by Julie Yamamoto | Australia Japan Society of Queensland Committee Member
I first met Chris in person around 2003. I had listened to him on the radio (in Nagoya) since 1995 and was already a huge fan. Not only did I admire him for his talent as a bilingual presenter but also for the way that he captured a huge, devoted audience. My Japanese friends often borrowed his catch phrase, “Domo, domo, domo”!!!
Chris and I were part of a small yet highly motivated group of volunteers for the Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Chubu (ANZCCJ-Chubu). Chris was our lead and I remember many meetings held in his tatami room with samurai armour and relics proudly displayed. We worked with Chris to support the Australian government in its many initiatives for the World Expo in Aichi in 2005.Chris’s energy knew no boundaries and he inspired the members of our group to embrace the bilateral relationship and to give back.
During my time with the ANZCCJ-Chubu, I got to know Chris well. Chris has an incredible passion for Japanese history, including samurai and castles. He is widely acknowledged in Japan as an expert in this field and often appears on television shows.
Chris has authored numerous books on samurai and castles. He is also an ambassador for tourism in the Chubu region and often called up by Governors in the region to provide advice on international engagement and promotion.
Chris is one of the busiest people I know but he has generously agreed to talk to the AJS-Q, it members and affiliates on the evening of Thursday 3 March.
Please click here to register for this event.
ABOUT CHRIS GLENN
Chris Glenn is a Nagoya based, Australian born radio DJ, TV Presenter, speaker, narrator, MC, author and historian. Born February 28, 1968, in Adelaide, South Australia, Chris first came to Japan in 1985 as a Rotary exchange student based in Sapporo. Upon his return to Australia, he made his professional radio DJ and copywriter debut at Australian radio station 5MU before being picked up by Adelaide City based stations 5DN, 102-FM and X102.
After working in the Australian radio industry for seven and a half years, he returned to Japan in 1992, working as a DJ at Tokyo radio station KTYO and as a copywriter at a foreign advertising agency before joining Nagoya’s ZIP-FM in 1993. From 1994 he was apprenticed to a traditional samurai armor craftsman, Ogawa Nobuo of Atsuta. He is the author of over six books on Japanese history, culture, castles and battles, published in both Japanese and English.
Apart from his regular radio work, Chris Glenn is often seen on Japanese TV, in commercials and as a presenter for various programs. He is regularly called on as a bilingual MC for international events for local and national government, and corporate events, as a presentation and motivational speaker, and as a consultant for international PR and marketing projects. He can be seen on TV internationally as host of the NHK World TV series Ninja Truth (also available Online) and other international programs.
As an inbound tourism advisor, he serves on various local, regional and national government agency and promotional boards. He provides consulting services for the development, marketing and promotion of local destinations, and for improving the environment in order to cater for foreign visitors to Japan. Other duties include writing and supervising of English websites, pamphlets, signage and other information tools. He contributes articles on Japanese history for a variety of newspapers, magazines, web sites and periodicals.
Chris is also the Sekigahara Tourism Ambassador, the Nagoya Tourism and Cultural Exchange Ambassador, and the Omi Tourism Ambassador. He often provides lectures, talk shows and guided tours in Japanese for Japanese audiences on history and culture, and provides similar services in English for foreign visitors and Japan events.
He is a CASA, JCAB and FAA licensed helicopter pilot, collects samurai armour and weapons, researches samurai culture and castles and often collaborates with many experts in these fields.