local Japanese film festivals. What is the inspiration behind this impressive woman’s drive? Who is her role model?Watch the interview on YouTube https://youtu.be/T83cvz3Gxwg LINKSDr. Andrijana’s LinkedInhttps://jp.linkedin.com/in/andrijana-cvetkovikWebsitehttp://eiu.com/analysts/andrijana-cvetkovikj Read More: Celebrating St. Patrick's DayEstonia - At the Forefront of Digitization

World-renowned chef Grace Choy joins us in today’s episode of Eyes on Japan. She shares with us her inspiring story of quitting her job and chasing her dream to become a chef. She opened up a restaurant in Hong Kong after years of working in an office. She quickly became the talk of the town with her delicious recipes, even gaining attention from CNN and Japan’s TBS. In 2019, she decided to move to Japan and open up her own restaurant: Choy Choy Private Kitchen. Her restaurant is so popular that it is fully booked for the next several months!  Grace Choy also published her own cookbook and shares with us her favorite recipe.  Read more: http://hersey.jp/interviews/ Watch the full interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/95caafNfkmg LINKS Grace Choy’s Website: https://www.choychoy.com/ Grace Choy’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/chefgracechoy

Charles Glover joins us in this episode and shares his experience on what it is like working in the Japanese entertainment industry as a foreign actor. He has worked as a narrator for NHK since 1997 and has also appeared in movies alongside big Hollywood stars such as Nicholas Cage and Ken Watanabe. Watch the interview on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/WDtRaRoMUAc IMDb Profile: Charles Glover Read more: http://hersey.jp/interviews/

In today’s episode we talk to the legendary sumo wrestler Konishiki Yasokichi. He shares with us his story of becoming a foreign sumo wrestler in Japan, the many challenges he had to overcome and his new life, inspiring the next generation and doing good for the community. In his upcoming book to be released this autumn the reader will experience a life of passion, dedication and success. Watch the interview on YouTube https://youtu.be/bz6gV1aANLg Learn more: KONISHIKI's World Read more

João Paulo Lima de Oliveira is a Brazilian professional racing driver currently competing in the Japanese Super GT series for team Kondo. He won the Super GT GT300 class championship in 2020 and the Formula Nippon championship in 2010. He won every series he has ever competed in. He is considered the most successful foreign racing driver in Japan. In this episode, JP, as all his friends are calling him, discusses how he came to Japan, what it takes to succeed in Japan as a foreign driver and what he consideres one of his greatest challenges he had to overcome. Also, listen what JP's favorite restaurant in Tokyo is and where he likes to hang out. Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jgQL8LIvyw Instagram: @jpdeoliveira Read more:Hersey Shiga Sports

Today’s guest is Moe, the Kimono Mom. She is a former Geisha who is now a YouTube content creator who gained 1.2 million followers in 2 year. At 16 years old she left high school to become a geisha after interviewing craftsmen in Kyoto for her summer holiday homework. She became inspired by the maikos and geikos, who showed independence and a strong passion for Japanese traditions. Eventually, Moe decided to marry and become a mother which meant she had to leave the geisha life behind. These days, while juggling her duties as a mother and a wife, she regularly creates videos about how to cook home-cooked Japanese food while donning beautiful kimonos. Her recipes are tailored for people living abroad where some Japanese ingredients are inaccessible.  In this episode we talk about her life as a geisha, how she juggles her family and YouTube as well as the possibility of creating a Netflix series. She also touches on the reason for her passion behind her YouTube channel and how geishas are portrayed in Western media. ◆ YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/c/KimonoMom ◆ Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/kimono_mom/ Watch the video here https://youtu.be/oGvsYDzVTLc Read more: http://hersey.jp/interviews/

Today’s guest is Lyena Yonekura. She is a woman of many talents; a director, actress, casting director, translator and acting coach. She is the daughter of Yoko Narahashi and Johnny Nomura. Growing up in a talented family certainly influenced Lyena to follow in her parent’s footsteps in the entertainment world. Lyena travelled to America to study acting at New York University and even gained some on-set experience as an actress until she came back to Japan. She is the first Japanese female actor to become an official member of The Actors Studio. Watch the video here ◆ Camino Realhttp://www.caminoreal.jp/en/ ◆ Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/lyenayonekura/ https://youtu.be/c2w8VEw_pyM Read more: http://hersey.jp/interviews/

