Maki Nibayashi

Occupation:
Mom & Office Manager in a New york ad agency

Time in Japan:
4 and a half years


Where are you from?
I' originally from New York City and Long Island, US.

What brought you to Japan?
My husband's job.

What do you do now?
I'm a Mom to my 11-year-old daughter, Erin. Also I teach English, do voice-overs for English language courses on tape, perform in Tokyo International Players (TIP) productions, and am active as a member of TIP's and Tokyo Theater for Children's Board of Directors.

Can you tell us about Tokyo International Players?
TIP is in its 104th season in Tokyo providing English language theater productions to the ex-pat community, including plays and musicals from America, UK, and Australia. TIP was founded in 1896 with the help of Baroness d'Anethan, wife of the Belgian Chief of Mission in Japan. The first meeting was held at the Imperial Hotel. It then was known as the Tokyo Dramatic and Musical Association, and the productions in these early days were held at the Shorei-Kwai Engineering College. During WWII, the organization was actually suspected of being an espionage center and was forced to close down until the end of the war. TAC became TIP's "home" in 1974.

What exactly do you do for TIP?
This past season, I performed in two productions, Picasso At The Lapin Agile and the musical Cole. My first love is musical comedy, but it has become increasingly harder to produce a musical because they are so expensive and as a non-profit organization, we need sponsorship to do so. Besides performing, I am responsible for the publicity end of things. I have been on TIP's Board for about two years.

What are some upcoming productions?
The next production is Lend Me A Tenor by Ken Ludwig. I will be playing the role of Julia Leverett, chairperson of the Cleveland Opera Guild. The play is a comedy, centered on a production of the opera Othello, which has as its guest artist the renowned Tito Merelli (kind of like Pavorotti). There are lots of mishaps and misunderstandings surrounding his long awaited performance. Performances are October 5-8 at the Tokyo American Club. For ticket information, call 03-3798-1750. One show is JY4000, seasonal tickets (for all five shows) is JY15,000. We also need volunteer help in any capacity. The next production after that will be Dracula, November 17-19 at the Shinjuku Sun Mall Theatre. Anyone interested in auditioning should contact us.

What's one thing in Japan you couldn't live without?
I couldn't live without the periodic viewings of Mt Fuji on a clear day - they're awe-inspiring. Second thing would be the hi-tech toilets - definitely taking a couple of those back with me when the time comes.

What's your recipe for a happy life in Japan?
Embrace the cultural differences - don't fight them. Foreigners, including myself, get frustrated with Japanese ways, but need to appreciate the very different lifestyle here and how it works so well for the natives.

For more info, go to www2.gol.com/users/tip

Amy Jorrisch spoke to Maki Nibayashi.

Do you know somepne who has an interesting life in Japan? Email us at maki@tokyoclassified.com