Full Transcript for One Shot: Talking Tokyo X with Founder Naoki Yoshida

interview. 76 00:04:21.949 --> 00:04:27.430 Yeah. I, um, the guest list is tremendous. 77 00:04:28.029 --> 00:04:32.100 Um, you have the voices of, four voices of Goku 78 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:36.449 that's going to appear there. You have, uh, uh, Karen Fukunaga, 79 00:04:36.490 --> 00:04:39.050 who's from the boys. You have a huge line of 80 00:04:39.110 --> 00:04:41.970 guest lists and, um, and tell us, uh, tell the 81 00:04:42.009 --> 00:04:46.050 people how they could get, uh, tickets and where they can, 82 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:48.829 what they can do for like special badges and all 83 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:49.480 that kind of stuff. 84 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:53.579 So all tickets are actually sold on event bright. Um, 85 00:04:53.620 --> 00:04:55.339 so make sure to purchase your tickets there. If you 86 00:04:55.379 --> 00:04:57.819 want some of the autographs also, you can also purchase 87 00:04:57.860 --> 00:05:00.069 it there. Um, but for the most part, a lot 88 00:05:00.089 --> 00:05:02.170 of like Karen or the rest of the other Gokus 89 00:05:02.189 --> 00:05:04.990 will also be selling autographs at the table. Um, so 90 00:05:05.009 --> 00:05:06.879 you're more than welcome. Just, you know, as long as 91 00:05:06.889 --> 00:05:08.810 you have the general admission ticket, you walk into the 92 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.360 event and it's not just the guests, you know, you 93 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:14.420 get to enjoy everything altogether for the, uh, for the 94 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:15.319 general admission ticket. 95 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:18.180 So, uh, now I want to go back now, Kiva, 96 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:21.519 in terms of how did you, like, where did the 97 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:24.720 idea come about for Tokyo X? Like why, why was 98 00:05:24.779 --> 00:05:26.019 that something you wanted to start? 99 00:05:26.810 --> 00:05:29.329 So it all actually started during COVID. Like I feel 100 00:05:29.350 --> 00:05:32.250 like everyone's life changed during COVID, right? So we all 101 00:05:32.410 --> 00:05:36.589 decided different paths, you know, something different, something that, and 102 00:05:37.430 --> 00:05:40.639 for me, it was, the reason was actually during COVID, 103 00:05:40.779 --> 00:05:44.339 I actually had a restaurant called Shin Japanese Kitchen. And 104 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:47.540 right out of, you know, as COVID was ending, me 105 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:49.720 and a lot of my other restaurant friends, we were 106 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:52.759 all struggling and trying to find different ways to generate 107 00:05:53.259 --> 00:05:55.949 essentially how can we market to the rest of Houston and, 108 00:05:56.250 --> 00:05:58.540 that we exist, right? Because everyone's been trapped in their 109 00:05:58.579 --> 00:06:02.459 house and everyone's been itching to go out. So that's 110 00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:04.839 where I came up with the idea, hey, I need 111 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:07.220 to promote my restaurant, but at the same time, I 112 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:11.920 think I want to also do events, like a Japanese festival. 113 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:15.199 I've always wanted to do that, even like 20 years ago, right? 114 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:17.540 But I've always been in the restaurant scene, so it's 115 00:06:17.579 --> 00:06:19.610 kind of taken a lot more of my time. So unfortunately, 116 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:22.509 I wasn't able to. With COVID, there was a little 117 00:06:22.529 --> 00:06:26.160 bit more, I would say, freedom. that allowed me to 118 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:29.699 kind of explore the different opportunities. So when we did 119 00:06:29.740 --> 00:06:31.740 it the first time, it was actually in 2020 at 120 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:36.980 Social Beer Garden. And we had about 30 vendors, 30 121 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:39.459 to 50 vendors. And we had almost a four to 122 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:44.899 five hour wait. We had almost 4,000 plus people attending. 123 00:06:45.790 --> 00:06:47.870 And that's kind of when I was like, maybe I 124 00:06:47.910 --> 00:06:50.089 can go into events. You know, I've been cooking for 125 00:06:50.089 --> 00:06:53.250 25 years. I've been stuck behind the kitchen. I don't 126 00:06:53.269 --> 00:06:56.439 really see too many people's faces. Right. So at least 127 00:06:56.459 --> 00:06:58.699 this is a different opportunity where I get to actually 128 00:06:58.939 --> 00:07:02.480 meet people even and even create an event, an opportunity 129 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:06.470 where I can even hopefully meet some of my idols 130 00:07:06.750 --> 00:07:09.790 or even, you know, celebrity, celebrity people that I've always 131 00:07:09.829 --> 00:07:10.170 wanted to. 132 00:07:10.930 --> 00:07:14.370 So and you mentioned about even going back to 20 133 00:07:14.370 --> 00:07:17.329 years ago, having the idea or wanting to do something 134 00:07:17.350 --> 00:07:22.319 like this. Why like what what made you go the 135 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:25.000 more