Editor Note: Hamish has another in his series of Five Questions With…
Hamish came up with this idea because he was accumulating too much material for his Famous News Sushi column and asked if he could do these mini-interviews. Why would we say no?
Thank you Hamish for being such a trooper for us. We really appreciate all fo your hard work.
Let us know what you think of these interviews in the comments below.
TGG: Today, Janni Olsson is here to answer our five questions, so, can you please introduce yourself to our readers (and maybe what brought you to Japan)?
JO: Hello there! I’m an outdoor loving Swede who somehow ended up making the bustling city of Tokyo her home. (I kind of imagined that I would live out in the Scandinavian wilderness somewhere, but I guess I ended up as far away from that as I possible could have haha).
I first came to Japan over 10 years ago when my brother suddenly asked if I wanted to tag along. At that time, I hardly knew anything about Japan at all, but traveling around the country for 5 weeks, I fell in love with it and the people living here. That trip made such a big impression on me that I started to study Japanese when I went back home to Sweden. Fast forward about a decade and here I am living the dream.
TGG: Can you tell us a bit about your role in “The Benza” and what we can expect from episode 3 (no spoilers)?
JO: Alena is a mysterious character with a lot of secrets. Pay attention to what she is saying and see if you can figure it out. Also, there is a big scene with Inko sensei that really moves the plot forward. And pies. So many pies.
TGG: I hear that you are a bit of a Hot Spring Sommelier. What’s your favorite Hot Spring in Japan?
JO: That’s a quite difficult question! There are so many different types of hot springs in Japan and I have several favorites depending on what time of the year it is, and how I am feeling at the moment. Having said that, there’s this one hot spring that I fell completely in love with this winter, in an area called ”Zao onsen” in Yamagata. The name of the hot spring is ”Genshichiroten hot spring”.
”Genshichiroten” is an rotenburo (open air bath) with milky white water, sitting at the bottom of a slope surrounded by beautiful nature. When it gets dark, the surrounding forest is illuminated with a soft bluish color, making you feel like you are in some sort of dream landscape. Soaking in the hot water while watching the snow flakes slowly falling down is a sight I’ll never forget.
TGG: I hear your a reporter on NHK World. How did you get into that and what shows can we catch you on?
JO: When I first started out in this industry in Japan, I mostly did model and event jobs. After about two years I got the chance to do a report about tomatoes on a show called ”Trails to Tsukiji” (now called Trails to Oishii Tokyo). At the moment I had ZERO experience being a reporter, but the staff was so supportive, teaching me things as we went along. After that experience, I got completely hocked on working as a reporter, and I still get just as excited whenever I go on a report, all these years later.
You can mostly catch me on the show called ”Trails to Oishii Tokyo” but I sometimes appear on J-trip plan, Tokyo eye 2020 and Journeys in Japan as well!
Here’s Janni on “Trails to Oishii Tokyo: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/oishii/20190327/2054086/
TGG: Finally, how can we support you (follow you on social media, buy your stuff etc)?
JO: ”The Benza” being my first big acting job, has a very special place in my heart, so I’d love for you guys to go in and watch it online on Amazon Prime Video and give us reviews. More views and reviews gives us the chance to spread it to even more people! And hopefully make a season Two! (Now who wouldn’t want that!)
Instagram: @janni_olsson
Youtube: Janni’s Little Tokyo
Facebook: @OlssonJanni
Ameba: https://ameblo.jp/janniolsson/
Thanks for visiting. Let us know what you think.