Has Living Abroad in Japan Changed Me?
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- After living abroad in Japan for several years, I reflect on when I feel more "Japanese" versus "American".
This isn't a scientific analysis, it’s general, but it's interesting to see how living abroad can affect the way you see the world.
For reference, I'm a 4th generation Japanese-American who grew up in the US.
CHAPTERS
Intro: 0:00
Reflecting on daily life: 2:15
Reflecting on fun and entertainment: 5:05
Reflecting on grown-up life: 8:43
An overview of how I see the US and Japan: 11:46
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#livinginjapan #livingabroad #japaneseamerican
Howzit Barret, good to see a bradah from Hawaii doing good things in a foreign country like Japan. Your thoughts on the video are very similar to mines. When it comes to music, actually Im kind of in the middle, when I came back from living in Japan, I started listening and watching KPOP and JPOP more. In America, the music especially the music videos are hypersexualized depending who the artist is. I became so disgusted with American music in general. I enjoy watching KPOP and JPOP videos more cause you dont have to sell sex to get views or to make money. As a local boy from Hawaii as well (Kalihi Represent!!!) spending one year, I still carry Japan with me. Im more hygienic especially when it comes to people, its noisy and loud in America, I get bothered at work when people are taking personal calls next to me, I get irked when people are inconsiderate, I still find it weird why I have to tip the waiters when taking orders and bringing my order to me when its part of their job, I hate driving especially traffic let alone owning a car, Its expensive to maintain it. I also miss the affordable cost of living in Japan vs Hawaii, how much more expensive can Hawaii get everyone is getting priced out. One thing I want to highlight is that I really miss feeling safe, here in America let alone Hawaii, I always have to watch my shoulder and where I put my things. How can a tiny island like Hawaii get so much crime? In Japan, I didnt worry about feeling safe. At first, feeling safe was strange in Japan, but I loved it eventually. I felt safe everywhere I went no matter what time it was. It also helped too since the Kobans where close to where I lived. My reverse cultural shock was bad when I came back to Hawaii. No one but my wife (Japanese National) could understand me. Even when I tried to explain it to them it was hard for them understand lol. Til this day, I really dont feel like home even though I was born and raised here for my entire life. Its more like foreign to me, its funny I feel that way just coming back from a foreign country. To me this is my temporary assignment on this small and expensive island. Im just getting through until I go back to Japan again. Since living in Japan for one year, how I view the world is so different, my mind has been elevated and it took living abroad to change my entire life. If I could describe my views and experience from living abroad its like a stretched shirt, once its stretched, it can no longer to back to its original form. I hope everyone will get a chance to live aboard and experience what I have. I hit the subscribed button since locals gotta support locals. Looking forward to watching your other videos
Ayy thanks for watching! I relate to a lot of your thoughts and feelings, and see myself being the same way.
That feeling safe point and how it was weird at first to feel safe in Japan... I totally get it. It's always like hide the bags in the trunk or under the seat or something when you park a car and I just think, how sad that that's the reality.
Thanks for sharing, I found it really interesting and relevant to myself and my situation!
I felt how you once did. I called it cultural imposter syndrome. Because of being a bit removed from your Japanese cultural heritage and now being fully immersed in it can at times feel like your losing yourself into something that isn’t you as you adjust to the language the new cultural norms. All of which are inherently yours because your Japanese but didn’t have growing up. It get easier once you figure out the balance of being surrounded by your cultural heritage but not losing your individual sense of identity at the same time that formed who you are before you moved to Japan.
Thanks for that insight! I’ve actually heard that term from someone else recently. He was Japanese-American as well and he found it somewhat brave for others to move to Japan and face that imposter syndrome directly. I never really thought of that!
The interesting thing about your thoughtful discussion is how you continue to evolve.
Thank you!!
Clicked somehow expecting to see Chris Broad from 'Abroad in Japan' stayed for the new perspective! Well played sir, still an interesting presentation looking to see more in future!
lol I didn't think I looked like him... I'm glad you enjoyed it though! Thanks for watching!
@@barrettish just a moment of override when seeing the words in an instance with a close enough thumbnail haha! I knew it was somebody else but the mind plays tricks on us
I enjoyed listening to your reflections. Where you come from in the States and where you live in Japan has direct bearing on your experience. Living in a small town definitely gives you the proverbial sore thumb syndrome where you can't help but stand out. The big city gives anonymity. On the other hand, it's harder to connect with others within the Yamanote-sen. I've done both, and I enjoyed the do-inaka more. Having a Japanese name helped, but my friends and coworkers had a hard time figuring out what "yonsei" meant. They were probably more familiar with kikokushijo and chuuzai'in. I think 3 years is the longest period I can live in Japan before I'm ready to come back to the States.