chef route rather than the event route back then? 136 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:28.110 I would say I was kind of forced into it. 137 00:07:28.230 --> 00:07:32.290 So I'm actually a second generation Japanese chef. So my 138 00:07:32.329 --> 00:07:35.129 dad had also a restaurant in Houston called Nippon. That 139 00:07:35.149 --> 00:07:38.949 was the oldest Japanese restaurant. And that's where my stomping 140 00:07:38.970 --> 00:07:42.589 ground was. So I was born into becoming a chef. 141 00:07:42.730 --> 00:07:44.209 Even when I was a little kid and my dad 142 00:07:44.230 --> 00:07:46.689 told me, you know, I'm training you to become a chef. 143 00:07:47.370 --> 00:07:50.029 So that's literally for the, I would say all the 144 00:07:50.050 --> 00:07:52.769 way until my, when I turned 35 is when I 145 00:07:53.189 --> 00:07:56.540 was like, food is the only thing that I know. 146 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:01.459 But I've always loved different parts

of the Japanese culture. 147 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:04.199 Obviously I'm Japanese, but there's just the aspect of like, 148 00:08:04.899 --> 00:08:07.660 there has to be more than, I always wanted to 149 00:08:07.819 --> 00:08:10.540 find ways to connect people with the Japanese culture, because 150 00:08:10.660 --> 00:08:12.959 even for me as a Japanese American, that's kind of 151 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:16.500 one of the, let's say, distance that I had. So 152 00:08:16.660 --> 00:08:19.930 I wanted to find a way for everyone to connect. And, 153 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:23.899 you know, having a restaurant, you can feed 50 people 154 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:27.139 to 100 people per day, but that's kind of a limitation. 155 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:29.019 So that's where I was like, if I can hold 156 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:31.430 an event, I can educate or I can, you know, 157 00:08:31.470 --> 00:08:34.190 show over thousands of people at once, you know, the 158 00:08:34.309 --> 00:08:36.830 different types of, or different aspects of Japan. 159 00:08:37.309 --> 00:08:39.929 Now you talked about, you know, starting this idea up 160 00:08:40.029 --> 00:08:44.620 when COVID happened, but the evolution of this Tokyo X 161 00:08:44.649 --> 00:08:47.299 Festival since what was your first year was 2021. And 162 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:50.419 just kind of like the, kind of the slow growth 163 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:53.990 of Japanese culture within Houston. You know, the Japanese festival 164 00:08:54.009 --> 00:08:57.370 has been growing year over year. The population in Houston 165 00:08:57.590 --> 00:09:00.690 of people of Japanese descent have slightly grown a little bit. 166 00:09:01.149 --> 00:09:04.019 But can you just kind of talk about like the 167 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:09.879 significance of representing and showing out Japanese culture to people 168 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:11.110 since you started this? 169 00:09:11.899 --> 00:09:15.419 Uh, so one of the crazy epiphanies I had was, 170 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:17.759 so when I had the restaurant, I had actually a 171 00:09:17.820 --> 00:09:21.080 few Texan football players coming to eat and I would 172 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:24.470 ask them, what are you guys doing? Right. Right now, 173 00:09:24.490 --> 00:09:27.169 you know, you can't train, you can't play any game, blah, blah. 174 00:09:27.429 --> 00:09:30.690 And they're like, we're watching anime. I'm like, you guys 175 00:09:30.710 --> 00:09:34.490 are 300 pound guys. Um, 20 years ago, I would 176 00:09:34.509 --> 00:09:36.549 be bullied by you guys. And you guys are talking 177 00:09:36.570 --> 00:09:39.799 about animating a lot of people. And, you know, some 178 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:41.500 of them are like, yeah, that's what that's our kind 179 00:09:41.539 --> 00:09:45.519 of thing right now. So definitely like after COVID or 180 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:48.779 actually during COVID, even you guys probably know, but there 181 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:52.529 was a huge resurgence of anime, comics, you know, just 182 00:09:52.570 --> 00:09:55.850 like a lot of this nostalgic aspect that were forgotten 183 00:09:55.889 --> 00:09:58.129 for us. Right. Or even back then, it was kind 184 00:09:58.149 --> 00:09:59.970 of like we were kind of bullied over. 185 00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:00.129 It. 186 00:10:00.549 --> 00:10:03.149 So it's more like now it's kind of the new 187 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:05.470 generation where it's kind of like where 20 years ago, 188 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:08.139 it was like the movie Revenge of the Nerds, right? 189 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:10.500 So it's kind of like where all these things that 190 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:12.940 were in the past were kind of left behind us 191 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:16.509 is now coming back up. And I think now that 192 00:10:16.570 --> 00:10:18.690 especially me and some of the people around my age 193 00:10:18.750 --> 00:10:21.850 are now the forefronts of really kind of pushing that to, 194 00:10:22.070 --> 00:10:25.309 you know, really show people, hey, you've seen one anime, 195 00:10:25.909 --> 00:10:29.149 but there's a thousand other anime and different genres and 196 00:10:29.210 --> 00:10:32.269 different things that you can even connect to. That is, 197 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:35.519 you know, that's what the beauty of anime is, right? 