ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 มิ.ย. 2024
- Hi friend, thanks for watching this video about my recent travel back to japan. :) I hope you enjoy it!!
As i mention in the video, having the ability to travel is a huge privilege. There are kids in Gaza who are deprived of the right to live a normal life. If you enjoyed this video and would like to support a great cause, please consider checking out the following resources and donating. It would mean a lot to me!
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“BITTERSWEET” by @PunchDeck 👅 Classical & Piano (Royalty Free Music) - "BITTERSWEET" by @PunchDeck 🌎
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Funky Upbeat Hip Hop Background Music For Videos (No Copyright) by Elysium Audio Labs
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“Memo” by super noot ensemble
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Loved your video! I am a second generation (nissei) Japanese born and raised in Southern California. I am American, but also Japanese. I would visit Japan as a child during the summer and see my ancestral home and visit my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then I grew up and joined the U.S. Navy and was fortunate enough to visit Japan and see my favorite uncle before he passed away. I totally identify with you about the hidden bento box and Japanese food and growing up like I didn’t belong. Now that my brother and I are in our late 50s and 60s he’s been back 4 times. He wants me to go back with him in the Fall, but Japan sees us as foreigners; rightly so. We are Americans.
You are not an American, but perhaps a Japanese with US citizenship whose parents used US birhtright citizenship to get it for free..
@@2masterdingdong Americans are different from the rest of the world there is no real Americans.
@@2masterdingdong She's American, just like I'm American with Vietnamese roots. Everyone is this country came from somewhere be it Europe, Africa, or Asia.
あなたがこの動画の中でおっしゃっている事全てに、共感を覚えます。
私は45年前アメリカに嫁いできました。その間にただ一度だけ里帰り( 25年前)をしました。
1ヵ月の滞在を終えての帰途中、飛行機の中からアメリカの土地が見えてきた時、思わず独り言が口から出てきました。「Oh, I’m home…」
日本は私にとって、「懐かしい外国」となりました。
I listened to this while doing the dishes and thought it had millions of views, that says something about the quality, good job :)
thanks so much!
I thought I was the only one who does dishes listening to random vlogs.
What a great video!!!! The same could be said of American kids coming back from a foreign country. I was an Air Force “brat” and lived in Taiwan for 4 years. When we had to come back to the states, I was quite upset. To this day I don’t feel like I belong here even though it’s been many,many years. But my living overseas (we lived in Turkey for 4 years) has given me a better understanding and appreciation for different cultures so I wouldn’t trade that for anything! Hope you can continue to return to Japan from time to time for new adventures! Thanks for sharing your journey!🙂❤️🇺🇸
I definitely felt this when you talked about your mom's cooking. I'm Japanese/HK Chinese living in Canada so I can really empathize with what you went through. My family and I did a bunch of trips together when we were kids and teenagers, the last time being in 2009, and it wasn't until 2017 that I was able to see my grandparents again. From not knowing how to speak a lick of Japanese to being very conversational was probably one of the most rewarding things I experienced. Being able to speak to my grandparents in their native tongue was one of the biggest reasons why I studied Japanese in the first place. Great content and I hope you post more!
im so proud of you for having had the patience and strength to learn the language to the point you were able to have conversations with your grandparents. really awesome to hear your story - thanks for sharing!!
Great video!!!! Your cinematography skills are mad. It was great to hear this story. Just know that you are a child of the earth, and you belong anywhere and everywhere.
Thank you!!
Mad respect for not letting anyone define who you are bro! Its your journey and you get to decide what it means to you🚀
Thanks so much!
I loved your video! Your filming and editing style is creative and interesting! You are honest about feelings while honoring your homeland. I luckily got to teach in Japan for 32 years. I fell in love with the culture and miss it so much since I returned to the USA. I will always be treated as a gaijin, but deep down I have a real kinship with Japanese. I look forward to seeing more of your work. 🙂🇺🇸❤️🇯🇵
I also went back to my home country for the first time in 20 years. It's weird how I felt so relieved and relaxed as soon as I landed at the country. I wouldn't say I "grew up" there, but I felt like I was home.
