Esumi Makiko

Just returned from a business trip to Japan.

I always like to think I am not American centric but sometimes I find despite my extensive global travels these past 30 plus years I still have to guard against biases I hold based on experiences uniquely American.

Case in point.

On this trip with a business colleague (who is fast becoming a friend as well), I participated in multiple meetings with a lot of significant players in Japanese businesses.

During one very special afternoon meeting I found myself being ushered into an absolutely breath taking private home of one of the more powerful CEO's in Japan.

Now just as a brief aside and prelude I have in the past been critical of what I see as America's continuing love affair with celebrities. 

Having met a few A list "celebrities" over my career I have never been overly impressed with their celebrity status and in all but a very few instances found the "particular" celebrity "to be grossly egocentric to overtly narcissistic", largely uninformed about the particular subject to which they had been invited to appear to discuss, support, or promote or whatever, and finally basically largely only animated when discussing themselves or preparing for a photo op. 

So, when I was informed that during this meeting I would be meeting Japan's number 1 TV and movie star I immediately inwardly prepared for another "American" celebrity experience.

I could not have been more mistaken. 

I was introduced to a charming and beautiful woman named Esumi Mikko. 

During a lively and spirited discussion amongst some very impressive individuals over a two and one-hour period, she was self-effacing, genuinely interested, and extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter, deeply concerned about the environment and living creatures other than humans, and in short, the polar opposite of the celebrity experiences I have most often encountered in my past. 

I had brought as a gift copies of my book "Under Cover" and shared with her some of my experiences and controversies.

                                  

She in turn discussed a wide variety of personal opinions and views and in particular told of a sad personal encounter she had experienced personally years earlier in Kalimantan, Indonesia where she witnessed the destruction of the forests and the displacement of the creatures that lived there. You could see the experience still viscerally affected her. 

I have always been more interested in meeting what I designate as "true characters" as juxtaposed against celebrities or star types. And given my limited American view of the world of stars and celebrities in the USA I had developed the opinion one could not be both.

Yet in this instance I found that Japan's truly number 1, most recognizable and famous star and celebrity was not only charming, closely, and intelligent, but quite a character, which is for me, my highest compliment. 

And on top of all of that she liked my book. Go figure ! :-) 
                                

You can look Esumi Makiko up on Wikipedia as her bio and background is far too extensive for me to reprint here. Her list of TV and movie roles is impressive and her awards and recognitions far too long for me to reproduce in this blog. 

I will reprint the opening paragraph from Wikipedia which goes as follows:

Makiko Esumi ( Esumi Makiko) nee Makiko Hirano ( Hirano Makiko, born 18 December 1966 in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese model. actress, writer, essayist, and lyricist. Esumi is best known for her role as Chinatsu Tsuboi in the Japanese television drama series, Shomuni. 

(her additional background and list of accomplishments covers two more pages)