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Outlook: Japan’s Forgotten Country Music Star

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Tomi Fujiyama

16/09/2015 GMT

Japan’s Forgotten Country Music Star

BBC World Service - Outlook, Japan’s Forgotten Country Music Star

Tomi Fujiyama, Japan's first female country music star

Tomi Fujiyama made her name singing American country music in the 60s, even playing alongside Johnny Cash at the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

In the 1960s Tomi Fujiyama made her name singing American country music - a very rare thing for a young Japanese woman to do. She even realised the dream of country singers all over the world when, in 1964, she played alongside Johnny Cash at the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. But instead of her career going from strength to strength, Tomi's success was not recognised in Japan and she ended up giving up music. But many years later she took up her guitar again and set out to realise her dream of playing the Opry one more time.  

Artist and sculptor Carolina Galaz is best known for the work she does with seriously ill and vulnerable children in Chile. Her students call her "la caracola" or "the shell". One of her most famous exhibitions involved lots of different brightly coloured sculptures made out of recycled hospital materials which she helped her students to make. Our reporter Jane Chambers went to meet Carolina and some of the children she has helped at a hospital in Santiago.
   
Shelby Holmes is only the second person from a travelling showman community in Britain to go to the elite Oxford University. After growing up on the road with the family fairground business, she has spent the last three years studying for an English Literature degree. Now she is taking a break from university and is currently back working on the fairground circuit with her parents in order to save money for her masters degree.

As a nation, the Dutch are the tallest people in the world. But even among his countrymen Rob Bruintjes stands out. He is 2.21 metres, or 7ft 4" tall. Our reporter, John Laurenson - a mere five foot nine inches in height - went to meet Rob at his home outside Amsterdam.

(Picture: Tomi Fujiyama. Credit: Michael Weintrob)

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