Today's guest is journalist Robert Whiting, author of several highly successful books on Japan, including the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book 'You gotta have WA', and Tokyo Underworld. Living on and off in Japan for several decades, he is a Japan expert and one of the few Western writers who has a regular newspaper column in Japanese. Tokyo Junkie by Robert Whiting In his latest book “Tokyo Junkie: 60 Years of Bright Lights and Back Alleys . . . and Baseball” Bob reflects on his time in Japan, how it has changed, and why it has provided him material for several great movie ideas. We see his life through the lens of several movies he has referenced in his book and the possibility of one of his own books becoming a movie that could shape the view on Japan for years to come. Robert Whiting at his book signing for Tokyo Junkie Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/TNRoz4zudXI Tokyo Junkie: 60 Years of Bright Lights and Back Alleys . . . and Baseball About: https://tokyojunkie.com/ Read more

Robert McGuinness was born in Papua New Guinea to an Australian military officer and an Australian nurse. He moved around the world and experienced many countries and different cultures. In 2005 he came to Japan where he settled down and started a family. Still traveling around the world for his work, Japan has been the country he has been living the longest. In 2015 he started distributing and importing goods with a focus on health and beauty. Most recently he has been importing organic Honey from Australia. He is the CEO of Knect Japan and the host of TEDxOgikubo and TEDxNiiza. Young speakers and a young audience - TEDx Ogikubo Organic honey from Australia Dezeen: Kengo Kuma designs tessellated Botanical Pavilion as "tridimensional puzzle" Follow Robert: ◆ Website: KNECT◆ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.mcguinness Dezeen Architecture: Kengo Kuma LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ◆ iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/eyes-on-japan/id1578495900?l=en◆ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/39KCbo4fGGGDJrGEvibFd7 Read More: Steven Haynes – Confidence Trainer and EntertainerThelma in JapanGirolamo Panzetta - Multi-Talent from Italy

Girolamo Panzetta is an Italian celebrity living and working in Japan. He came to Japan 23 years ago with his father and immediately fell in love with the country. With a background in architecture and economics, he never thought he would end up being a well-known fashion icon and celebrity in Japan.  Starting off teaching Italian on NHK, appearing in many variety shows, and co-creating a men’s fashion magazine called LEON, Girolamo has certainly created a long-lasting career as a foreign celebrity. He has no intention of slowing down any time soon as his future projects include refurbishing old boats and redesigning old houses in the countryside of Japan. Watch the video on YouTube Follow Girolamo: ◆ YouTube：Girolamo Panzetta◆ Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/girolamo.me LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ◆ iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/eyes-on-japan/id1578495900?l=en◆ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/39KCbo4fGGGDJrGEvibFd7 https://youtu.be/l4E1woDU0OQ Read More: Steven Haynes – Confidence Trainer and EntertainerThelma in JapanKarolina Styczyńska – Conquering Japan through Shogi

Today’s guest is the famed entertainer Steven Haynes. Steven Haynes was born in San Francisco, USA and came to Japan during the golden age of entertainment in Japan. Since then, he has worked as an actor, model, dancer and as walking instructor. Steven soon became a part of the entertainment crowd in Japan and has mingled with several big names in the entertainment industry such as Cyndi Lauper, Jackson 5, or Robert DeNiro.  Recently, Steven has also been creating waves in the Japanese entertainment industry. He helped create and produce “You Decide!”, a documentary about the life of a young, Japanese transgender woman and how she embraces her new identity. He has also been pushing boundaries in the Japanese beauty pageant industry, by creating a beauty pageant for plus-sized women called “Today’s Woman”.  Today’s Woman In this episode, Steven shares his stories with us and we look forward to having him as The Hollywood Reporter Japan brand ambassador.  https://youtu.be/bXRu2uP538o Director and Entertainer Steven A. Haynes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUAc0V8axAw Watch the full interview on Youtube Read more: http://hersey.jp/interviews/ Follow Steven: @steven_a_haynes Website: www.steven-smile.comToday’s Woman website: https://www.todayswoman.com/

