(Photograph courtesy of Ryuji Sasaki)

Mikio Oshima has worked in circus for decades. He got his start as a bear caretaker for a Russian circus. Nowadays, he works as a producer for After Cloudy Company (est. 1984 by mentor Keiichi Nishida). He says their company name serves him well when he travels and hands out his business card, because people always ask, “After cloudy, will it be sunny?”

Although Mikio Oshima comes from a traditional circus background, he is open to the artistic changes he sees occurring in his industry. He is a curious and receptive man, always looking for ways to connect with other cultures and ideas as a means to improve his understanding of the circus industry. When he isn’t producing circus shows, he is a historian and writer, having written 5 books on circus related topics. I spoke with Mr. Oshima about his origins in the circus world, his work and his hopes and dreams for the future of Japanese circus.