Living
in Japan opens up a lot of opportunities that foreigners would normally
never have in their own home country. How else would one explain how
a former engineering company vice president can land Japanese
television roles as President Richard Nixon, a famous heart surgeon, a
police officer, the New Zealand ambassador to Japan, an American
executive on a business trip in Japan, an Italian bank teller, and even
the butler for Sir Thomas Glover, the Scottish merchant who
was a key figure in the 19th century industrialization of Japan?
A short list of Tokyo talent agencies is shown at the bottom of this page.
American
businessman and
associates in Tokyo enjoy yakitori and oden at
Japanese yatai (food stall)
Enjoying Japanese food with Ryoko Shinohara (篠原涼子)
English translation of Orix credit card TV commercial
(オリックス・クレジット・カードTVCM):
In office:
Office worker (to her boss): "Sorry, I couldn't find a
nice place for tonight's reception for our foreign clients."
Lady boss: "Don't worry. We don't need such a fancy place."
In yatai (tent-style food stall):
Lady boss (to her subordinate,
upon seeing how much fun the foreigners were having): "They were
impressed, weren't they?"
Tricky
Dick (ニクソン大統領) and Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato (佐藤総理)
sign 1969
agreement returning Okinawa back to Japan
In the White House with Masahiko Tsugawa (津川雅彦) Souri no Misshi (総理の密使, Prime Minister's Secret
Envoy) was broadcast on TBS on Sun. night, Feb. 21, 2011 @ 9 pm.
(View video in separate window here.)
Now
Then
5 top foreign surgeons view live demo of new Japanese
open heart surgery procedure
Fuji TV's Iryu (医龍) 3 Team Medical Dragon drama
series
Also starring actors Mari Natsuki and Ittoku Kishibe.
Broadcast on Fuji TV on Oct. 28, 2010.
(View in separate window here.)
Thief gets nabbed by a snapshot and is hauled off by 2
handsome cops
Nippon TV's Fukaii Hanashi (深イイ話) show
(View in separate window here.)
Tokyo
Joe scores JT (Japan Tobacco) modeling gig
(Click
thumbnails above to open up full-size images.)
Sir
Thomas Glover
with
his loyal butler
Sir Thomas Glover's butler with William J. Alt
Sir Thomas Glover's butler
Behind the scenes in the May 28
&
June 4-5, 2010 filming of Episodes 29
& 33 in Ryomaden (龍馬伝), the NHK TV taiga
drama series, starring Masaharu Fukuyama (福山雅治) & Yu Aoi (蒼井優),
which aired from Jan. 3 to Nov. 28, 2010.
(You can view the full-size images in the entire
Flickr photo set here.)
Tokyo Joe lands TV gig as Italian bank teller
TBS TV's Ochanomizu Hakase (お茶の水ハカセ) show
(View in separate window here.)
Panasonic
modeling
gig
Panasonic's HD video communication system
(パナソニックHD映像コミュニケーションシステム)
(full
page version here)
New
Zealand ambassador & other diplomats at an Asian summit lose their
cool after falling under the spell of evil space ninjas
Ninpuu Sentai Harikenja (忍風戦隊ハリケンジャー), TV Asahi Channel 10, Sun. Mar.
24, 2002,
7:30 am
(View video in separate window here.)
Santa Gary
(Click
thumbnails above to open up full-size images.)
Miscellaneous
Japanese TV acting gigs
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
0:00 Art Nature TV commercial (Don't blink at the very end of this
commercial or you'll miss the handsome figure skating judge on the far
left!)
0:27 "Brides from Abroad," Sunday Big Special, TV Tokyo, Jan. 13, 2002,
7:00 pm
1:16 Hollywood Documentary, BS-i, Dec. 2, 2001, 9:00 pm
1:50 Sma Station-2, Shingo's Hato Bus Tour w/ Gaijin, Feb. 22, 2003,
11:30 pm
Phillip
Morris Parliament
tobacco ad
Fujitsu
Glovia ad
(Click
photo above to open up full-size image.)
2002
Japan-Korea World Cup
Soccer Fuji-Xerox ad
This ad ran in newspapers, magazines, and in Tokyo Metro subway
stations.
(Click
photo above to open up full-size image.)
Disney's
World of English videos
Back in the mid-90s, I had the opportunity for 3 years to sing and
dance in children's English education stage shows by Disney's World of
English. These shows, conducted in public halls throughout Japan, were
a true joy. The beauty of this part-time weekend job is that it didn't
interfere with my day jobs, and allowed me to see 44 of Japan's 47
prefectures. Without question, it was one of my most glorious
experiences in Japan. The job also entailed telephone English speaking
and singing lessons one evening a week for young Japanese children,
requiring us to learn over 60 Disney songs.
Below are videos of 3 of the shows I had the pleasure of "performing"
in. My pics are here: Disney
Kids
World Family's Family College Show,
Hamamatsu, Japan, July 19, 1997:
I believe a couple of my favorite parts are starting from the 18:20
& 25:08 min. marks.
World Family's Family College Show, Hamamatsu, Japan
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
World Family's Family College Show,
Gifu, Japan, June 30, 1996
I believe one of my favorite parts is starting from the 19:45 min. mark.
World Family's Family College Show, Gifu, Japan
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
World Family's Puppet Show,
Yamagata, Japan, Sept. 16, 1995
I believe a couple of my favorite parts are starting from the 9:35
& 19:40 min. marks.
World Family's Puppet Show, Yamagata, Japan
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
Tokyo
Talent Agencies
Here is a short list (as of Aug. 2012) of some reputable Tokyo talent
agencies I've had
the pleasure of working with thru the years:
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