Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I immigrated to Canada as a child, grew up in rural Alberta, lived in Japan for 20 years as an adult, and am now living in the Vancouver area. I've always felt somewhat disconnected from the communities I've lived in, even now. I coined the phrase "double minority" to describe this feeling and have come to accept that this is my destiny. While I get along well with all the communities and often find myself navigating between them, I've stopped seeking full understanding from others about who I am.
I also would love to hear your views after attending the Nikkei Matsuri this weekend. I find the Powell celebrates the neighbourhood while the Nikkei leans more towards contemporary Japan.
What a story! Thank you so much for sharing. I actually have so many questions, but I don’t want to overburden you 😅 I really, strongly resonate with your concept of “double minority.” That’s spot on. So many people say that you’re lucky because you get the best of both worlds, and even use the word “double” because you have twice as much…But I can’t tell you how false this feels. But, double minority, yes…it feels like you are a minority wherever you go. I always look with fondness at some immigrants who are minorities in the broader Canadian society, but have a race/culture/country/people where they can feel at home. But, for a lot of longtime immigrants, or Nisei/Sansei, and people in your position and mine…it feels like we are outliers. (At least, this is how I feel.)
@@RealmaswatanabeI will certainly post videos on the Nikkei Matsuri! I actually have never been, so it will be interesting to see what opinions get formed up in my little brain, and what complex emotions come up 😅
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I'm also Japanese and Canadian. I've lived in Japan > Canada > China > Japan > France > and this year settled back in Vancouver, but plan to spend a few months each year in Japan. I've felt like you many times in my life, but one thing that really helped me was living in China in my 20s - I realized that it only bothered me that I was "othered" in my own countries, Canada and Japan, but not when I was in a country where I was clearly a foreigner (and many wouldn't believe me if I said I was Canadian because I wasn't blond and blue-eyed, nor Japanese because I was too tall so I often made up nationalities LOL). I'm a lot more comfortable being both now, although happy with the word "hafu" and resistant to "daburu" (which seems to be popular only with parents of hafu kids) when speaking Japanese, and use "mixed" in English. Anyways, too much I want to say - maybe it would be better over a drink in Vancouver!
@@frimcwilliams3992 What a good comment! You’ve moved around a lot. I’d love to talk more, and hear about your experience. I totally understand what you mean - when I was in India, I don’t remember feeling any of the things that I feel in Canada or Japan…and that’s also why I realized long ago that I feel most comfortable in groups of people where each individual is from a different culture. I agree about the “half/hafu” thing. I’ve heard a lot of criticisms of it, but I personally don’t mind it, I suppose. 慣れかな。Although, mixed is most accurate. “Double” on the other hand…to each their own, but I’ve never felt comfortable with that.
Thank you so much for sharing Elle! I am sure you already know this, but this feeling of belonging, or lack thereof, transcends genders, races and cultures. Japan is currently having an epidemic of loneliness, which keeps worsening and is affecting generation Z more than anyone. This is of course not exclusive to Japan, though the issue appears particularly compounded over there, in part due to cultural norms and expectations (which I've been studying for a couple years now, along with the language) To bring my own experience, we moved around quite a bit when I was little, I had to change schools a lot, I was bullied pretty much all the way through elementary, and my home wasn't stable (parents eventually divorced). Because of these circumstances, I never felt a sense of stability or being accepted wherever life took me. I was able to make a few lasting friendships, but I never really felt like I belonged in this culture. It's a homogenous European country and there's comparatively little diversity, so you either feel like you are part of the culture or not. Media of course keep perpetuating the idealiatic, expected norms of a society and nation, and you cannot really avoid being hit by that on a daily basis. I am in my early 30s and while I do at least have a small family and friends circle, outside of those I feel like a stranger in my own country. I love to travel and explore different countries and cultures, but because of the baggage I am carrying with me, I never truly feel like I am home anywhere. What I will say is that melting pot, multicultural countries definitely allow me to find the niche people I can connect with better, not to mention people themselves tend to be more understanding and open. I've made some lasting connections in California and I've met some great, welcoming people in Vancouver as well. I don't really have an answer for myself to whether I ever manage to overcome this. Trying to find a place or community where I feel wanted and a sense of belonging can very well be a life long journey. I don't intend to give up on it and I sincerely hope you can keep striving to find that place and the answers you're seeking ❤️
