Tony R.

Vega

Legally Blind Japan Explorer, Speaker, Content Creator

Legally blind creator exploring Japan and beyond through language, culture, and ambitious challenges.

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Tony Dot Vega at Nihonbashi in Tokyo on day 29 of the Tokaido Challenge. Taken on October 19 after walking 500 km from Kyoto to Tokyo along the Tokaido Road.

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The Basics

About

I am a visually impaired, Japan-focused creator and public speaker exploring language, culture, and challenge-driven storytelling. My work combines long-distance travel projects in Japan with bilingual media and public speaking.

Highlights:

  • Creator of the Blind Japan Project, a series of long-distance Japan travel challenges.
  • Creator and host of the Japan Station podcast.
  • Creator of The Anime Linguist, a YouTube channel focused on anime, Japanese language, and localization.
  • Invited to speak at corporate and community organizations including Rakuten Total Solutions, Hawaii Association of the Blind, and Shikakushougaisha Life Design Hub.
  • Featured guest on podcasts and media interviews focused on Japan, travel, disability awareness, and accessibility.
  • Japanese-language appearances across television, radio, podcasts, and online media.
  • MC, host, and interpreter for NTV Wands (Nippon TV subsidiary) (2024–2025), including interpretation for artist Yoshitaka Amano.
  • Creator and producer of Transmissions from Hawaii, an NPR-style narrative podcast featuring original research, scripting, and audio design; independently produced with corporate sponsorship and distributed across major podcast platforms and YouTube.
  • Editor-in-Chief at Wasabi Magazine (2017–2022), leading editorial direction, writing articles, and conducting interviews with Olympians, professional athletes (including Kei Nishikori), chefs, musicians (including Crystal Kay), and cultural figures.
  • Creator, producer, and host of the Japanese-language podcast and YouTube show NFT Nippon (later renamed Money Bakudan), which was the top Japanese-language NFT-focused podcast on Apple Podcasts Japan at its peak.
  • Consultant for Japanese digital artists and web3 creators, focused on content strategy and audience development.
  • Advisor for a digital art project by Spora, the company behind the popular rugby mascot Ragamaru-kun.
  • Founder and writer at JapanKyo.com, with articles referenced by international media outlets including Newsweek, VICE, and The Sun.

Education & Teaching:

  • MA in Japanese Language and Linguistics, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
  • English language instructor in Kobe, Japan (JET Programme)
  • Japanese language instructor in Miami, teaching children.

 

For speaking engagements, interviews, and media collaborations, please get in touch.

Tony R. Vega

SERVICES

Contact me if you need any of the following services.

  • Writing/editing
    • I have extensive experience writing articles for both magazines and online media. Also extensive experience as an editor
  • Translation/interpretation
    • Japanese to English and Spanish to English/English Spanish
  • Public speaking
    • I am available for in-person and remote speaking engagements on topics such as vision loss, overcoming adversity, Japanese culture & language, web 3.0, and more
  • Interviews
    • I have been conducting interviews professionally since 2016
  • Web 3.0 Marketing/Advising/Consultations
    • I have helped numerous web 3.0 projects and artists since 2021. I have also sucessfully launched my own projects
  •  Hosting
    • I have hundreds of hours of experience hosting both audio and video podcasts in both English and Japanese
CONTACT

Check Out JapanKyo

All my English-language Japan-focused conent, including videos from The Anime Linguist YouTube channel and episodes of the Japan Station podcast can be found on JapanKyo.com.

Tony Dot Vega at Nihonbashi in Tokyo on day 29 of the Tokaido Challenge. Taken on October 19 after walking 500 km from Kyoto to Tokyo along the Tokaido Road.

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