Izumi Hasegawa

Rev. Izumi Hasegawa was born and raised in the Izumo region, Japan. Her family has been taking care of Shusse Inari Jinja Shinto Shrine, which has over 800 years of history. After receiving a Shinto priest certification, she moved to the U.S. She has been running the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari (ShintoInari.org) in America to introduce Japanese traditional eco-conscious lifestyle and customs to English speakers, as well as the 501(c)(3) non-profit Japan Tsunami Aid to support victims of the 2011 tragedy. She is a sight-seeing ambassador of her hometown Shimane Prefecture and Matsue City, and created a Japanese mythology website to help English-speakers plan their travels to the region (www. Japanesemythology.jp). Rev. Hasegawa has worked as a cultural advisor and Shinto consultant for the Amazon series "The Man in the High Castle." As a Shinto priest, she has appeared on BBC Radio, The History Channel's "Ancient Aliens," and podcast radio 99% Invisible's "Return of the Yokai." Rev. Hasegawa has also been working as a film and TV journalist in Hollywood. She received the International Journalism Columnist or Critic award from the Los Angeles Press Club for her coverage of "Battlestar Galactica." She has interviewed and photographed a cumulative total of over 5000 celebrities, including Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, Jackie Chan, and more. She owns and operates Hollywood News Wire Inc.