Hey Lukas! What an amazing comment! Thank you so much, and I'm sorry that it took a while to reply. I resonate with a lot of what you said, and it all makes a lot of sense. I, too, changed schools (and eventually had to switch to distance education because of some issues), went through bullying and racism at school, and experienced divorce and instability growing up. So, I feel you -- what I struggle with now is absolutely not the direct product of race, or having mixed blood. That's only one factor that complicates an already complex situation. I understand what you mean about feeling more comfortable in multicultural countries to some extent -- everyone is different, so your differences aren't highlighted so much. Although, I feel like this also shows me the bonds and close-knit communities that diasporas form, and makes me feel sad that nothing like that exists for me. Anyhow, this is why I discovered that I feel most comfortable in groups of friends where everyone is from a different country or culture. But, when everyone else is white Canadian, or Japanese, etc, I stick out like a sore thumb (more in my communication style and interests, than in my physical appearance haha) and it's so uncomfortable! But agreed, it is a lifelong battle. I think the feeling of belonging or being wanted isn't an innate, absolute fact, but it's a feeling that you develop, which likely doesn't even reflect reality at all. It's just how you feel about yourself -- and this feeling was established by how your family/friends/community treated you, especially during your early developmental years. Anyhow, this is getting long haha. Thank you for the thought-provoking comment!
@@ElleTokyo thank you for responding and revealing some of your troubles. I really liked the point about a sense of belonging and community not necessarily correlating to "objective" reality. It's a state of being, and a very subjective feeling. But I suspect being surrounded by people who share some common interests or worldviews and where a sense of mutual understanding is felt is what that place probably ought to be, at least for me :) I am sorry you experienced some of the same ordeals I did and I suppose to a certain degree it validates our experiences and that they can genuinely leave similar marks no matter who experiences then. Thank you for showing compassion and please feel free to reach out any time!
@@LukasVokrinek Thanks for that. Yeah, it's something I have had to figure out over time -- that in many ways, a sense of belonging is a learned experience. Whether other people think you belong or not, is a completely separate issue that we cannot control, of course. But, based on your life experiences (usually ones from early childhood), people walk into a new situation with their mind already made up to an extent -- you are already confident that you will belong, or you "know" that you will be different. (And this, of course, gives an advantage to those who were already taught in early childhood that they belong and are accepted.) And then, this goes on to impact your internal experience, such that every interaction that you encounter in that new environment will "confirm" what you already "knew." And then, we continuously gather and store all of this biased information as we move through life, forming our own little personalized highlight reel of past incidents that confirmed that we did not belong, or information that confirmed that we did belong...and this goes on to inform the way that we continue to act and feel through our lives. ...At least this is my theory? (Well, a simplified version of it 😄)
@@ElleTokyo yes, well said. That's the case from my experience as well. I am not sure what to do about it though. I suppose since you've always felt like you stick out at every encounter, you've already conditioned yourself to believe that, or so I have I suppose. I do think that you have to actively fight your brain / ego in that assumption and I guess if you put yourself out there enough at least once, eventually, you'll find a group where you realize you feel accepted :)
@@LukasVokrinek Exactly, I agree that you have to fight that assumption, and I feel like I do that every day, in almost every encounter. And, apparently, I have everyone fooled 😅 It's the fake it till you make it approach.
Thank you! I agree. I started out the channel with the intention of doing things like this - but, I wanted to keep it interesting and not bore people by always only just sitting and talking.
I’ve heard that a lot! I can’t blame you - I’m sure I don’t understand the intricacies of other diasporas either, and admittedly, it did take me years and years to understand the complexities of the Japanese/Japanese Canadian communities as well.
