Hi, my name is Michael Fujimoto and I’m a third year ALT from Hawaii living in Goto, Nagasaki. So here’s my story. My dad is a Japanese American from Hawaii who met my Chinese mother in California when she was visiting from Taiwan. Long story short, after a few short months, they got married and soon moved to Hawaii, where I was born. I was asked to share my thoughts on being an Asian foreigner, living and working in Japan. Here’s what I came up with:
It’s weird to think about, but I’ve never felt more like a minority than my time living in Japan. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Michael, have you looked in the mirror lately?” But take a minute to see things from my perspective. I’ll never be considered a ‘real’ Japanese person by native standards. More approachable than other foreigners? Sure. But never authentic. And honestly, I have no hard feelings. It makes sense. I have a Japanese last name, but my family immigrated to Hawaii over 100 years ago and a lot has changed in both places since then.
On the flip-side, I don’t quite fit in the ALT/expat community either. When I’m hanging out at a foreigner bar or at expat gatherings, it’s common to hear comments like “Japanese people hate the sun” or “dude, how can you eat the fish head too?” The most annoying thing is when people say I’m ‘cultural’ for doing something ‘Japanese’. What does that even mean? I’ll be honest, it can be annoying, but I take it with a grain of salt. I know people aren’t trying to be hurtful and many are just reacting to their genuine shock at how different Japan is from what they’re used to. But for me, because of my ancestors and where I come from, Japanese culture is embedded in who I am and for as many differences as there are between Japan and Hawaii, there are just as many similarities.
So where do I stand on this metaphorical Japanese/foreigner coin? I exist on the edge. It’s strange. In Hawaii, with so many cultures and integration, the thing that connects people is everyone is different. Here, being different just makes me…well…different.
The middle can be a lonely and scary place. There are times I wish I could easily identify with a social group just for a sense of belonging and acceptance. But I soon realized being in the middle is empowering.
My time in Japan changed with the discovery that when I let go of culture, traditions and expectations, I could experience every opportunity with a fresh set of eyes and an open perspective. I wasn’t limited to thinking or acting like a group of people and instead of trying to fit in, I focused on just being and developing myself. I began searching for relationships and experiences that didn’t always reinforce my thoughts and opinions, but challenged them, pushing me to grow, which was a big reason for coming to Japan in the first place.
My three years in Japan have been amazing and I’ve never felt so alive. A lot of that has to do with me being different and straddling the middle. My experiences as an ALT and resident of Japan, have been anything but typical and although that comes with a unique set of challenges, they are my own. I’m grateful and wouldn’t have had it any other way.
If there is a piece of advice I’d give to new ALTs, it would be to value your time and maintain a consistent state of uncomfortableness. Being uncomfortable means you’re being challenged, putting yourself in a position to learn and grow. There is a time to be comfortable, but now is not it. For most of us, we are here for a finite amount of time and it’s fleeting. You don’t get wasted time back, but worthwhile experiences will stay with you for the rest of your life.
That’s all I got. Mahalo and thank you for reading.
by Michael Fujimoto, 3rd year ALT on the Goto Islands
