Interview with Geisha, Interrupted
admin | 22 07 2007Blogs on Japan has started a new feature where we will interview different bloggers who blog about Japan. Up this time is Geisha, Interrupted! If you would like to be interviewed, please contact me! Also you can read previous interviews.
When did you start blogging about Japan and why did you start?
I started only a couple months ago, back in May. I just finished writing a memoir about my experiences in Tokyo as a nightclub hostess in Ginza. My book will not be released back in The States until April 2008 however, so that gives me some free time to play blog. I’ve also found myself in recovery from alcoholism recently (not unrelated to all the hostessing - as I’m sure you can figure out) so the site doubles as my sobriety journal. That said, I guess I’m trying to pull off an ex-hostess-rediscovers-Tokyo-in-sobriety angle. There is so much emphasis on the drinking culture here in Japan, especially throughout the foreign media. I wondered how it might be received if I took a reverse perspective. At the same time, it’s hard to take myself seriously for too long.
Describe your blog in one word.
I am torn between “sakuran” and “eeeeeeeeehh?”
If you could introduce one of your posts to new readers which one would it be and why?
Tree or poodle! The very essence of my blog exists in the subtle difference between these two entities.
How long have/did you live in Japan?
Five years.
What is your favorite place you have been to in Japan and why?
Eitaibashi. I am obsessed with the current aesthetic and historical lineage of this bridge. This is because I am a dork.
The best thing about Japan is…
Onsen.
The worst thing about Japan is…
The way some shop employees will make a large X with their arms and shove said X into your face in order to express that they don’t have what you’ve asked for. This is despite the fact that you approached them in polite Japanese. Also, the singing potato man: he’s very annoying.
Who is your favorite Japanese celebrity?
Ayumi Hamasaki! She is just so cool. Again, I am a dork.
One thing about Japanese culture that I will never understand is….
Cartoon porn.
What is the most delicious food you have had in Japan?
Anything made by my former homestay mother in Yokohama. I hate her, but she is an awesome cook.
What is the most disgusting food you have had in Japan?
Anything that’s still moving.
OK, that is it for today! Thanks again for the interview and let me know when the book comes out!