Our guest is a British actor of mixed-Japanese heritage, a martial artist and stuntman - Andrew Koji. Koji is known for TV shows like The Wrong Mans, Call the Midwife, and most recently the Cinemax action-drama, Warrior. He’s currently back in Tokyo for the GI Joe spin-off movie, Snake Eyes. He co-stars along with Henry Golding, Samara Weaving, and the rest of the production crew. Andrew Koji is set to play Storm Shadow, a ninja who must face off against his nemesis, Snake Eyes (Golding,) who is also his sword brother. Koji says the new movie is more authentic in its cultural background story, its Japanese sword fights, its Ninja culture, and its locations than the previous episodes. The movie will premiere in October. In his free time, Koji explored his own roots. Half British, half Japanese, he had a chance to revisit his own cultural roots and family heritage in Japan while enjoying his favorite Japanese food and many interesting locations Japan has to offer. Read More: Ikumi Yoshimatsu – Role Model for Japanese WomenThe Coronavirus, the economy and the Olympic Games in TokyoKarolina Styczyńska – Conquering Japan through Shogi [00:50] Andrew talks about filming Snake Eyes in Japan[03:05] His thoughts about his new movie and his role as Storm Shadow[05:41] Andrew talks about his role as Ah Sahm in the TV series ‘Warrior’[08:21] His life in England[10:17] Talks about his life in Japan when he was younger[11:20] Andrew talks about his plans for when he gets old[12:28] Restaurants he likes in Japan[13:40] Chats about the nightlife in Japan - LEX Tokyo and Taka Masuda[15:20] Thoughts about coronavirus[17:12] Talks on how he stays in shape while in Japan[18:18] Speaks about martial arts, kung fu and karate Interview Location: Park Hyatt Shinjuku - Restaurant Girandole https://www.instagram.com/p/B8k2kSYgPav/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebacs3Nyojk Snake Eyes - G.I Joe - Origin Story: To be released in October 2020 Follow Andrew: @kojiandrewIMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4010671/

Ikumi Yoshimatsu Our special guest is a well-known activist and former Miss International 2012 - Ikumi Yoshimatsu. We met her and her manager on the 52nd floor of the Andaz Hotel in the heart of Tokyo. Aside from her career as Miss International, she is known as an actress and stuntwoman in Hollywood. She’s currently back in Tokyo to shoot multiple episodes for a new Hollywood TV series and promote her youth education program: Global Student Diplomacy Network, or GSDN. She talked about her new movies and her career as a stuntwoman. As the interview progressed, we dived into her passions and her endeavors as a women's activist in Japan. She also introduced some helpful products in the fight of the coronavirus that can strengthen our immune system. A role model for many women in Japan, a person full of wisdom, the lovely, Ms. Ikumi Yoshimatsu. 00:24     Staying in Japan01:07     Talks about her movie career01:38     Talks about her new series 02:13     Talks on how she stays fit for her movies02:41     Specialty on stunts - Nunchucks03:45     Talks about her charity program for children04:54     Talks about being a Women’s Rights Activist, and how she let her voice be heard as a victim of stalking and harassment09:15     Talks about being the first Japanese woman to win Miss International10:20     Talks about the differences between the USA and Japan11:50     Thoughts about the #MeToo movement in Hollywood13:36     Thoughts on what Japan needs to do to continue moving forward15:20     Talks about staying safe from coronavirus15:55     How to use Dental Spa Pro as one of the precautions to protect yourself from Corona Virus18:40     What she misses about Japan, and what she recommends for visitors to Tokyo https://www.instagram.com/p/B8vyzdiByTm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Contact Info: Youtube: Ikumi’s VoiceInstagram: @ikumiyoshimatsu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtV-ya_5tqA Check here  Larry Ogunjobi New Podcast.