Happy for you that you got to go back! :)
You’re a captivating story teller! Great cinematography and editing too :)
Thank you so much!
Nice post. I too have recently reconnected with Japan along with my wife after we moved away 23 years ago with our two small children.to the U.S. As a Nisei, this is my third time living here in Japan, twice as an adult. Everything seems the similar, but different at the same time. I know that people see me as the almost senior guy from America. This time it will be different as my wife and I now must oversee the wellness of her parents. New journey in life for everyone.
Oh wow - thank your for this. I was born in Japan, my mom being Japanese. My dad American. We left "permanently" when I was 5 y.o. I went back in 1993 with my Mom and felt totally at home, yet I had forgotten almost all of my 5 year old memory of Japanese. I am going back in November this year, taking Japanese, and am looking forward to it. I identified with what you said about feeling Japanese and yet not. I will continue to watch your journey as I travel my own. Arigato. ☺
他の日本人の方もコメントしていましたが、共感しました。数十年ぶりで帰国した日本は 浦島太郎でした。見た目は日本人ですから わからなかったり
間違えると こんなこともわからないのかと 知らない人に叱られました。アメリカに帰るとホッとしますが どちらの国にいても not belong hereです。
Home is where you make it.
As I grow older, I realize more and more that the physical manifestations of memories are less important than the memories themselves or the people I made those memories with.
If you feel that Japan is home, then it's your home. If you feel the US is your home, then it's your home.
Feelings of being unwelcome in your own home might be discouraging, but keep in mind that (at least in Japan) they are just trying to be helpful and nice.
In the end, their opinions don't matter. Friends and family matter. You matter.
Great video, and I'm super happy that you were able to take this trip that had so much sentimental value to you, your family, and your memories.
Why away from home why do you hate home why it's such a bad place but nobody else sees it although Americans always flopping to Japan
Thanks for those words, definitely made me reflect on my experiences further than I was able to convey in my video.
Even for japanese to visit japan as tourist is the best.
Wish you and your family luck and prosperity. Thank you for video.
Thank you so much!
Ashamed I didn’t find you sooner, glad I found you now. The editing is impeccable. I feel like I’m watching a documentary. ❤
thank you so much for watching it!! really appreciate your praises :)
Growing up as a Hispanic American, I never connected with the traditional Mexican culture, which often meant loud music, beer, and a certain lifestyle. From ages 5 to 15, I felt incredibly isolated, even coining a term for myself: Ostrogoth, meaning "loner for a decade." At 16, I still had no friends and had never experienced love, as I wasn't into the MTV culture.
In the fall of 2011, everything changed when I discovered Hatsune Miku and AKB48. This was a revelation for me-music that I actually enjoyed! I found myself drawn to Mayu Watanabe. In 2014, I traveled to Japan for the first time and felt an immediate sense of belonging. Unlike in America, where I often felt disregarded, in Japan, I was treated with respect. I loved the food, admired the beauty of the women, and found the trains refreshing.
I was so taken with Japan that I returned in 2018, then again in 2023, and I plan to go back in 2025. Despite my Mexican appearance, I don't follow or act according to the typical culture. Instead, I'm a proud enthusiast of AKB48, idol culture, animation, and excellent transportation.
I’m so happy for you that you were able to find aspects of other cultures that you resonated with!!
I'm 3rd gen. Japanese-American raised with little knowledge of Japanese culture or my own family history. That always bothered me. Finally went to Japan several years ago. Just before I went I found out where my ancestors came from by finding a ship register on an ancestry website that listed my grandparents. It was weird to visit their hometown. It's totally different from when they knew it (one of those places that was heavily bombed in the war) and I had no contacts with any relatives who might still be there. But visiting Japan helped me feel a little more like a "whole" person. Like you, I don't feel like I totally fit in in either country. It's complicated. Wonderful video, btw!
Awesome that you did research on your ancestry and got to visit your grandparents’ hometown!! Thanks for sharing your story and watching the video :)
God this editing is fire 🔥🔥🔥🔥 and the story telling? Bruh its super awesome!!! Love to see your videos looking forward to you in the future!