Thanks! Completely agree. I’ve lived in a small town and Tokyo and I kind of touch on that in another video about my experience living in Japan as a Japanese-American, and I like both lifestyles for different reasons. And yes, “yonsei” is a hard one, and sometimes just “Japanese-American” can be hard for people. I’ve lived in Japan for a while but I definitely need to take occasional trips back to the US.
@@barrettish I imagine it's easier to get along (even in the countryside) a lot easier with the advent of the internet. Email was just becoming a thing when I left my last 3-year stint in Japan in the mid-1990s. My friends tell me they can even get tortillas now in the Hiroshima countryside (while I had to learn to make them myself back in the 20th century). Had I married a local, I'm sure I would have felt a lot more that I was really part of the community and not just someone passing through. Watching your videos gives me the chance to see what has and what hasn't changed. Keep it up!
I totally relate. I’m a 4th Japanese-Canadian and I can see the positive and negative aspects of both cultures.
Yup! I’m glad someone can relate!
4th japanese canadian ? 🤣🤣
Fascinating episode! Loved your insight into the language choices of the U.S. Hadn’t really noticed they are so filled with drama…🤪, and now wonder why. Is it similar in Canada?
Anyway, three thumbs up. 👍🏼
haha thanks! I’ve had debates with Japanese colleagues regarding localizing texts… it’s often my English was “over the top” or their Japanese was too “soft and fluffy” lol 😆
I wonder about Canada… probably a little less than the US..?
From a different point of view, I can relate in a way. First off, I’m Navajo and Laguna pueblo Indian. My clans , from my mother is kinłichiinii, Red Stone House People, my main clan. My father is, Totsonii, Big Water (Ocean) People, my born for clan. Living in California for about nine months of the year, my thinking and way of living is different from when I go back to Arizona to visit family. I adapt to different lifestyles,thinking and doing things. It’s hard to explain to others. But I understand where you’re coming from.
Thanks and I'm glad you can relate! I think your story and background are fascinating. The US is so different in each state and each community, it's almost like a lot of countries within the country.
Very interesting perspective…would rally like to hear more on the dating and marriage aspect of things…
Thanks! haha maybe someday!
While in the Kanto region - 10 months and being fired twice in the ESL ecosystem... i was looking for Bohemian culture, which I found at a coffeeshop in Takadanobaba... wonderful place where Nihonjin could leave their "Nihon-no shoes" at the door...
...sounds like you successfully navigated a long journey
haha awesome! It's great to find those little places and ways to escape the everyday stresses. I don't know Takadanobaba too well but I can imagine that kind of coffeeshop existing there!
I'm also American, living in Tokyo, close to your area actually. I completely relate to everything you said, and agree 100% with your analysis at the end, very well put.
I'm still very American, but getting "outside the bubble", as it were, really makes you a bit embarrassed to look at your country sometimes 😅
Awesome! Yeah, I totally agree 😆 Thanks for watching!
I enjoyed the pros and cons with your reflection on your personal experience. Well America will be America. At least you have both ideas of the two countries sociology. It just having to conform with the rules in Japan.. Do you visit Hawaii just to come back or meh skip? lol. Awesome outro song. :D Glad you posted the song info on the description.
Thanks for watching! Yea, pre-Covid I was visiting at least once a year but haven't been back since. I think I'm at a point where I have to spend some time in both places each year. Sometimes I think it would've been easier to never have gone anywhere so I'd be naive to everything lol.
@@barrettish its cool that you did this earlier in life based off your photo montage, you have access to two countries at least. You miss alot of the social stuff - sports and hangout bars etc here in America and the craziness with it. Are there any social hangouts in Japan besides Karaoke? Playing basketball in the park. You can always visit back hahaha. Had to end my comment cause work. Glad to enjoy your videos.
@@Dflowen Yeah can’t have it all! There’s thing I like and dislike in both places and that’s just part of life I guess. There’s definitely a lot of places to hang out and what not in Japan besides karaoke, especially in Tokyo, it’s such a big city that there’s a huge number of things to do and such a wide variety. Thanks for commenting, don’t get in trouble with work lol
I definitley feel this. I'm a 4th Generation Japanese American as well. All my family is from Oahu, but I was raised in Orange County, California. I for sure felt like a foreigner in Japan, I don't speak the language, can't read or understand, but the food was familiar. I really don't know much of the Japanese culture except for the food, and even the the Japanese food i know is more "local hawaii food" haha. At my tech job, plenty of our customers are from Japan and Korea and I was definitely not used to the Business Card Exchange which I'm still getting used to.
Awesome! Yeah, that's how I was before living in Japan as well, and even after, I still can't be just a "typical Japanese person". Thanks for sharing your experience!