198 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:38.440 Speaking of anime, what is your favorite anime? 199 00:10:39.820 --> 00:10:42.980 It's got to be Dragon Ball. I mean, like, hands down, 200 00:10:43.019 --> 00:10:46.370 Dragon Ball. I grew up with that, you know, from 201 00:10:46.409 --> 00:10:49.330 the day one that he came out to even now, 202 00:10:49.389 --> 00:10:52.509 I still watch that. I don't watch too much other anime, 203 00:10:52.590 --> 00:10:54.470 but Dragon Ball is my number one. 204 00:10:55.769 --> 00:10:59.049 Yeah, I think that's on everybody's list. A lot of 205 00:10:59.070 --> 00:10:59.590 people's list. 206 00:10:59.990 --> 00:11:01.169 A lot of people, for sure. 207 00:11:02.250 --> 00:11:06.389 Were you at the lunch table, like growing up, like 208 00:11:06.450 --> 00:11:09.169 me and my friends, like talking about Super Saiyan levels 209 00:11:09.289 --> 00:11:12.309 and people showing their drawings and things like that? 210 00:11:13.620 --> 00:11:17.879 No, actually. So I grew up in, I grew up 211 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:20.659 in misery city. So I was probably like one of 212 00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:23.279 the only Asians at the time. So I was very 213 00:11:23.539 --> 00:11:26.210 connected with the, like the Asian community. 214 00:11:25.870 --> 00:11:26.509 At the time. 215 00:11:27.129 --> 00:11:29.769 Um, and it was very tough. I will say even 216 00:11:29.789 --> 00:11:33.210 for me back then, because if you did anything, you know, 217 00:11:33.529 --> 00:11:36.769 anime or even Japanese cuisine or food, you know, I 218 00:11:36.789 --> 00:11:38.909 would honestly, it's

kind of sad to say, but I 219 00:11:38.909 --> 00:11:41.110 would always get picked on. So I'll kind of keep 220 00:11:41.190 --> 00:11:43.960 it closed and to where I'm, You know, I don't 221 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:46.799 have to really tell people too much about it. And 222 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:49.259 it's not until high school, you know, I started going 223 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:52.250 to Sugar Land. That's when I was like, there's more 224 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:55.169 of my people. There's people that like anime. There's other Asians. 225 00:11:55.330 --> 00:11:57.450 And that's where I, when I, I would say I 226 00:11:57.470 --> 00:12:00.129 started really connecting with anime and also people with the 227 00:12:00.269 --> 00:12:05.379 similar interests. And yeah, that's, that's kind of where, how 228 00:12:05.480 --> 00:12:05.940 it started. 229 00:12:07.019 --> 00:12:09.139 And it's, it's awesome to get to that point. 230 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:12.500 Because yeah, it is, there was a point like growing 231 00:12:12.590 --> 00:12:15.350 up where it wasn't like, I know for me, I 232 00:12:15.409 --> 00:12:17.730 kept a lot of that nerdy, more nerdy type stuff 233 00:12:18.169 --> 00:12:18.870 to myself. 234 00:12:19.029 --> 00:12:21.929 And it was more focused on sports or, you know, 235 00:12:21.950 --> 00:12:23.190 whatever the case may be. 236 00:12:23.850 --> 00:12:26.870 And I wouldn't talk about the, I don't know, Lord 237 00:12:26.889 --> 00:12:29.490 of the Rings game or whatever that I was playing or, 238 00:12:29.509 --> 00:12:32.669 you know, whatever the case may be, or the anime 239 00:12:32.690 --> 00:12:34.269 that I was watching or anything like that. 240 00:12:34.330 --> 00:12:36.269 So it is cool to see that. 241 00:12:36.330 --> 00:12:39.340 And like, when you're at the festival, do you have 242 00:12:39.379 --> 00:12:43.059 a moment like that where you're like, this is, I'm 243 00:12:43.100 --> 00:12:45.980 making it happen, what I wanted to do for so long? 244 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:49.029 Oh yeah, of course. You know, kind of like what 245 00:12:49.049 --> 00:12:53.529 you mentioned, right? So it's like back in the day, 246 00:12:53.570 --> 00:12:56.429 a lot of people were kind of like anime or 247 00:12:56.470 --> 00:12:59.210 these things were kind of like frowned upon, right? So 248 00:12:59.409 --> 00:13:01.700 now it's really the moment of shining. You see even 249 00:13:01.740 --> 00:13:06.460 like major league baseball players, basketball, not player, but basketball leagues, 250 00:13:07.129 --> 00:13:10.210 all using the anime and the Japanese components to really 251 00:13:10.289 --> 00:13:14.029 bring people, the community together, essentially, right? You know, like 252 00:13:14.070 --> 00:13:16.149 what you were saying earlier when you were in high school, 253 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:19.019 same with me. I essentially had to live a double life. Like, 254 00:13:19.100 --> 00:13:22.659 I was in varsity ice

