Draft:Rui Yoshida (Writer)

Rui Yoshida（born 01 June 1949） is a Japanese writer.

Often introduced using the title "Pub poet", he is known for activities as an izakaya explorer, resulting in several tv shows, 北海道港町めぐり (Hokkaidou Minatomachi Meguri) and 吉田類の北海道ぶらり街めぐり (Yoshida Rui no Hokkaidou Burari Machimeguri), two shows focused on exploring Hokkaidos port towns accompagnied by various HBC presenters, as well as his more well known show 吉田類の酒場放浪記 (Yoshida Rui no Sakaba Hourouki), where he explores izakayas in the capital region of Japan.

Additionally he is active as an illustrator and haiku poet.

The name "Rui" is a nickname. He is from the town of Niyodo (now part of Niyodogawa) in the Agawa district of the Kochi prefecture.

Personal life
He lost his father when he was three years old. He began learning to paint when he was in elementary school, where he also first started composing haikus. After graduating from elementary school, he moved to Kyoto, a city he had long been attracted to, where he spent his junior and senior high school years. After that he travelled to places like New York and Europe while studying painting, and spent a 10 year period as a surreal art painter, while based in Paris. In his mid-30s, he moved back to Japan and became an illustrator. Since the 1990s, he has been writing about bars and travel, and also organizes a haiku lovers' group called "Funa" (舟, meaning boat). He also enjoys mountaineering and often climbs mountains for TV projects. He is single and lives alone. He is the Kochi Prefecture Tourism Special Envoy and the Niyodogawa Town Tourism Special Envoy.


 * 『One Scotch,One Burbon,One Beer』（ポリスター、2016年7月18日、XQJX-9001）