It always feels good to find an inspiring story.
I did so when I read Miss World Japan looks for U.S. granddad by Yoshino Matsui (Japan Times, September 24).
The article notes that her quest for the crown is about more than glitter "for 21-year-old Elza Sasaki, Japan's
representative for the Miss World contest in December, winning the
beauty pageant is not just about opening doors to achieve her childhood
dream of becoming a super model, but also about generating media
exposure to help her find her long-lost American grandfather."
Her grandmother "76-year-old Chiyoko Inafuku" says that her then American boyfriend, Tom Snell, "was Jewish and his hometown was in Ohio.
With brown eyes and brown hair, Snell was a little skinny but "a
handsome man who looked like Jiro Tamiya," Inafuku said with a smile,
referring to the late Japanese actor". She thinks he was born in 1928 (the year of the dragon).
Here's a picture of the charming man below (from the Japan Times piece).
Hopefully these 3 women, Elza Sasaki, grandmother Chiyoko Inafuku and mother Tammy Sasaki will get an answer to their quest.
Think positive, lending a small hand for Tokyo Thursdays # 106
Previously:
Warm Hearted Money Presents, French Spirit meets Japanese Tradition with Maïa Maniglier