Yoshihiko Higuchi: During the summer break of his sophomore year at the International Christian University (ICU), Yoshihiko took a spontaneous trip to Israel to work at a banana field. Initially, his plan was to stay only one month. However, he eventually chose to extend his stay to a full year to more fully experience his new life and new challenges. In this time, he learned Hebrew, which he continues to use in his work to this day. After graduating from ICU, he furthered his studies in graduate school in Japan, where he also returned to Israel to study abroad at a university. Yoshihiko joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2013 after various experiences including time as a freelance interpreter, TV coordinator, and special researcher at the Embassy of Japan in Israel. Since 2017, he has been working at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.
Miki Sumiyoshi: Miki was born in Japan, but because of her father’s area of work she spent her elementary school years in Seattle, Wash USA, and her secondary school years in Vancouver, BC Canada, where her interest in various cultures and communication with different people grew. Miki started her career as an Announcer at NHK, Japan’s sole public broadcasting organization. She worked at Fukushima station, Sendai station and Tokyo headquarters, experiencing a wide variety of media work from presenting, narrating, news casting, interviewing and live-reporting, to researching, directing and producing TV and radio shows.
Some of her acclaimed works are:
2006-2010: Hosted “the Professionals” (a documentary/interview program featuring exceptional professionals who are breaking new ground and making a difference in their area of expertise)
2007: MC for the 58th Kouhaku Uta Gassen (the prestigious annual song festival on New Year’s Eve)
2010: Hosted “Hello from Studio Park” (a daily live interview TV show with actors, actresses and celebrities as guests)
She is also experienced in reporting on live shows or on footage abroad to viewers of Japan, and has traveled to more than 50 cities/towns around the world on business. After working with NHK for 15 years, she became a freelance TV/Radio host. She has been hosting the popular wide morning radio show “Blue Ocean” (Tokyo FM) since 2012, and is going into her 10th year this April. She is also a published writer with the essay “Jibun-eno Gohoubi (How to Treat Myself)” (Gentosha Publishing) Miki lives in Tokyo with her husband and four beloved cats. Her husband and she run a small cafe in central Tokyo. She enjoys learning and practicing “Chanoyu” (the Japanese tea ceremony), dressing into and wearing Japanese kimonos, and loves coffee and good food.