TFS#227 - Lynne Karina, Olympian Turned Actor and Japanese Travel Influencer

Lynne Karina Hutchison is a British
rhythmic gymnast turned actor. She competed for Team GB
at the 2012 London Olympics and won bronze at the 2010
Commonwealth Games. After retiring from gymnastics, she trained
at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and now works as
an actor, dancer, and model, sharing her work on Instagram.


Connect with Lynne!


https://www.instagram.com/thejapanstagram


https://www.instagram.com/lynnekarinahutch


https://www.tiktok.com/@thejapanstagram


https://www.youtube.com/@thejapanstagram


0:00 - Introduction


1:00 - Meet Lynne Karina


1:56 - Lynne talks about her upbringing


2:44 - Lynne shares her main focus


4:26 - Lynne discusses her work at tourism companies in Japan


6:33 - Lynne's experience as a media member at the Olympic
Channel during the Paris Olympics


8:04 - Lynne met celebrities and pro athletes at the Paris
Olympics, including Simone Biles


8:38 - How she transitioned from gymnastics to acting and dancing


10:06 - How her high school schedule was unusual because of her
gymnastics training


11:20 - Competing in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2010
Commonwealth Games in India


11:45 - Lynne's Olympics experience


13:08 - Lynne talks about her brother's jiu-jitsu career


15:22 - How she visits her brother every time she goes to Japan


16:08 - Desire to live in Japan someday


17:19 - Travel experiences in Japan and where she wants to live
in the future


18:20 - Why she wants to live in Tokyo, Japan, in the future


19:53 - Personality in Japan versus in the UK


21:15 - Japan's unique culture


22:24 - Japan’s financial/population crisis and current economy


23:32 - How Japanese culture influences people in London and
around the world


24:50 - Itinerary and work schedule while in Japan


26:38 - Acting and dance class experiences in Japan


27:29 - Experience and challenges with the Japanese language


29:28 - Being perceived as a foreigner in Japan despite her
heritage


31:42 - How locals perceive foreigners across different parts of
Asia


34:16 - Why Tokyoites are serious while Osakans are chill and
friendly


36:38 - Mental health and self-expression in Japan


39:24 - Andy shares his experience with Japanese people not
answering questions directly


41:45 - Daily life in Japan


42:21 - Eating out in Japan is more affordable than buying
groceries


43:38 - Eating and grocery habits in Japan


45:10 - Typical Japanese home-cooked meals


47:25 - Experiences with haircuts in Japan and the UK


48:23 - What led her to keep returning to Japan


49:39 - Why it's important to stay aware of your surroundings in
big cities in the UK and other countries


51:09 - Raising kids in Japan versus in the UK


52:43 - Cons of raising kids in Japan


54:15 - How her Instagram grew from a fun hobby to professional
content creation


55:52 - What catalyzed her to start her Japan Instagram account


57:15 - How she started receiving inbound requests for paid gigs
on her Instagram account


59:09 - Why she doesn’t care about using a 3-second hook in her
IG


59:54 - How an overly rigid itinerary can make your Japan trip
less enjoyable


1:01:47 - How she built an engaged community on Instagram through
story interactions


1:03:48 - How she creates her Instagram stories to engage with
her community


1:06:10 - What takes up most of her time in her work as a
freelancer


1:07:04 - Recent life discoveries


1:08:24 - Career journey in acting and dance


1:09:18 - How Lynne’s gymnastics background helped with her
acting foundation


1:10:40 - How she became more quirky after starting her acting
career


1:12:06 - Is being half-Asian an advantage or disadvantage in the
acting industry?


1:13:55 - Goal for the next 6 months


1:15:27 - How she has made a diverse group of friends worldwide


1:16:37 - Determination to be part of a movie that people will
love to watch


1:17:41 - How watching La La Land in concert further inspired her
acting career


1:18:55 - Connect with Lynne!


1:19:43 - Outro