Appreciate it!! will try my best to make more videos soon :)
I hope this video gets the attention it deserves. The quality is amazing and the message was strong. Thank you for sharing your journey with us, many of us can relate to such a complex emotion.
Really appreciate it! Thank you for watching through my video. :)
Thank you ! Enjoyed watching this moving video with such a positive and life affirming vibe ! Look forward to catching more of your uploads.
Thank you!! I hope to post more soon :)
Great video editing, amazing narration, perfectly structed, love everything about this masterpiece. and I can relate with you on every aspect as I grow in a different country than my home.
Also thank you so much this was very eye opening about the feeling of not belonging...
Thanks for the kind words, and I’m so happy to hear it connected with you!
Beautiful ! And thank you very much for the links about the situation in Gaza God bless you !!!!
thank you! and of course, it’s the least i can do.
this video deserves many more likes. Thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you for watching!
This is one of the best-made videos I've seen in a long time. You are very well-spoken, and your family and culture are beautiful. Thank you for sharing. #Subscribed
Thank you so much for watching through the video and even commenting!
@@by_shoi you're very welcome.🙂
Great video! Very introspective! Thanks for sharing!
I appreciate it!
Really enjoyed this, Shoi! Great story-telling - both aurally and visually. I hope your channel thrives! Cheers from Australia! 😃
Thanks so much!!
this was beautiful!! the animations, the videography, and also your story 🥹
thanks a ton ange!! 🙌🙌
Thank you for sharing your beautiful video. Maybe one day I too will get the courage to return to my home. It’s been 23 years for me.
Wishing you the best!
what a piece of art, man.
cheers from france
i appreciate it! 🙌🙌
This felt like short movie.. like a nostalgic dream. I was so absorbed! Good job bro! Looking forward to future uploads!
Thanks so much!
love this shoichi!! made me feel a sense of happy nostalgia ☺️
thanks kristine!! i was going for that vibe, so im glad it got through :)
Beautiful and Impressive. Well said about how you felt about the sense of belonging. Definitely related to it as I’ve been in Canada for 20 years and I moved back to Japan last year. Harmonization has value in it in Japan. I am Japanese but I am not The Japanese for them. Looking forward to your next story. Cheers.
What a beautiful story, Shoi! Thak you. 👍🏾👏🏾🤩🐶
Great video dude, glad you are able to reconnect with your culture and family that you grew up with so far away. I hope everything in your future goes with the best of luck! and you got a subscriber from me!
much appreciated 🙌🙌
You have a beautiful life story. It's also admirable that you're not afraid to tell or to share this experience with others.
I can resonate with every single word you said, even if my life wasn't this colorful or full of memorable times.
It's true that one must learn to appreciate and cherish everything they have ever got in their lives. After all, nothing is permanent or provided.
Your editing style is also top notch, and I wish you the best in the future.
Thank you so much!
This was recommended by TH-cam algo and this hits really close to home. I’m Japanese-Filipino and my parents moved and settled in the Philippines. When I traveled to Japan as an adult, I actually kind of blend in, so locals would talk to me in Nihongo. But my parents never really forced us to speak the language at home - we communicated mainly in English. So it was a struggle and it heightened my identity crisis because I couldn’t communicate well. I only know the basics and I’m not as comfortable.
So it’s like I’m Japanese but not really because I couldn’t express myself in Nihongo. It wouldve been easier if I was fluent
Can relate to this!! My family couldn’t afford to send us to Japanese classes, so I had to learn it either through family or anime.
Stumbled upon this in my recommended section. Love it! And happy for you that you got to reconnect with you're roots. I will one day do the same with Thailand (where my dad is originally from).
that’s awesome, i would love to hear about your experience going to thailand when you do!!
You're so incredibly underrated, the quality of this video is immaculate and the message behind it is so moving too. I truly hope you get the exposure you deserve and at some point become apart of mainstream media if that's something you desire. May the algorithm bless you!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much!! I think the algorithm has blessed me a ton, getting awesome people like you to watch my video!
Interesting perspective. I went in the opposite direction. I grew up in the USA and made Japan my home over 20 years ago. Your video is very well done.
