1) Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I moved to Japan to flee family expectations, and also to chase a guy.
I first arrived in 1985 to study at Doshisha for a year, where I met the Kyoto native who would much later become my husband. He wasn’t the reason I came in the first place, but he’s definitely why I kept coming back.The family stuff was pretty mundane: I loved my parents very much, and basically got along well with them, but my mother had wanted me to be a lawyer, and she never quite understood my choice to go to journalism school instead of law school. Putting thousands of miles between myself and my family (particularly in the Dark Ages before the Internet, when phone calls were pricey and my primary means of keeping in touch was the letter) allowed me to start adult life on my own terms.
2) How did you get into working for Reuters?
I was one of those starry-eyed idealists who wanted not only to concentrate on the craft of writing, but to give a voice to the voiceless, shine a light in dark corners, and work tirelessly & objectively to relay the truth to all corners of the world. Reuters and Dow Jones (where I worked before Reuters) are both reputable news agencies with long histories, and I was grateful to have had the chance to play my small roles at both.
3) What are the main attributes needed for work at Reuters?
Wire reporting requires writing quickly, tightly and accurately under daily deadline pressure. A commitment to news is helpful (see my answer to #2), as is an ability to churn out copy with the intensity of a gerbil spinning on an exercise wheel, while trying not to spiral into despair at the thought that most reporters will be replaced by artificial intelligence sooner than we think.
4) What are the plus points and minus points of working for Reuters?
I can’t understate how wonderful it was to work with so many truly brilliant colleagues over the decades. Other plus points included a steady paycheck, and the knowledge that people were actually reading what I wrote. The minuses….well, the main one is that overall, the news model is changing, and traditional reporting jobs are disappearing. It ‘s like a big game of musical chairs, and there just aren’t enough seats when the music stops.
5) What other writing have you done?
I’ve been writing all kinds of things ever since I learned to write! I have a stack of unpublished fiction that I wrote just for fun, but never thought of publishing because I was so focused on telling the truth for a living.
6) What are your plans for the future?
I can imagine living year round in our little Kyoto house someday, hiking in the mountains, writing, reading, tending the garden and cooking meals for visiting friends & family. But since my life has never unfolded exactly as I planned it, I will honestly say that I don’t know.
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