hockey, varsity tennis, but I 255 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:25.519 would go home and watch anime. And, you know, that 256 00:13:25.539 --> 00:13:27.159 was a side of them a lot of people didn't 257 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:27.659 even know about. 258 00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:30.370 You're currently only doing it in Houston, correct? 259 00:13:30.950 --> 00:13:31.720 Only in Houston right now. 260 00:13:32.009 --> 00:13:34.490 Do you ever have any future plans of expanding it? 261 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:38.379 I would like to, but I really want to focus 262 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:42.919 on Houston. I'm Houston born, Houston native. And my goal 263 00:13:42.940 --> 00:13:46.159 has always been about Houston. So like before I even 264 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:48.500 go to other cities, I want to feel, you know, 265 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.299 make sure that we build the brand, build the, you know, 266 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:55.340 Tokyo X to a more stable event to where that 267 00:13:55.919 --> 00:13:57.679 essentially it can be strong enough to that we can 268 00:13:57.899 --> 00:13:59.559 start traveling. Yeah. 269 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:02.360 So, cause I'm looking at the events and stuff that 270 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:06.950 you have at Tokyo X and There's not many conventions 271 00:14:07.190 --> 00:14:10.450 or these events that put together concerts and after parties 272 00:14:10.549 --> 00:14:13.899 and eating contests and fashion shows and talent shows. 273 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:15.980 It's a very, very cool. 274 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:20.230 Event for a lot of different interests to kind of 275 00:14:20.250 --> 00:14:22.169 go out there. Not just if you're into anime, you 276 00:14:22.190 --> 00:14:25.470 should go out there. But if you like music or 277 00:14:25.549 --> 00:14:29.080 if you are into... watching people eat or just food 278 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:30.740 in general. I feel like this is such a good 279 00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:32.500 event to kind of like go out and you can, 280 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:34.820 whatever you, whatever you like, I think you can find 281 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:35.600 when you go out there. 282 00:14:36.740 --> 00:14:39.379 And that's exactly the concept for Tokyo X. So like, 283 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:42.059 you know, as I mentioned, like growing up in, growing 284 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:46.320 up Japanese American in Houston, I often struggled with my identity, right? 285 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:48.649 Am I Japanese? Am I American? You know, what am I, 286 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:50.299 you know, why am I, why is there no one 287 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:52.789 else like me kind of thing? So, like, one of 288 00:14:52.809 --> 00:14:55.629 the ways I was able to connect with Japan, you know, 289 00:14:55.649 --> 00:14:58.009 I would go there every summer with my family, but 290 00:14:58.070 --> 00:15:00.389 it was really through the food and the music, right? 291 00:15:00.610 --> 00:15:03.779 And my belief is

that for anyone to be, that's not, 292 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:06.720 let's say, their nationality, you know, there has to be 293 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:09.120 a reason or purpose for someone wanting to connect with 294 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:13.870 that culture, right? Whether it be Japanese, Chinese, Indian, any culture. 295 00:15:14.090 --> 00:15:16.700 And for me, it was just food and music. And 296 00:15:16.789 --> 00:15:19.019 that's kind of what the concept before took for Tokyo 297 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:20.679 X is that, you know, I want to provide an 298 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:25.200 event space that has every genre about Japanese and what, 299 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:29.440 you know, not just the, the aspect of kimono and teaser, 300 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:33.000 where some people may think that this is Japan. There's 301 00:15:33.059 --> 00:15:35.059 so many sides of Japan that a lot of people 302 00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:35.919 don't even know about. 303 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:36.159 Right. 304 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:39.820 Even goes with food. People say, oh, I love Japanese food, 305 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:41.259 but if I ask them, oh, what do you like? 306 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:46.480 Ramen sushi. And I'm like, you know, there's over a 307 00:15:46.659 --> 00:15:50.909 thousand different other dishes that you have even discovered. Like even, 308 00:15:50.990 --> 00:15:54.669 for example, curry. Curry is one of like Japan's number 309 00:15:54.730 --> 00:15:57.970 one staple. But most people that know about Japan don't 310 00:15:58.009 --> 00:16:01.409 even know about that Japan has curry. So it's just 311 00:16:01.429 --> 00:16:04.210 with those aspects that I'm really trying to bring different 312 00:16:04.289 --> 00:16:06.870 things to help people connect to, whether it's the food, 313 00:16:07.009 --> 00:16:10.649 the cars, the anime, the guests. You know, we even 314 00:16:10.669 --> 00:16:14.269 have crazy things like the U.S. Olympic fencing team. They're 315 00:16:14.289 --> 00:16:17.409 going to be coming out to do demonstrations. So even 316 00:16:17.429 --> 00:16:19.409 though that's not really Japanese, there are a lot of 317 00:16:19.450 --> 00:16:22.409 Japanese Olympic players that are involved with it. So it's 318 00:16:22.429 --> 00:16:25.899 just really trying to diversify the portfolio for everyone. And 319 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:28.419 just to make sure that I don't want anyone to 320 00:16:28.460 --> 00:16:31.519 feel that they're secluded or that they don't have an 321 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:34.730 opportunity into the culture. You know, that's why we really 322 00:16:34.750 --> 00:16:37.330 want to create every gateway opportunity for them. 323 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:38.419 Yeah. 324 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:42.000 So you guys can go get tickets at Eventbrite.com and 325 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:46.299 you could just search Tokyo X 2026 and it'll pop up. 326 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:48.750 And one of the things that,