![カナダで日本のお祭り?! [Eng] ★ カナダと日本の文化が交わるパウエル祭 (Powell St. Festival: Canada Meets Japan)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TgK2qqXb8-4/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I immigrated to Canada as a child, grew up in rural Alberta, lived in Japan for 20 years as an adult, and am now living in the Vancouver area. I've always felt somewhat disconnected from the communities I've lived in, even now. I coined the phrase "double minority" to describe this feeling and have come to accept that this is my destiny. While I get along well with all the communities and often find myself navigating between them, I've stopped seeking full understanding from others about who I am.
I also would love to hear your views after attending the Nikkei Matsuri this weekend. I find the Powell celebrates the neighbourhood while the Nikkei leans more towards contemporary Japan.
What a story! Thank you so much for sharing. I actually have so many questions, but I don’t want to overburden you 😅
I really, strongly resonate with your concept of “double minority.” That’s spot on. So many people say that you’re lucky because you get the best of both worlds, and even use the word “double” because you have twice as much…But I can’t tell you how false this feels.
But, double minority, yes…it feels like you are a minority wherever you go. I always look with fondness at some immigrants who are minorities in the broader Canadian society, but have a race/culture/country/people where they can feel at home. But, for a lot of longtime immigrants, or Nisei/Sansei, and people in your position and mine…it feels like we are outliers. (At least, this is how I feel.)
@@RealmaswatanabeI will certainly post videos on the Nikkei Matsuri! I actually have never been, so it will be interesting to see what opinions get formed up in my little brain, and what complex emotions come up 😅
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I'm also Japanese and Canadian. I've lived in Japan > Canada > China > Japan > France > and this year settled back in Vancouver, but plan to spend a few months each year in Japan. I've felt like you many times in my life, but one thing that really helped me was living in China in my 20s - I realized that it only bothered me that I was "othered" in my own countries, Canada and Japan, but not when I was in a country where I was clearly a foreigner (and many wouldn't believe me if I said I was Canadian because I wasn't blond and blue-eyed, nor Japanese because I was too tall so I often made up nationalities LOL). I'm a lot more comfortable being both now, although happy with the word "hafu" and resistant to "daburu" (which seems to be popular only with parents of hafu kids) when speaking Japanese, and use "mixed" in English. Anyways, too much I want to say - maybe it would be better over a drink in Vancouver!
@@frimcwilliams3992 What a good comment! You’ve moved around a lot. I’d love to talk more, and hear about your experience.
I totally understand what you mean - when I was in India, I don’t remember feeling any of the things that I feel in Canada or Japan…and that’s also why I realized long ago that I feel most comfortable in groups of people where each individual is from a different culture.
I agree about the “half/hafu” thing. I’ve heard a lot of criticisms of it, but I personally don’t mind it, I suppose. 慣れかな。Although, mixed is most accurate. “Double” on the other hand…to each their own, but I’ve never felt comfortable with that.
Thank you so much for sharing Elle!
I am sure you already know this, but this feeling of belonging, or lack thereof, transcends genders, races and cultures.
Japan is currently having an epidemic of loneliness, which keeps worsening and is affecting generation Z more than anyone. This is of course not exclusive to Japan, though the issue appears particularly compounded over there, in part due to cultural norms and expectations (which I've been studying for a couple years now, along with the language)
To bring my own experience, we moved around quite a bit when I was little, I had to change schools a lot, I was bullied pretty much all the way through elementary, and my home wasn't stable (parents eventually divorced). Because of these circumstances, I never felt a sense of stability or being accepted wherever life took me.
I was able to make a few lasting friendships, but I never really felt like I belonged in this culture. It's a homogenous European country and there's comparatively little diversity, so you either feel like you are part of the culture or not. Media of course keep perpetuating the idealiatic, expected norms of a society and nation, and you cannot really avoid being hit by that on a daily basis.
I am in my early 30s and while I do at least have a small family and friends circle, outside of those I feel like a stranger in my own country.
I love to travel and explore different countries and cultures, but because of the baggage I am carrying with me, I never truly feel like I am home anywhere.
What I will say is that melting pot, multicultural countries definitely allow me to find the niche people I can connect with better, not to mention people themselves tend to be more understanding and open. I've made some lasting connections in California and I've met some great, welcoming people in Vancouver as well.
