Eyes on Japan

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 character

Twitter: @oneye

About Shogi

Shogi,

also known as Japanese chess or the Game of Generals,...

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 al...

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’r...

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=0aTposRrVVA

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,

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.

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,

2019年8月下旬、ヴィクトリアズ・シークレットの一人であり、高級時計メーカー「IWC」のアンバサダーでもあるジョセフィーヌ・スクリバーさんをインタビューさせていただきました。彼女は婚約者のアレクサンダー・デレオンさんと来日し、LEX TokyoにてStar High Toughが主催する東京でのミート＆グリートに参加しました。

2020のインタビューでは、日本のファッションや文化に対する彼女の考えや、好きな日本食、体型を維持するために行っていることなどをお聞きしました。さらに、最近のお仕事内容や2020年に予定されている結婚式についてもお聞きすることができました。

David: この度はお忙しい中、貴重なお時間をいただきありがとうございます。このミート＆グリートをたくさんの日本人ファンの方が外で並んで待ちわびています。今回は何日間滞在する予定ですか？

Josephine: 6日間です。なのでやれることを全部やりたいです。一週間近く滞在できるので、とても楽しみです。

David: ということはあと数日残っていますが、どうお過ごしする予定ですか？東京以外も行く予定はあるんですか？

Josephine: 大阪には数日前行ったので、京都に一日行くかもしれません。東京もとても広いので、もっともっと観光したいです。

David: 東京で訪れた、一番変わった場所はどこですか？映画“Lost in Translation”のスカーレット・ヨハンソンと同じような体験はありますか？この映画、見たことありますか？

Josephine: 見たことありますよ、とても面白かったです。私が訪れた中で一番変わった場所はロボットレストランですね。まるでゲームの世界に入り込んでいるようで、とても奇妙な体験でした。

David: 今は亡き、CNNの有名なシェフ、アンソニー・ボーディンも訪れていて、お気に入りだったそうです。

Josephine: 実は私ボーディンの大ファンで、彼が訪れたところに行きたいと思って観光してます。ロボットレストランはクレイジーで東京らしくて、彼が気に入るのもわかります。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g9ql7Af9YI

David: そうですね。日本のファンはどうですか？

Josephine: 日本のファンの方々はとても親切だと思います。とても礼儀正しい印象で、お会いするたびに本当に穏やかな、謙虚な気持ちになります。ただ単に私の事を好いてくれるだけでなく、好きなスポーツチームなども把握してくれているので、熱心さに毎回とても感動します。

David: 普段は1人1人のファンに時間をたっぷり割きますか？

Josephine: なんとも言えないですね。ありったけの時間を費やしたいんですけど、実際のところは少ししかお話できていないです。あまり長く話し過ぎると、話すファン自体の人数が減ってしまうので。できるだけ多くの人を喜ばせたいので、短いけど特別な瞬間になるよう心がけています。

David: なるほどね。YouTubeチャンネルも開設されたということで、それについてお聞きできますか？

Josephine: 一緒に活動しているヴィクトリアズ・シークレットのジャスミンとはスポーツを通じて仲を深めました。動画では若い女性に対して、筋トレは楽しいということや健康的な生活のおくり方、それらをただただ楽しむということを伝えています。ジムに行かずとも家でできるトレーニングや、私たちの食生活についても配信しています。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVmWELBGV9o

David: 実は私もエクササイズ動画を拝見したのですが、フィットネスにとてもハマっていますよね？

Josephine: ええ、その通りです。

David: 色んなジャンルのトレーニングを組み合わせているところがすごいですね。タバタ、クロスフィット、ヨガの融合の様です。フィットネスチャンネルについてお聞かせください。

Josephine: ええ、クロスフィットなど高強度のトレーニングを意識しています。自重トレーニングもしますが、最近はストレッチなども大切だと思いヨガも始めました。色んな角度からのトレーニングを取り入れて、常に楽しむことが一番のカギですね。

David: 旅行をするときとか、今回だったら一週間東京にいるわけじゃないですか。そういった時はどう体型を維持するんですか？東京の食べ物を食べながら、難しいですよね？

Josephine: 今回は運がいいことに、素晴らしいジムが付いたホテルに泊まっているんですよ。毎朝そのジムに行くのはもちろん、東京の街ではよく歩きます。毎日約13キロ歩きます。さらに行きたいお店やレストランは5階にあったりするので、階段ばかりです。エレベーターは使いません。

>>Enjoy Champaign at the InterContinental Tokyo Bay<<

David: では日本食は？ベジタリアンですか？それとも特別な食事でダイエットでもしているのですか？

Josephine: いいえ、特にベジタリアンというわけではありませんが、節度を守った食事を心がけています、8割は健康的な食事をとり、2割は特に気にせず自分の食べたいものを食べます。なので、ダイエットはしません。魚も肉も野菜中心の料理も、なんでも大好きです。なので日本食はとても健康的な食事ばかりです。

David: 東京のファンには何の食べ物をおすすめしますか？

Josephine: 東京は素晴らしい物がたくさんありますが、正直一蘭が一番好きです。

David: 有名なラーメン店ですね。福岡の博多ラーメンを提供しているお店ですね。

Josephine: そうです、小さなブースに座って食べるのが楽しいのと、味もとても美味しいです。たぶんラーメンは毎日食べていますね。

David: まだスープが残っていたら替え玉が頼めるの知ってますか？

Josephine: ええ知ってますよ、ボタンを押してベルを鳴らすんですよね。

David: ビクトリアシークレットのモデルになって、素晴らしいキャリアを積むことができたのではないですか？

Josephine: その通りです、素晴らしいプラットフォームです。

David: 最近では、Maybelline New Yorkの新しい顔としても抜擢されましたよね？更にはIWCのブランドアンバサダーにも就任されましたよね。

Josephine: ええ、とてもラッキーでした。Maybellineの顔として、とても忙しくさせていただいています。最近IWC Watchesの顔にも起用されて、色んなことに挑戦させてもらえて嬉しいです。

David: 新しいプロジェクトの予定はありますか？

Josephine: はい、残念ながらまた公開できませんが。