Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi (小林 尊, Kobayashi Takeru; born March 15, 1978) is a Japanese former competitive eater.…Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi (小林 尊, Kobayashi Takeru; born March 15, 1978) is a Japanese former competitive eater. Described as "the godfather of competitive eating", he is a six-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion and widely credited with popularizing the sport.
Kazuhiko Gomi (born October 31, 1967), also known as Gomi or DJ Gomi, is a Japanese record producer and songwriter…Kazuhiko Gomi (born October 31, 1967), also known as Gomi or DJ Gomi, is a Japanese record producer and songwriter, based in New York.
Hisao Katō (加藤 久雄, Katou Hisao) (born November 8, 1942) is a Japanese politician, and the current mayor of the city of…Hisao Katō (加藤 久雄, Katou Hisao) (born November 8, 1942) is a Japanese politician, and the current mayor of the city of Nagano, the capital of Nagano Prefecture, in central Japan. Katō won his first mayoral election, as an independent, on October 27, 2013, winning 56,424 votes compared to 34,656 for the second-place finisher. On October 29, 2017, Katō was reelected to a second term, winning 69,778 votes. In his second election, he was backed by the LDP, Komeito, and the DP. Katō graduated from Nagano Prefectural Nagano Senior High School in 1961. He then graduated from the Department of Political Economy and Economics at Waseda University in 1965. He worked for several corporations before becoming Chairman of the Nagano Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2007. In 2009, he became director of Shinano Railway. As mayor, Katō led the city government in providing a one billion yen investment in the University of Nagano, a prefectural university that opened in the city of Nagano in 2018. One of Kato's stated reasons for supporting the prefectural university is to encourage university young people to remain in the prefecture after graduating. Katō, as Mayor of Nagano, and his counterpart in the nearby City of Matsumoto, supported a proposal from the Japan Gerontological Society to redefine the age of senior citizens from 65 years to 75 years or older. Katō stated that senior citizens "have more physical and mental stamina than before".
Tasuku Tsukada (塚田 佐, Tsukada Tasuku; March 3, 1936 – February 22, 2023) was a Japanese politician, and past mayor of…Tasuku Tsukada (塚田 佐, Tsukada Tasuku; March 3, 1936 – February 22, 2023) was a Japanese politician, and past mayor of the city of Nagano, the capital of Nagano Prefecture, in central Japan. Tsukada won his first mayoral contest in 1985. He served four full 4-year terms, until November 10, 2001. In 1997, Tsukada served as the Vice President of the Japan Association of City Mayors. Tsukada graduated from Nagano Prefectural Nagano Senior High School (長野県長野高等学校, Nagano ken Nagano kōtō gakkō) (which was called Nagano North High School (長野北高校, Nagano kita kōkō) at the time). He then graduated from the School of Commerce at Waseda University in 1958. From 1967, he served on the Nagano City Council, and from 1975 until 1985, he served in the Nagano Prefectural Assembly. He was elected mayor in 1985 in his first candidacy. In addition, he served as chairman of the Nagano City-Hokuriku Shinkansen Liaison Council. Tsukada retired from municipal politics in 2001. Following retirement from politics, Tsukada served as an auditor at Nagano Jidosha Center, and from 2007 an external auditor at Moriya Corporation in Nagano. Tsukada died on February 22, 2023, at the age of 86.
Kazuo Yamagishi (1934-2015) was a Japanese chef, who is known for inventing the tsukemen dish. He was born in Nagano…Kazuo Yamagishi (1934-2015) was a Japanese chef, who is known for inventing the tsukemen dish. He was born in Nagano Prefecture, and came upon the idea of Tsukemen at the age of 17 after seeing a co-worker eating noodles dipped in a soup bowl. In 1961, he added tsukemen, then named "special morisoba", to his Taishoken restaurant. The 2013 documentary The God of Ramen, follows 13 years in his life.
Takashi Miyahara (宮原 巍, Miyahara Takashi; 1934 – November 24, 2019) was a Japanese-born Nepalese tourism entrepreneur…Takashi Miyahara (宮原 巍, Miyahara Takashi; 1934 – November 24, 2019) was a Japanese-born Nepalese tourism entrepreneur and politician. Miyahara was born in Nagano, Japan, and obtained a bachelor's degree in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering from Nihon University, Tokyo. When he moved to Nepal, he began working for the Department of Cottage Industry of Nepal. Miyahara was the chairman of the boards of Himalaya Hotel in Kathmandu and Trans Himalaya Treks. Miyahara founded Trans Himalaya Tours in 1968 and a Japanese sister company, Himalaya Kanko Kitatsu, in 1969. The following year, he founded Trans Himalayan Trekking. In 2006, Miyahara founded the Nepal Rastriya Bikas Party. He became a citizen of Nepal in order to be able to work politically. At the 2008 election of the Nepalese Constituent Assembly, none of the candidates won the seat. He died on November 24, 2019, in Nepal. Miyahara lived over 40 years in Nepal.
