Celebrity personality Riria forms a bridge between Okinawa and Taiwan

Celebrity personality Riria forms a bridge between Okinawa and Taiwan

“I want to become a bridge between Okinawa and Taiwan,” said Riria while visiting the Ryukyu Shimpo offices.


February 2, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Sanemichi Kinjo

Actress and on-screen personality Riria, who works in Taiwan and is a native of Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, recently visited the Ryukyu Shimpo offices to talk about being a celebrity in Taiwan and share her thoughts on Okinawa. “I want my work as an entertainer to become the bridge between Okinawa and Taiwan, and to strengthen the interactions between the two,” she said enthusiastically.

Riria was born in Tokyo, but raised on Ishigaki Island.

After graduating high school, she worked on mainland Japan for a time before going to Taiwan to study Chinese.

She was discovered by a scout while on campus at her university in Taipei, after which she appeared in her first commercial.

Since 2010, in addition to working as an actress and on-screen personality both on TV and in movies, she has also worked as an emcee, interpreter, and Japanese-language acting coach.

“Through a series of strange chances, I wound up appearing on TV.

I think I was able to introduce [Taiwan] to Okinawa as an on-screen personality, and was able to give some quiet PR for Okinawa as well,” she said smiling.

 

Since Riria was young, she has been a great cook.

Appearing in many cooking shows in Taiwan gave her the opportunity to release a recipe book that features Ryukyu dishes made with ingredients such as vegetables and fruits that can be bought in Taiwan titled, “Okinawan Recipes eaten by Japanese people to keep you looking young.”

“Ryukyu food is also popular in Taiwan. The book is a collection of pictures I took over a number of days of different types of dishes I made myself, including things like Taiwanese bitter gourd and grilled mince-meat and cheese,” she said.

 

This spring she will also release a guide for Taiwanese travelers visiting Okinawa that includes things like tips for preventing traffic accidents.

I am creating a travel guide for people traveling around the island by rental car.

It covers all of Okinawa, and introduces safe driving habits.”

 

Last July, she was also appointed the Taiwan international tourism adviser for Yaeyama.

Riria commented on the appointment saying, “There are a lot of Taiwanese who want to travel to Okinawa, but the number of Okinawans traveling to Taiwan is still small.

Taiwanese food is delicious, and the city and traditional culture is marvelous.

I want to stay active doing what I can to strengthen the interaction between Okinawa and Taiwan.”

 

(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)

 

Go to Japanese


　


Previous Article:
Next Article:

[Similar Articles]