you know, I know 327 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.090 you're focused on this event, but do you have like 328 00:16:51.110 --> 00:16:52.870 in the back of your mind, like any future goals 329 00:16:52.909 --> 00:16:54.870 that you kind of want to set out for yourself? 330 00:16:55.590 --> 00:16:58.730 So throughout the years, we do small pocket events. Those 331 00:16:58.789 --> 00:17:01.610 are two kind of. So even this year, we did 332 00:17:01.789 --> 00:17:05.490 a socket festival or we did a the API festival 333 00:17:05.509 --> 00:17:08.150 with OCA. So there's a lot of other throughout the year. 334 00:17:08.190 --> 00:17:10.930 I do a lot of community programs to kind of 335 00:17:10.970 --> 00:17:12.549 make sure that, you know, we stay in the picture. 336 00:17:13.730 --> 00:17:16.410 But also that that's the way that I also strengthen 337 00:17:16.430 --> 00:17:19.059 Tokyo X brand. Like if you see on the website, 338 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:21.380 there's a lot of sponsors, a lot of partners, you know, 339 00:17:21.420 --> 00:17:23.559 and I can't do Tokyo X without them. So it's 340 00:17:23.619 --> 00:17:27.880 really I consider working with the community very, very important aspect. 341 00:17:28.990 --> 00:17:29.230 Yeah. 342 00:17:29.349 --> 00:17:31.930 And, and as John mentioned about, you know, you can 343 00:17:31.970 --> 00:17:34.170 get your tickets at Eventbrite. I'll have the link in 344 00:17:34.210 --> 00:17:36.599 the show notes for this, for this issue of Comcast 345 00:17:36.619 --> 00:17:38.619 so people can go directly to it as well as 346 00:17:38.660 --> 00:17:39.240 the website. 347 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:40.940 I want to go back. 348 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:46.000 To something you said now, Key, about that representation, because yeah, 349 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:49.329 a lot of times people think of like stereotypical things. 350 00:17:49.950 --> 00:17:51.569 And one of the things you said, we had a 351 00:17:51.609 --> 00:17:52.630 conversation last week. 352 00:17:52.670 --> 00:17:54.470 And one of the things that you said that stuck 353 00:17:54.509 --> 00:17:57.859 with me was, I forget how you, you said it, 354 00:17:57.859 --> 00:18:00.019 so I'm paraphrasing, but it was like a lot of 355 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:03.759 the festivals you see are not necessarily run by actual 356 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:07.859 Japanese people of Japanese descent, right? Like it's, it's a 357 00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:10.960 lot of times it's not really a true representation of 358 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:11.460 the culture. 359 00:18:11.859 --> 00:18:14.490 Yeah, that is correct. So like, uh, yeah, as a 360 00:18:14.529 --> 00:18:17.890 Japanese American, you know, I've been born and raised in Houston. 361 00:18:17.970 --> 00:18:20.950 I've been seeing everything kind of as the Japanese aspect 362 00:18:20.990 --> 00:18:23.890 of things going in Houston. Um, and even when I 363 00:18:23.910 --> 00:18:27.559 had the restaurant, my biggest concept behind that is, It's 364 00:18:27.619 --> 00:18:32.259 a Japanese-owned, Japanese-American restaurant. And I would say close to 365 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:34.960 even 90% of Japanese restaurants, even in the United States, 366 00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:38.640 are not actually owned by Japanese people. That even applies 367 00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:40.920 to a lot of the events and other things that 368 00:18:40.980 --> 00:18:43.740 may have a Japanese in front of it. So that's 369 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:46.769 where I've been a huge advocate of really pushing, hey, 370 00:18:47.289 --> 00:18:49.690 I'm Japanese. I really want to show the strength in 371 00:18:49.710 --> 00:18:53.009 Japanese pride and really show that this is what things 372 00:18:53.049 --> 00:18:55.849 are supposed to look like. So that is one of 373 00:18:55.869 --> 00:18:56.849 the other aspects. 374 00:18:56.630 --> 00:18:57.079 Of Tokyo X. 375 00:18:57.569 --> 00:18:59.670 And it's not simply like, like you said, it's not 376 00:18:59.710 --> 00:19:00.250 just ramen. 377 00:19:00.289 --> 00:19:02.930 It's not this, this, there's a lot more aspects of 378 00:19:02.950 --> 00:19:06.880 the culture that people can, can learn about at Tokyo X. What, 379 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:10.259 what is something that maybe you haven't done, or maybe 380 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:13.140 a guest that you haven't had that you like to 381 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:16.039 include maybe in a future Tokyo X event? 