We had the honor of interviewing Karolina Styczyńska. She is a Polish women's professional shogi player and the first non-Japanese to be awarded professional status by the Japan Shogi Association. During her interview she described how she came to playing Shogi, her adventures to visit Japan for the first time and her professional career as a non-Japanese Shogi master. >> Meet your Comic Con Heroes<< Karolina discovered shogi at the age of sixteen while reading Japanese manga. Her favorite: Naruto. She began playing online at a website called 18Dojo, refining her skills against competitors of various ages and nationalities from the world over. She was eventually noticed by women’s professional Madoka Kitao who was impressed by Styczyńska’s ability. Kitao invited Karolina to come to Japan for a two-week trip to study shogi in 2011 all expenses paid. On May 19, 2012, Styczyńska participated in Women’s Oza Tournament wherein she became the first non-Japanese female amateur to defeat a women's professional in an official game. In June 2013, Styczyńska became the first non-Japanese female to be accepted into one of the Japan Shogi Association's training groups. In 2017, during her second year of graduate school, she was promoted to 2-kyu, achieving her goal of becoming a professional. She wrote her master’s thesis on the internationalization of shogi, and after graduation played in an international tournament in Los Angeles in 2018—an event intended to popularize shogi overseas. As the game’s first foreign female shogi professional, she’s playing a huge role in popularizing the game worldwide, including introducing the rules of shogi in English on her website and publishing International shogi Magazine. She is currently living in Tokyo, Japan and has been able to get used to the lifestyle and food. In addition to playing official matches, Japanese shogi professionals are involved in diverse activities to spread the popularity of their game, including teaching shogi workshops, writing books and participating in various events. Styczyńska is currently under contract to a Japanese corporation that sponsors her—another noteworthy item on her resume since she is the first female shogi player to earn corporate sponsorship. As a non-Japanese shogi professional, she also teaches courses on the game in English. Her popularity in Japan, as well as overseas she, was honored to be an anime character herself. If you know Japanese culture well, you understand what a high honor that is. >> Check out her anime video << Most recently, she was a guest of honor at the Polish embassy where she was able to meet the Polish Prime Minister during a visit to Japan. At that time, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended as well and he was impressed by Karolina’s achievements. Follow Karolina Website: Anime characterTwitter: @oneye About Shogi Shogi, also known as Japanese chess or the Game of Generals, is a two player strategy board game native in Japan. Shogi is the Japanese version of chess. While they share some common elements and strategic principles, they are really two different games. History of Shogi The world has many games that resemble shogi. These games reportedly all originated in the game of chatoranga, which was played in ancient India. As that game spread to various countries, it was influenced by the history and culture in each. As a result, each country developed its own type of game from it. For Chinese style shogi, it is called xinagqi while the Thai-style shogi is called makruk. Shogi owes its popularity largely to the excitement of "drops" — instead of moving a piece on the board, you can add a captured piece to your army by dropping it on an empty square. Because of this rule, which distinguishes Shogi from all other established Chess-type games, most of the pieces remain in play for the entire game. The objective of Shogi is the same as Chess — checkmate the king.

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi recently fulfilled his childhood dream of visiting Japan-he described the city as the cleanest he’s ever seen. He accompanied a friend on a birthday trip to Tokyo and got an up-close look at a country he’s admired for most of his life. Listen to some of Larry’s impressions about Japan, its culture, its people and its nightlife. >> Billie Eilish Coming to Japan<< Thank you very much for taking the time today. So first of all, what brings you to Tokyo? I always wanted to come here as a kid, and then had an opportunity to come here with Michael Fukunaga (a good friend from the States), you know, celebrate his birthday, and really just come out and just enjoy the city. I will go to Guam tomorrow hosting the football camp with another guy from the NFL, his name is Zac Benner. It was an opportunity for me to come out here and still handle my business on the back end. What places have you enjoyed so far? Yeah, Kyoto is probably my favorite part of the trip, you know, we got to see Mike’s family compound and just really learn the history and ancestry of, you know, everything that was going on. I mean we saw paintings that were 200 years old and it was just really a surreal experience. A lot of times you come to Tokyo and you see all the lights and the glamour but all Tokyo, you know, the things I used to see in the animes and things I really used to enjoy as a child, I still enjoy them these days, is really dope to actually be in that environment and see those kinds of things you know. 200 years old is a very long time you know what I’m saying? And to still have that ancestry and those artifacts is just amazing me. https://www.instagram.com/p/B8_qZuklsob/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link How about the food? What food did you really enjoy here? Definitely various tempura. The sushi was amazing, even though I can only eat shrimp sushi, but it was definitely good to try different kinds of shrimp. The bean sprout was very good. The restaurant we went to the other night, I can’t actually remember the name of it, but the food was amazing. We actually had some ramen, I think it was called Funagi, and it was very, very good. The chef there was just amazing and just the way they had everything so seamlessly. You put your ticket in or you get your ticket, you pick what you want and you give it to them. They make it right in front of you and it was just very seamless so it was very cool A more serious topic. You have seen a lot of people wearing masks, recently, right? Yes, I mean I knew coming to Tokyo, that the coronavirus was kind of running rapid in different areas especially in China, but I wasn’t really worried about it. Me and Michael talked about it before we came out here and, once again, this is- Tokyo is somewhere I wanted to go my entire life. I told my mom when I was probably four or five that I was coming here and I knew that It wasn’t even in the universe for me to even have a problem with the virus because that’s not what I came here for. I came here to, you know, enjoy and to see and just enjoy the sights and it’s been an amazing time We’ve always got just so used to just walking there and running that we’re not even, you know, that’s not even in the universe for us.   We’re trying to just really enjoy the time, and we’ve had an amazing time just being able to really embrace the culture and just to just take it all in. I saw you wore a special mask? Is that a designer mask? Well, I saw everybody with a mask and I think that it’s always good to have uniqueness and that kind of things, so I just went on Amazon and I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to Tokyo, so I might as well see where I can buy some cool masks. So I got a bunch and I was able to give Mike some, too, so it was very cool. The current circumstances are tense around the world. However, the Japanese are very organized and, right now,