I don't really have an answer for myself to whether I ever manage to overcome this. Trying to find a place or community where I feel wanted and a sense of belonging can very well be a life long journey. I don't intend to give up on it and I sincerely hope you can keep striving to find that place and the answers you're seeking ❤️
Hey Lukas! What an amazing comment! Thank you so much, and I'm sorry that it took a while to reply. I resonate with a lot of what you said, and it all makes a lot of sense.
I, too, changed schools (and eventually had to switch to distance education because of some issues), went through bullying and racism at school, and experienced divorce and instability growing up. So, I feel you -- what I struggle with now is absolutely not the direct product of race, or having mixed blood. That's only one factor that complicates an already complex situation.
I understand what you mean about feeling more comfortable in multicultural countries to some extent -- everyone is different, so your differences aren't highlighted so much. Although, I feel like this also shows me the bonds and close-knit communities that diasporas form, and makes me feel sad that nothing like that exists for me. Anyhow, this is why I discovered that I feel most comfortable in groups of friends where everyone is from a different country or culture. But, when everyone else is white Canadian, or Japanese, etc, I stick out like a sore thumb (more in my communication style and interests, than in my physical appearance haha) and it's so uncomfortable!
But agreed, it is a lifelong battle. I think the feeling of belonging or being wanted isn't an innate, absolute fact, but it's a feeling that you develop, which likely doesn't even reflect reality at all. It's just how you feel about yourself -- and this feeling was established by how your family/friends/community treated you, especially during your early developmental years.
Anyhow, this is getting long haha. Thank you for the thought-provoking comment!
@@ElleTokyo thank you for responding and revealing some of your troubles.
I really liked the point about a sense of belonging and community not necessarily correlating to "objective" reality. It's a state of being, and a very subjective feeling. But I suspect being surrounded by people who share some common interests or worldviews and where a sense of mutual understanding is felt is what that place probably ought to be, at least for me :)
I am sorry you experienced some of the same ordeals I did and I suppose to a certain degree it validates our experiences and that they can genuinely leave similar marks no matter who experiences then.
Thank you for showing compassion and please feel free to reach out any time!
@@LukasVokrinek Thanks for that. Yeah, it's something I have had to figure out over time -- that in many ways, a sense of belonging is a learned experience.
Whether other people think you belong or not, is a completely separate issue that we cannot control, of course. But, based on your life experiences (usually ones from early childhood), people walk into a new situation with their mind already made up to an extent -- you are already confident that you will belong, or you "know" that you will be different. (And this, of course, gives an advantage to those who were already taught in early childhood that they belong and are accepted.)
And then, this goes on to impact your internal experience, such that every interaction that you encounter in that new environment will "confirm" what you already "knew."
And then, we continuously gather and store all of this biased information as we move through life, forming our own little personalized highlight reel of past incidents that confirmed that we did not belong, or information that confirmed that we did belong...and this goes on to inform the way that we continue to act and feel through our lives.
...At least this is my theory? (Well, a simplified version of it 😄)
@@ElleTokyo yes, well said. That's the case from my experience as well.
I am not sure what to do about it though. I suppose since you've always felt like you stick out at every encounter, you've already conditioned yourself to believe that, or so I have I suppose.
I do think that you have to actively fight your brain / ego in that assumption and I guess if you put yourself out there enough at least once, eventually, you'll find a group where you realize you feel accepted :)
@@LukasVokrinek Exactly, I agree that you have to fight that assumption, and I feel like I do that every day, in almost every encounter. And, apparently, I have everyone fooled 😅
It's the fake it till you make it approach.
I like the new style of video. More like these would be nice! Like, sit and talk…share your thoughts or experiences.
Thank you! I agree. I started out the channel with the intention of doing things like this - but, I wanted to keep it interesting and not bore people by always only just sitting and talking.
Interesting perspective on the festival. I couldn’t go this year, but I had no idea that Japanese people were so diverse. I didn’t notice 😮
I’ve heard that a lot! I can’t blame you - I’m sure I don’t understand the intricacies of other diasporas either, and admittedly, it did take me years and years to understand the complexities of the Japanese/Japanese Canadian communities as well.