382 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:19.460 That's the really tough question. I mean, every year I'm 383 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:23.029 looking for new talent, new guests that can come. Um, Honestly, 384 00:19:23.089 --> 00:19:27.309 even this year, us landing Masako Nozao, the voice of Goku, 385 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:33.259 that was completely unexpected. Just randomly, one day, my agent was, 386 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:36.380 would you be interested in her? I dropped everything. I 387 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:40.720 was like, absolutely. I was like, where is this coming from? 388 00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:45.349 Was it like, are you for real right now? 389 00:19:45.349 --> 00:19:48.160 Yeah, I'm kind of like, what? are you just wasting 390 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.480 my time right and they're like no we're serious she's 391 00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:52.920 interested in coming i'm like okay let's make it happen 392 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:55.440 and uh we have the honor of you know this 393 00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:58.410 year is actually the 40th anniversary for dragon ball and 394 00:19:58.470 --> 00:20:01.630 on top of that her birthday is in october but 395 00:20:01.829 --> 00:20:04.230 uh this may possibly be the last time in the u.s 396 00:20:04.250 --> 00:20:07.339 for her she is turning 90 Um, so she's, she 397 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:10.019 wanted to also have us the opportunity to celebrate her 398 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:14.480 90th birthday, uh, in the U S and that's, that's, 399

00:20:14.700 --> 00:20:17.559 that's where the fun part began began because that's when 400 00:20:17.579 --> 00:20:19.930 a lot of the other Goku's we started reaching out 401 00:20:20.069 --> 00:20:21.910 and they wanted to be part of this because this 402 00:20:21.950 --> 00:20:25.109 is a very monumental, especially in the Dragon Ball franchise, um, 403 00:20:25.349 --> 00:20:27.609 you know, the 40th anniversary, but also the fact that 404 00:20:28.309 --> 00:20:31.089 there is, uh, you know, the voice of a Goku 405 00:20:31.170 --> 00:20:33.759 that is turning 90 years old and still doing this, 406 00:20:33.900 --> 00:20:35.039 which is unbelievable. 407 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:38.240 I mean, that kind of goes to show you how 408 00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:40.849 much of a successful event that you put together. So, like, 409 00:20:41.390 --> 00:20:43.950 applause to you and tip your cap off to you. 410 00:20:44.029 --> 00:20:46.730 And then when the event's over, I'm sure you can 411 00:20:46.789 --> 00:20:48.640 kind of sit back and kind of take a look at. 412 00:20:49.099 --> 00:20:51.720 the successful event that you ran and just what it 413 00:20:51.789 --> 00:20:54.369 means to just people. I mean, everybody in the city 414 00:20:54.390 --> 00:20:56.890 of Houston and people that are coming to Houston. And 415 00:20:56.910 --> 00:20:58.910 you got to think about this way. There's people coming 416 00:20:58.930 --> 00:21:01.450 to Houston for your event. So there's a, it's a, 417 00:21:01.549 --> 00:21:04.240 I mean, for people like her to reach out to 418 00:21:04.279 --> 00:21:06.619 you and them wanting to be at your festival. And 419 00:21:06.660 --> 00:21:09.019 then the other ones, the other voices come in reaching 420 00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:10.740 out to you. It just shows you how much of 421 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:13.000 a successful event that you've put together in the past. 422 00:21:13.819 --> 00:21:15.329 I appreciate that. Thank you very much. 423 00:21:16.069 --> 00:21:18.569 I do want to ask you this because I'm curious 424 00:21:18.589 --> 00:21:22.200 your response. I also at work at ESPN 97.5, I 425 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:26.839 also work on a food podcast for Culture Map. So 426 00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:29.980 I'm curious just in terms of the Houston food scene, 427 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:34.220 what are your thoughts on like, do you have a favorite? 428 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:35.420 I hate this question. 429 00:21:35.640 --> 00:21:37.539 Oh, you hate this question? Before it even started. 430 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:39.240 No, it's fine. It's fine. 431 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:40.759 No, I'll say it like this. 432 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:43.380 Do you have a favorite place right now that you're 433 00:21:43.539 --> 00:21:45.240 wanting to check out or have checked out? 434 00:21:46.690 --> 00:21:50.089 Um, so there are, I would say I'd like a 435 00:21:50.150 --> 00:21:53.509 lot of the old staples in Houston. Um, so one 436 00:21:53.549 --> 00:21:55.450 of my, if this Japanese food and one of my 437 00:21:55.490 --> 00:21:59.849 favorites actually, it's located on the Westheimer by the gallery area, um, 438 00:22:00.549 --> 00:22:02.369 is a new ownership, but they do a very good 439 00:22:02.410 --> 00:22:05.809 job of still keeping everything traditional and a scratch kitchen. 440 00:22:05.829 --> 00:22:11.720 And so that's one, if it is Italian. My favorite 441 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:15.119 is actually Sorrento's because I grew up in Montreux. So 442 00:22:15.140 --> 00:22:18.640 that's one of my staples growing up. So I know 443 00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:20.920 there's a lot of new restaurants opening up in Houston. 