We had the honor of sitting together with Josephine Skriver, a Victoria’s Secret Angel and the face of luxury watchmaker IWC, in late August 2019. She was visiting Japan with her fiancé Alexander DeLeon, to attend a “Meet & Greet” in Tokyo organized by celebrity club LEX and Star High Touch. Of course, there was ample time to enjoy Tokyo as well, its food, its culture, and its nightlife. In our interview with Josephine, we talked about her fascination with Japan, the culture, what food she likes and how she keeps fit. But we also talked about her current projects, and her planned wedding in 2020. David: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule here in Japan. So many Japanese fans are waiting outside in the heat to participate in this Meet & Greet. How long are you staying here this time? Josephine: Six days, so I try to do it all. I'm very excited this time because I get to be here for almost a week. David: You have a couple more days left, right? What are your plans for the remaining days? Do you want to visit some other cities in Japan? Josephine: We might do Kyoto one day. We did Osaka a few days ago. So, yeah, but Tokyo is so big. And there's so much to see. I'm really excited to see more and more. David: What is the craziest place, or most bizarre situation, you have experienced in Tokyo so far? Something similar to Scarlett Johansson in “Lost in Translation”? Have you seen the movie? Josephine: Yes — it's very fun to watch — I mean, I think the craziest was we went to a robot restaurant. That was definitely — I was, like, yeah, just seeing how people are dressed. It was like being in a computer game. It was very crazy. David: Yes, it’s a very famous place. Anthony Bourdain, the famous CNN celebrity chef who, well, he passed away, unfortunately, but Bourdain was there and he just loved it. Josephine: I’m a massive fan of what Bourdain did, and that's why we tried to go to such places here. He was a huge fan of it because it's just so crazy. It's so Tokyo. It's fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g9ql7Af9YI David: That’s right. So, what makes Japanese fans different? Josephine: I think they're just some of the kindest people. They're so polite. It's really humbling meeting fans. They're excited to see you and they don't just say hi — they know your favorite sports team. They know all these things. So it’s very, very touching. David: And you take a lot of time for each of your fans? Josephine: Yes and no. I think it’s so important you try and give as much time as you can. But I think it's so short. I'm always like, I wish I could stay longer and get to know everybody, but you also don't want to take too long because you then can't make everybody happy. So, I’m just trying to make everybody happy — trying to make it a short but special moment. David: All right. And you have a private YouTube channel. Tell us about it. Josephine: One of the other angels, Jasmine, and I are really good friends and we bonded over sports. And we wanted to share with young girls to not be scared of working out, how to live a healthy lifestyle, and to just have fun with it. And so, we want to share what you can do at home because it can be so intimidating for girls to go to the gym and lift heavy. We try to share what we do, how we eat, but also like — not just healthy. Also, just have fun, but don't call it cheap, call it treat — you know, make it positive. So, have fun with it, and just how active is that? It's been really fun to share that on YouTube as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVmWELBGV9o David: You know, I saw some of your exercise videos. You’re really into fitness, right? Josephine: I am. David: It’s amazing how they combine different training regimens into your training. It looks like a mixture of Tabata, CrossFit, and yoga exercise. Tell us about your fitness channel. Josephine: Yeah, we try to do high intensity,