Toshifumi Suzuki (鈴木 敏文, Suzuki Toshifumi; 1 December 1932 – 18 May 2026) was a Japanese businessman best known as the…Toshifumi Suzuki (鈴木 敏文, Suzuki Toshifumi; 1 December 1932 – 18 May 2026) was a Japanese businessman best known as the founder of Seven-Eleven Japan and widely regarded as the father of Japan’s convenience store industry. He was known as an innovator who introduced many features now considered a staple of the Japanese convenience store, such as in-store banking, ready-to-eat meals, fresh-brewed coffee and a data-driven business model. Suzuki had been a businessman since the early 1970s, during which he brought the 7-Eleven franchise to Japan, and was the acting chairperson before his promotion to CEO and president.
Shinji Takahashi (高橋 信次; 1927–1976) was a Japanese religious leader, writer and founder of GLA, a religious…Shinji Takahashi (高橋 信次; 1927–1976) was a Japanese religious leader, writer and founder of GLA, a religious organization established in Japan in 1969. Takahashi taught that the essential nature of human beings is the soul.He further asserted that life is sustained by a transcendent divine existence that surpasses human intellect, and that individuals are born with the purpose of establishing themselves and contributing to the harmony of the world.
Minoru Shirota (代田 稔, Shirota Minoru; 23 April 1899 – 10 March 1982) was a Japanese microbiologist who made pioneering…Minoru Shirota (代田 稔, Shirota Minoru; 23 April 1899 – 10 March 1982) was a Japanese microbiologist who made pioneering research on gut microbiota and developed the first commercial probiotic. In the 1930, he identified a strain of lactic acid bacteria that is part of normal gut flora that he originally called Lactobacillus casei Shirota, which appeared to help contain the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut. The species was later reclassified as Lactobacillus paracasei. Using his novel bacterium, Shirota produced the first probiotic yogurt, named Yakult in 1935. The commercial success of the beverage led to the establishment of the company Yakult Honsha and its subsidiary research organisation Yakult Central Institute in 1935.
Keita Gotō (五島 慶太, Gotō Keita; 18 April 1882 – 14 August 1959) was a Japanese businessman, politician and educator, who…Keita Gotō (五島 慶太, Gotō Keita; 18 April 1882 – 14 August 1959) was a Japanese businessman, politician and educator, who built the Tokyu Group into one of the leading corporate groups in Japan. He briefly served as Minister of Transportation and Communications in 1944. Prior to his business career, he worked as a government official in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Transport. He founded the Tōyoko Commercial Girls' School and the Gotō Ikueikai. He is also the founder of Toei.
Aizō Sōma (相馬愛蔵, Sōma Aizō; November 8, 1870 – February 14, 1954) was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, patron of the…Aizō Sōma (相馬愛蔵, Sōma Aizō; November 8, 1870 – February 14, 1954) was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, patron of the arts, and advocate of Pan-Asianism in the Empire of Japan. He is known as the founder of Nakamura-ya, a noted bakery in Tokyo.
Shunji Igarashi (五十嵐 隼士, Igarashi Shunji; born August 7, 1986) is a Japanese entrepreneur and former actor known for…Shunji Igarashi (五十嵐 隼士, Igarashi Shunji; born August 7, 1986) is a Japanese entrepreneur and former actor known for his role as Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius in the 2006-2007 tokusatsu series Ultraman Mebius and several spin-offs in the Ultra Series following that. Igarashi was affiliated with the acting unit D-BOYS, produced by Watanabe Entertainment.
Kaichi Watanabe (渡邊 嘉一, Watanabe Kaichi; 22 March 1858 – 4 December 1932) was a Japanese engineer who studied and…Kaichi Watanabe (渡邊 嘉一, Watanabe Kaichi; 22 March 1858 – 4 December 1932) was a Japanese engineer who studied and worked in Scotland, United Kingdom during the 1880s. He was one of the first Japanese engineers who came to study in the UK. He is best known for his work with Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker in cantilever bridge construction, notably on the Forth Bridge. Watanabe studied under Henry Dyer, the Scottish engineer associated with technical education in Japan. After obtaining a degree from the Faculty of Technology of the University of Tokyo, he studied at the University of Glasgow from 1885 and graduated with a Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Science degree, and worked as a construction foreman on the Forth Bridge, which crossed the Firth of Forth in eastern Scotland in 1890. Watanabe's image became well known in the 1887 photograph illustrating the cantilever principle, in which he poses with Fowler and Baker, suspended between the engineers who form a cantilever structure with their arms. Watanabe returned to Japan in 1888, where he became the chief engineer of the Nippon Doboku Company. He then worked at a number of other companies, including the Hokuestsu Railway Company. He was president of the Sangu Railway Company, Keio Electric Tramway, the Ishikawajima shipyard in Tokyo, and the Kansai Gas company. Conductor Takashi Asahina was the illegitimate son of Watanabe.