444 00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:22.799 And honestly, there's just too many that I haven't had 445 00:22:22.819 --> 00:22:24.049 the opportunity to go yet too. 446 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:25.329 It's a lot, man. 447 00:22:25.809 --> 00:22:29.210 So much. I don't, even then I had the sushi, 448 00:22:29.289 --> 00:22:31.849 a Japanese restaurant three years ago. And then I think 449 00:22:31.910 --> 00:22:34.789 in what, three years, maybe like 30 new restaurants have 450 00:22:34.849 --> 00:22:35.269 opened up. 451 00:22:35.349 --> 00:22:37.650 So it's, yeah, it's, it's been a lot. 452 00:22:37.710 --> 00:22:39.650 And then with the inclusion of the Michelin guide in 453 00:22:39.690 --> 00:22:42.500 recent years, like it's just, It's just a wild experience. 454 00:22:42.579 --> 00:22:44.900 So, uh, yeah, I was, I was very curious about, 455 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:45.420 about that. 456 00:22:45.460 --> 00:22:49.359 Cause I, you know, the Houston food scene is something 457 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:53.369 where it's like, it's such a, a wide, vast array of, of, 458 00:22:53.809 --> 00:22:57.490 of cultures and all sorts of food options that you have. 459 00:22:57.549 --> 00:22:59.609 And then, like you said, yeah, there's so many popping 460 00:22:59.710 --> 00:23:00.609 up all the time. 461 00:23:00.670 --> 00:23:01.230 It feels like. 462 00:23:01.950 --> 00:23:04.690 Oh yeah. I mean, definitely Houston. I think they won 463 00:23:04.950 --> 00:23:07.619 a title of like, you know, the most diverse, especially, uh, 464 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:10.460 culture in Houston. Um, and then also it's like one 465 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:12.319 of the only places where you can literally do a 466 00:23:12.299 --> 00:23:17.240 360 and you'll have Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, you know, African food, 467 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:19.240 all that literally in one spot. If you just do 468 00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:20.779 a 360. 469 00:23:20.779 --> 00:23:24.710 And one of my childhood, like memories, core memories was, uh, 470 00:23:24.769 --> 00:23:26.890 playing a lot of video games at arcades and stuff 471 00:23:26.910 --> 00:23:28.890 like that. And I would go out to my go, 472 00:23:29.130 --> 00:23:30.990 you know, go out with my friends and, you know, 473 00:23:31.029 -->

00:23:33.440 we would, you know, get in line at, uh, uh, 474 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:35.680 you know, all these different video games. And I, I'm 475 00:23:35.720 --> 00:23:37.839 looking at your map right now and I don't know 476 00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:39.980 if this is drawn to scale, but the arcade section 477 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:40.880 looks ginormous. 478 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:44.500 So the arcades area is about, I think about 40 479 00:23:44.500 --> 00:23:47.400 by 40 space. Uh, so for that one there, we 480 00:23:47.420 --> 00:23:50.619 were actually teaming with a company called Hebe studios. Um, 481 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:52.400 they're coming out from San Antonio. They're going to be 482 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:54.900 bringing a bunch of PlayStation X boxes, setting up on 483 00:23:54.920 --> 00:23:57.839 the table. So everyone can kind of free play and, 484 00:23:57.859 --> 00:24:00.509 you know, um, you know, have fun during the event. 485 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:03.160 So it was, I wanted to make sure that there's 486 00:24:03.259 --> 00:24:05.720 different aspects where people can kind of sit down, relax, 487 00:24:06.140 --> 00:24:08.740 you know, just standing all day for hours are definitely difficult. 488 00:24:08.849 --> 00:24:12.190 So there's different rest spots, different things, activities that everyone 489 00:24:12.210 --> 00:24:14.069 can kind of sit and do and enjoy the rest 490 00:24:14.089 --> 00:24:14.420 of the day. 491 00:24:15.509 --> 00:24:18.730 Is there anything in particular that you're like really proud 492 00:24:18.769 --> 00:24:20.910 of that you've been able to include at the event, 493 00:24:20.950 --> 00:24:24.140 whether it is like a certain space or a vendor 494 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:26.059 or just an option for fans to check out? 495 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:29.920 That's tough. I mean, we added so many new components 496 00:24:29.940 --> 00:24:34.680 this year. We have, uh now calligraphy workshop um even 497 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:36.720 the car show for hot m49 last year we had 498 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:38.980 40 cars this year we actually bumped up to 80 499 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:42.390 cars oh wow um you know our stage is fully 500 00:24:42.430 --> 00:24:45.829 stacked with different q a panels um as i mentioned 501 00:24:45.849 --> 00:24:48.690 we have the usa uh olympic fencing team coming out 502 00:24:49.529 --> 00:24:51.869 there's just so many new programs that's really hard to 503 00:24:51.910 --> 00:24:54.670 pinpoint you know exactly this is the one um and 504 00:24:54.690 --> 00:24:57.480 even beyblade you know we're hosting like a beyblade tournament 505 00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:00.839 too so That's kind of a hard question on me 506 00:25:00.910 --> 00:25:03.500 because I do treat everything as equal and I'm really 507 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:04.240 excited for everything. 508 00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:06.220 You can't pick a favorite kid. 509 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:08.619 I get it. Exactly. I'm sorry. 