Vivienne Kenrick - The Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Jan 28, 2006

Yuko Nishimura

"I was lucky, in a way," Yuko Nishimura said. "I did most of the things I wanted. I like what I am doing now."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Jan 21, 2006

Alexei Rumiantsev

"Ragtime," Alexei Rumiantsev said, "is the first genuine American music, a mix of Afro-American and European tradition. Ragtime gave birth to jazz. When I was 14, my father was working in the old Czechoslovakia. For my birthday he brought me from there an album of Duke Ellington, the 'New Orleans Suites.' That album was a legendary tribute to New Orleans, and was not easy to get in the Soviet Union then. It was a turning point for me. I yearned for jazz."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Jan 14, 2006

Robert Ryker

On Jan. 27, the world of music will celebrate the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In his honor, a yearlong calendar of events is taking place, centering on his birthplace, Salzburg in Austria.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Jan 7, 2006

Pamela Weinsaft

A young lawyer on her own in Tokyo, Pamela Weinsaft feels securely independent and completely at home here. She first came to Japan in 1995 to study for a semester at Temple University Law School in Tokyo. She said: "Perhaps 10 years ago, Japan seemed more 'exotic,' but I think one of the things that strikes me now is that it is not so different. Lawyers are very similar in a lot of ways -- I don't know whether that is good or bad. This time everything was so familiar that I felt I was coming home."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Dec 31, 2005

Gen Okamoto

Gen Okamoto sees himself as an illustrator rather than a fine artist. For that reason, in his printmaking he uses different techniques to produce "tones and softer shadows, a kind of texture," which he is looking for as the most desirable for his kind of creative expression. Sometimes people ask him why his subjects are often Western women. "Because," he answers, "I consider women to be the most beautiful creations on Earth." Especially, he adds, he wants to draw them if they are like three-dimensional Greek sculptures, "with a touch of an illustrative style." He succeeds in depicting young modern women who project emotions of wistful dreaming and slight mystery.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Dec 24, 2005

Shi Yu Chen

Step inside Argo restaurant and library cafe in Kojimachi, Tokyo, and you might suppose yourself in the dining lounge of a luxury yacht. It is true you don't look out over Greek islands. Instead, you have a high view of the moat and the parkland of the Imperial Palace, and the complex of the British Embassy.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Dec 17, 2005

Lee Colegrove

In 1965, his senior class was studying drama in Lee Colegrove's university English course. The students asked him, "Can we continue to read drama after we graduate?" Pleased, he set up for them a reading group to meet regularly in his Tokyo apartment.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Dec 10, 2005

Kazumi Okamura

Before becoming a government servant, Kazumi Okamura worked for 17 years as a corporate lawyer. She believes she did her work well. "And I think I developed the reverse side, my inner world," she said. Now with a unit of the Ministry of Justice, and bearing the awesome title of attorney in the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, she tries to keep her responsibilities in perspective. "I always think about the beauty of nature," she said. "To stay close to a natural way of life is the best way."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Dec 3, 2005

Tony Hogg

His friends are very important to Tony Hogg. From his home in Brisbane, Australia, he keeps in touch with them wherever they are in the world, and plans to visit them whenever he can. Friendships from his Japan days go back more than 30 years, while those originally forged in Australia go back even further. Retired now, he came to Japan three times in the last year, filled with his "very fond memories" and eager to stay closely in touch.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Nov 26, 2005

Richard Quest

Almost 20 years ago, viewers of the BBC World Service used to watch a British television reporter whose agile, distinctive style excited comment. "Unconventional," some said. "Quirky," said others, "original and mold-breaking."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Nov 19, 2005

Renuka Chowdhury

"Democracy gives opportunities," said Renuka Chowdhury. "There I was, a married woman, expecting my second child. I became active in politics, and have now been a member of Parliament for 20 years. I got onto a roller coaster, full of thrills and ups and downs. Sometimes it allows you no control."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Nov 12, 2005

Christine Ishikawa

Within the first month of her arrival in Japan in 1989, Chris Ishikawa joined the Yokohama International Women's Club. She was a foreign bride then, living in a Japanese neighborhood, and feeling lonely. She said: "I read a writeup in a local newspaper about YIWC's outing to an antiques dealer. I went along, and at once met women who became my very good friends. I wanted to do something, and I liked the idea of helping people in YIWC's charity programs." Chris has been an active club member ever since that first time, accepting office and currently holding two positions on the board.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Nov 5, 2005

Beverly Nakamura

"Although Japan gives the impression of being a rich country, there is still need out there. Everything cannot be covered. The International Ladies Benevolent Society tries to fill the cracks that get overlooked. ILBS still means a great deal to a lot of people and institutions. I am proud to be part of this worthwhile group, all volunteers, which has been going for a long time, and which is honored by the patronage of the Imperial family. I have a lot of trust in ILBS."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Oct 29, 2005

Yuki Akimoto

Yuko Akimoto and her brother began the right way by choosing their parents well. Their father, Minoru Akimoto, has an M.A. from Michigan State University. From a business career at the top, he retired as executive vice president of Itochu Corp. Their poetic, music-loving mother, Taeko, runs her own musical agency.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Oct 22, 2005

Margarita Carrillo de Salinas

"The most important room in our house in Mexico was the huge kitchen. We six children went in with our bicycles; our mother was cooking, we all helped. Our grandparents were there -- our father, a lawyer, was always encouraging family life around the table. That is the way I got my interest in food," said Margarita Carrillo de Salinas. Chef of the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, Margarita is a frequent visitor to Japan. She comes here whenever she is to take charge of Mexican food festivals and gala dinners.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Oct 15, 2005

Man Zhuang

This year Man Zhuang is exhibiting for a second time in the print show sponsored by the College Women's Association of Japan. This young woman is Chinese, an art student from Shanghai. She is also a dentist.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Oct 8, 2005

Conor Hanratty

Conor Hanratty of Ireland says there is obvious benefit in studying a subject ranking amongst the less sought-after. When he enrolled in Royal Holloway, University of London, for his master's degree in Greek theater performance, he was one of only four in his class. Undoubtedly he did not require individual attention for the degree with distinction that he earned. Since early childhood he has been a deeply devoted theater person.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Oct 1, 2005

Lena Heslin

ISLES OF SCILLY, England -- The helicopter from Penzance in southwest England takes 20 minutes to fly its scenic route to St. Mary's, the main island of Scilly. Down below the rugged coastline of dramatic cliffs, smugglers' caves and secret coves, a green, open headland tapers to Land's End at the tip of Britain. Turbulent sea fills the 45 km separating the Isles of Scilly from the mainland.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Sep 24, 2005

Geraldine Twilley

LONDON -- In the 25 years that she has lived in Japan, Geraldine Twilley has balanced her serious work with free-time fun. When she was a young woman on her own, going for the first time to Tokyo, she showed the enterprise and spiritedness that are still her characteristics. Currently she is in London on sabbatical leave, researching the Metropolitan Road Commission of 1826 to 1872. She said: "As an undergraduate I did a certain amount of work on the amalgamation of 14 toll roads in London, major routes still familiar to us today. This is a subject I have been interested in for a long time. Now I want to complete this work."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Sep 17, 2005

Kingsley-Rowe Potter

MADELEY, England -- As many retired English people like to do, June Kingsley-Rowe Potter lives in the countryside. She takes her dog on long-distance walks around Madeley. She cares for her garden. She volunteers for charity work, and enjoys traveling. For her research into local history, she reads ancient documents in Latin. A career physiotherapist, she still undertakes part-time community home visits.

author

Meta

Podcast

Longform

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

In your social network

In your inbox

In your social network

In your inbox