Model, Blogger And Musician Samantha Mariko

Hi Samantha thank you for taking the time to answer our questions on SimplySxy.  Please share with our readers a little about yourself and where you’re from?

It’s my pleasure. I’m a half-Japanese, half-American model, blogger and musician from southern California currently located in Tokyo, Japan. I actually didn’t think I would become a model or even work and live in Japan when I was still in school – I’ve studied classical piano until I graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Piano Performance.

But during my last few years in college, I luckily had some modeling opportunities, which kind of sparked the idea. I wanted to try something different, and put myself in a completely different environment. I moved to Tokyo the same year I graduated, and I’ve been here since.

Photo: Lasse Kusk

How do you manage to juggle your blog, modeling and music?

I think the reason why it’s possible is because I love doing them all. My blog especially takes a lot of work, but I’m really fortunate that I’ve had so many people be willing to take part in my blog, which is the reason why it’s grown so much. I couldn’t have done it myself. In terms of music, it’s not really constant at the moment but I have some upcoming projects that I am excited about.

Can you describe a typical day for yourself?

Every day is different for me so I don’t really have a “typical” day… I do make sure I have a healthy breakfast to start my day while I watch the morning news. I’ll check my blog and social media, get ready for my day, maybe run errands… sometimes if I have a shoot, it might be an all day, all night thing. Sometimes I’ll go to an event or party, sometimes I’ll work on my blog and create content for it. I actually do a lot of odd jobs so it depends on the day.

What inspires you?

Music always inspires me. It moves me, it heals me… it’s empowering. I’m glad I’ve had music by my side my entire life. If you were to ask who inspires me, I’d have to say my mother. While I do what I do for myself, as selfish as it seems, I also do all that I do for her because I want to make her proud. When there are times where I just can’t lift my head up, she’s the one that lifts me so I can start over again.

Which is the biggest compliment you have received?

That I look like Cleopatra (laughs).

If you could have one chance to look into the future, what will you want to know?

If I will have any children. I’m seriously getting worried if I’ll even get married!

Photo: Lasse Kusk

How is the dating scene different in California as compared to Tokyo? 

Hmmm, in my experience, quite different. When I was dating guys in the States, it was never difficult to express my feelings, to say, “I love you.” I dated one Japanese guy since moving to Tokyo and wow, what a difference! Sometimes, I couldn’t even read his mind, and even if I said, “I love you,” he would barely reciprocate in the way I was used to. His excuse was he wasn’t accustomed to the “American” way of dating. It was very frustrating 90% of the time to be honest.

What do you find most attractive about the opposite sex?

Kindness.

Photo: Viktor Farkas

It’s a pleasure to feature you Samantha. One question before we end, how do you define “sexy”? 

One word: Confidence

Follow the beautiful Samantha Mariko on:
Blog: www.samanthamariko.com
Instagram: @samanthamariko

Twitter: @samantha_mariko

Featured image courtesy of Rhino Lee

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