510 00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:11.920 I get it. I understand completely. 511 00:25:12.380 --> 00:25:16.460 You know what's amazing and people with kids will back 512 00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:20.539 me up on this. Kids from newborn to five years 513 00:25:20.660 --> 00:25:23.839 old are actually free to attend this event, which is amazing. 514 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:27.450 And kids up until, well, from five, or I guess after, 515 00:25:27.549 --> 00:25:30.630 I guess six to 10 are only $ 7. So this is, 516 00:25:30.869 --> 00:25:34.390 to get in, it's, if you do have kids and 517 00:25:34.430 --> 00:25:38.390 those in the millennial age range like us are kind 518 00:25:38.470 --> 00:25:40.460 of like, you know, are having their kids. So like, 519 00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:43.099 you don't need a babysitter. You can bring them, bring 520 00:25:43.140 --> 00:25:46.279 your kids to this event. And you can, if they're under, 521 00:25:46.420 --> 00:25:49.119 if they're under six or five and under, then they 522 00:25:49.140 --> 00:25:50.900 can get in for free. So this is, that's one 523 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:52.940 of the big, that's always kind of like the big 524 00:25:52.980 --> 00:25:54.819 selling points for me and my wife when we go 525 00:25:54.839 --> 00:25:57.200 to things is like, Oh, but like if the kids 526 00:25:57.240 --> 00:26:00.660 are costing like, you know, upwards of $ 20 per head, then, 527 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:03.789 you know, we'll have to rethink this. So like, that's a, 528 00:26:03.829 --> 00:26:05.250 that's very cool and very nice of you. 529 00:26:05.549 --> 00:26:08.029 Well, uh, now keep before, before we wrap up, is 530 00:26:08.049 --> 00:26:10.150 there any other points about Tokyo X that you would 531 00:26:10.170 --> 00:26:10.890 like to bring up? 532 00:26:11.569 --> 00:26:13.690 Uh, I mean, I guess if you guys are looking, 533 00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:16.059 is it everyone in Houston looking for something to do 534 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:19.660 September 26, 27, we have, There's going to be indoor space. 535 00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:21.740 It's going to have air conditioning. You know, we have 536 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:26.240 over 550 vendors. Like, I don't know what else I 537 00:26:26.269 --> 00:26:26.970 can do for you guys. 538 00:26:28.710 --> 00:26:30.470 All you need to say is AC and we're in. 539 00:26:30.569 --> 00:26:32.509 All right. All right. 540 00:26:32.569 --> 00:26:32.690 AC. 541 00:26:35.670 --> 00:26:37.849 Well, Naoki, thank you again for taking the time to 542 00:26:37.890 --> 00:26:39.849 join us on Comic Cast. I know it's a busy 543 00:26:39.890 --> 00:26:42.759 time for you, so just really appreciate you taking the time. 544 00:26:42.819 --> 00:26:45.839 And everyone, again, go to Eventbrite, search TokyoX to get 545 00:26:45.859 --> 00:26:49.269 your tickets now for the event. You can also go 546 00:26:49.329 --> 00:26:56.349 to tokyonightfest.com and check out all the lineup, the event, everything. 547 00:26:56.450 --> 00:26:59.099 So it's really cool. So Naoki, thank you again for 548 00:26:59.140 --> 00:26:59.579 joining us. 549 00:27:00.119 --> 00:27:01.819 No, it was an honor. Thank you guys for making 550 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:02.200 time for me. 551 00:27:02.420 --> 00:27:02.880 No, thank you. 552 00:27:04.059 --> 00:27:04.680 No, no, thank you. 553 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:09.240 Well, thanks again to Naoki Yoshida for joining us here 554 00:27:09.299 --> 00:27:11.460 on Comic Cast. That was a fun conversation, John. 555 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:12.240 It was. 556 00:27:12.460 --> 00:27:15.279 And I forget to mention this part of this, but 557 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:19.759 it's not only... like anime stuff. There are comic books, uh, 558 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.880 and book creators that are going to come in, be 559 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:26.740 coming out there. Chad Harden, who did a lot of, uh, 560 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:30.000 stuff for Harley Quinn, comic drawings. And he works, he 561 00:27:30.019 --> 00:27:33.259 worked for both Marvel and DC. He's illustrated for both 562 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:35.500 of both companies. He's going to be out there as well. 563 00:27:35.559 --> 00:27:37.779 So like, and, and, you know, it's going to be 564 00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:39.839 a very cool event and I hope everybody gets to 565 00:27:39.859 --> 00:27:40.279 check it out. 566 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:41.140 Yeah. 567 00:27:41.160 --> 00:27:41.640 Same here. 568 00:27:41.740 --> 00:27:44.259 So again, go to event bright. I have the link 569 00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:47.089 in the show notes for this issue. Get your tickets now. 570 00:27:47.529 --> 00:27:48.089 Go do it. 571 00:27:48.670 --> 00:27:50.809 It'll be a fun event to check out with so 572 00:27:50.829 --> 00:27:53.970 many cool things to do. Thanks again to everyone listening 573 00:27:54.049 --> 00:27:57.549 to this special edition of Comcast. As always, if you could, 574 00:27:57.609 --> 00:27:59.390 leave us a rating or a review. That would help 575 00:27:59.450 --> 00:28:01.430 us continue to grow. And we will talk to you 576 00:28:01.470 --> 00:28:02.190 guys next week. 577 00:28:02.859 --> 00:28:03.109 See ya.