I would definitely put the Japanese respect for sense of awareness when in public, to be more weighted, so worth more points. But while I feel Japan is great as a visitor, it's not a culture that someone would enjoy living in if they are in any way independent-minded. I have quite a few friends who left Japan and moved to either N America or Europe, and they've never looked back on their decision to leave Japan.
I see what you’re saying but that’s an overstatement. Most naturally end up moving out of Japan as it’s far from home (multiple meanings), but there are quite a lot that are lifers, and I wouldn’t say they’re not independent-minded in any way. I enjoy living in Japan and would be offended if you’re saying I’m not any way independent-minded. It comes down to the person, what they make of their situation, and what their priorities are. After all, being in another country means being away from family, so that’s a big one.
Also, the good points and bad points that we like/hate in a country stems from the culture. So the public respect in Japan is related to following the group, the occasional lack of it in the US is related to individual-first.
@@barrettish Not sure if it was clear in what i wrote, because it seems you didnt understand what i meant correctly which is probably due to how i wrote it, but I was referring to born/raised/ethnically japanese who left Japan and never looked back due to what they felt was an impossibility for either their children to fully thrive without the pressure of conforming, or they themselves not wanting to conform to the Japanese ethos. (I wasnt referring to americans who moved to japan, then out of japan).
@@ThickasThievesLA Ohh ok, sorry I misunderstood. Yeah most Japanese who leave tend to not fully fit in in the first place and end up not returning. I’ve seen some return, including within the Japanese family that I have, but it’s more uncommon and usually way down the line. And even when they do, they don’t really conform back to being the typical Japanese person.
@@barrettish I def see where it was unclear what i was referring to. I was getting more to the point of the Japanese mindset of having to conform in various aspects of society being such a great weight to shoulder that even native Japanese dont want to be a part of it, and if given a chance, have left with no regret. And as a foreigner coming to Japan, that societal pressure can be a hard burden to carry as well, dependent on ones own personality and perspective on that particular cultural more (add accent over e). Personally, having spent a lot of time there, I do feel that it's a great place to live if you have F You money, or you're really young and wide eye bushytail looking for an adventure. *shrug*
have you lived in the USA mainland too? Is Hawaiian-ness also a type of difference in the American context?
But more importantly tell us about your toaster oven in the background. They're not really a thing in Europe and I'm thinking of getting one.
Yes, I’ve lived in Oregon and a couple cities in California. Hawaii is very different. It’s still American, but there’s the local native Hawaiian culture, other Polynesian cultures and Asian cultures that are a major part of Hawaii’s culture as a whole.
haha you noticed that?! It’s a simple small oven with a tray in it. You can control the tempura tire and the time that it runs for. The one we have is a brand called DeLonghi.
Nice one Barrett. Business cards are important in America, watch American Psycho comparing cards. On the sports front try Baseball or Sumo, definitely intense and I agree Basketball and Football here in Japan is OK, by the way, there's ice hockey in Yokohama.
There are business cards in the US too but I think it’s less of a focal point of business interactions. I like going to baseball games and I’ve been to a sumo tournament. Baseball is definitely the big one. I didn’t know about hockey in Yokohama!
Are you used to hear people slurp noodles or do you still feel uncomfortable? Do you slurp your noodles in Japan?
haha yes, I’m totally comfortable and I slurp as well. It seems natural, unless it’s people slurping very loudly and saying “ahhh” each time haha. I think it’s more strange when people put each bite into their spoon and eat ramen slowly like a family dinner.
Only in major cities is where people are more progressive. If you go outside the roles are very conservative. It is changing for sure with the economy going down and people needing more than one income. But the work place is still very sexist 🙄. As for your love of certain things that you have there in Japan. Most is being thoughtful and being polite and respectful of others and their space, is something I wish Americans had too lol
I wish we didn't have to tip but here in America wages for servers is $2.50 a hour so workers really need tips. The food industry won't change this because they been getting away with it this whole time. And not everyone tips here either. So when I do go out to eat and tip over the standard $ those servers always always take care of me. And it's always in cash too because managers take a % of the tip from them if it's with a card.
No worries this is a natural way of feeling that you are going through. I'm America half Irish and half mutt lol but I don't identify with all American things or Irish things. And true I would love to live in South Korea 🤣
You are a beautiful different person and I love watching you experience and explore life. You are authentic and you make people smile. I'm so happy to be following you. Please be safe 😊
Thank you, I appreciate it!
I never really thought about tipping with card vs. cash, that's interesting! I heard some places will put all tips into a pot and split it evenly, but most probably go to the actual server and they pay out the buser... at least that's how it was at the places I worked.
South Korea is pretty cool, I feel like if I had moved to another country after Japan, it would be one of the places I'd consider.
barrett whatever your japanese name is..😂😂😂
You’re either uneducated, unhappy or just an idiot.