Maho Tachibana of Koreatown on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Maho Tachibana shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Maho , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I was able to obtain an O-1 artist visa.
Although it’s often said that getting an O-1 visa is very difficult these days, mine was officially approved.
I’m truly proud of my journey and of myself for all the hard work I’ve put in to get here.
I’m so happy that I can now pursue my career as an actor in the United States without restrictions.
And above all, what made me happiest was being able to share this news first with the person who means the most to me.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a Japanese actress currently working in the United States.
Since childhood, I have trained in traditional Japanese dance and karate.
Recently, I performed a sword-fighting showcase at the OC Japan Fair.
In Japan, I also performed as an idol-style dancer, doing cosplay and dance performances inspired by anime and pop culture.
Through traditional Japanese dance, karate, sword fighting, and anime, I hope to share and promote both the timeless traditions and the fun, vibrant aspects of Japanese culture with audiences in the United States.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I went to an elementary school in Fukuoka, and my class was a bit rough. There was some bullying too.
When I was in third grade, the bullying started targeting me, and I remember feeling like I didn’t want to go to school.
I talked to my dad about it.
I thought he would either comfort me by saying, “Poor thing,” or maybe say, “Do you want your dad to go deal with them?”
But instead, he said:
“Maho, become a woman who doesn’t die even if she’s killed.”
It was so unexpected that I was shocked, but somehow I thought it sounded really cool.
From the next day, I felt stronger and was able to go to school without worrying about it.
I think the reason I became strong is because of that one thing my dad said back then.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
To myself—
Because you were hurt so many times, shed so many tears, and overcame so much pain, I am now able to understand other people’s pain and become a person with both strength and kindness.
Thank you.
There were moments when you felt like you might be crushed by guilt, weren’t there?
But your actions were the very best you could do at that time—100 out of 100.
Forgive everything, and let it all go.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Whenever I’m in front of people, no matter how tired I am or how down I feel, I try not to show it.
That’s because I want to empower the people I meet.
I want them to feel inspired and receive a positive influence.
So, I present my most powerful self. After all, I am an actress.
And the strange thing is, by acting this way, I actually start to feel energized myself.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Death will come to all of us.
That is exactly why being aware of death pushes me to deeply question how I should live right now.
After I’m gone, I hope the world will be a better place.
Through my acting, my work, and my performances, I want to bring light to the hearts of those who remain.
Even after my death, I strongly wish to be someone who can help save another person’s

Contact Info:

• Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm13967671/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk&fbclid=PAT01DUAO3NttleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAadUTIAv9Eiyzrzm55UYos9zigV9E2stUJ0uLgeBsj-JHlHz-2A1_rWtxqKZTg_aem_TS6NmtUoq8MMGXWI1WBeKg
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tachibana.maho
• Twitter: https://x.com/tachibana_maho
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tachibana.maho
• Other: Wikipedia
  https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fja.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F%25E7%25AB%258B%25E8%258A%25B1%25E3%2581%25BE%25E3%2581%25BB%3Ffbclid%3DPAT01DUAO3NuhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAadmgQ0NEoJtqlZUMB_pBy6OgM4bnPLKlYvPxWnLPCe_eORX-GyJ3XhFI8E94Q_aem_j6YCOm79m45hyZZGK_hqhw&e=AT2CubSAisJ-STHMRNPfrcbFHFhxnC9_w7k093I_KIEHvA5IHNtY6Q9nifTHjVu4zERhPr8tWRfi8iGjEyFk9zWwrpxABnY2bHpnXORC2Ropqg6RbVy2kl8IO2ySuWFwd6YZfJWvIFxs61LpJg

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Image Credits
1 Oiran Parade
2 karate
3 sword fighting performance
4 cosplay
5 movie main role
6 The money shot with team