Thanks!
Immense joy ushered into me when you finally got to revive your memories and when you met your grandparents ,how happy they must have been.
It felt as if I was watching an independent film. I really love this video.
Hope you get to spend more time with your grandparents.
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Well-spoken and insightful. Also made me appreciate my husband’s Japanese cooking here in Canada.
Absolutely amazing video! Thank you so much for sharing your story in such a beautiful way! 私はアメリカ人ですが、お母さんの家族はイタリアから来ました。ぜんぜんイタリア語が出来ませんが、4年間高校で日本語を勉強しました。実はこの夏初めまして日本に行ってきました！素晴らしかった、本当に日本に帰りたい！大学でも日本語を勉強する予定です！Identity has definitely been a struggle for me being that my dad is black and my skin color being white makes it so that people never believe me, ask me to show a picture of my dad, or ask me to say the N word to prove it to them. Also being that my mom’s family came from Italy and since I appear more Italian than black I usually say I’m Italian to bring less confusion. But even so I feel a bit out of touch with that part of me because my mom didn’t grow up speaking Italian, but she learned it on her own and lived in Italy for a period of time. We no longer have any living relatives that speak Italian. So I don’t really feel that need or desire to learn Italian so at first when I fell in love with Japanese culture and the language I kinda felt bad, that maybe I was abandoning my identity for another entirely different culture that I have no connection with. However I wasn’t abandoning my identity at all. I was just developing it more, I’ve met so many amazing people in Japan and I have exchange student friends from an exchange program I did in high school and lasting connections with people who have become like family to me! Regardless of who you are, what you like, or what tongue you may speak, you are worthy to pursue your own identity and become who you want to be! Thank you so much again for sharing this video as well as talking about the reality of your trip to Japan! I’m so happy you were able to go back! Much love!
You bring up really good points, and I’m so proud of you for venturing into other languages/cultures and learning about them! Thanks for the kind words and watching the video!
Insane production value dude. Smashed it.
thank you! 🙏🙏
Great Video. Beautiful story. Keep it and I am looking forward to your next video
Woah the editing is crazy!❤
thanks! spent way too much time on that 😭
Shoi-san, thank you for sharing your story. Reminds me of mine and I am sure many others who see this can relate. Similarly, I came back to the place I was born after 19 years of not being back (leaving at 7 years old), returning for my first time at 26. A lot of emotions and still seem I remember that trip even now in my 40s. Even a seemingly simple question like, “where are you from” gave me a pause then. Much clearer to me now, and I hope your trip continue to be in your memory.
Separately, I ended up living in Japan for almost 5 years working and with my girlfriend (now married to). It’s a beautiful country and so much more to it than just high rises and city blocks. Thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you as well for sharing your story :). I may have to consider living in Japan at some point as well
holy shit this video is so incredibly well-done for such a small channel. i nearly fucking cried when you got the same poke-pan and said the pokemon were different but the bread tasted the same. what a testament to time that is. i truly feel where you're coming from with being so removed from your heritage, as i am a dual citizen of switzerland but have never lived there; and its been my life dream to do so but its one of the most expensive countries in the world and the job market is competitive. i was also born in new york city and moved away before i could really make any memories there because my parents divorced, but that's another story.
Thank you so much! And I really hope, somewhere in the future, you are able to live in Switzerland. I know it’s tough, but I believe in you!
I'm half Japanese and half Australian, I've been to japan a couple times but I don't feel like I belong there or feel a connection, same as you we learn't to share our opinions, even if it doesn't make everyone happy.
Unless you've received a Japanese cultural upbringing or formal Japanese education, you're basically a complete foreigner in Japan. We always value and appreciate foreigners with no Japanese ancestry who've mastered Japanese language, culture, and norms...over half-Japanese who doesn't know anything about Japan and adds no value to Japanese society. Basically, you're just a tourist.
I’m glad an aspect of my video resonated with you. :))
Alucinante. Watching your video reminded me back when I first visited overseas. Being Asian, having lived in Peru part of my childhood and now about 20 yrs in Texas, visiting my grandparents overseas gave me a sense of belonging and at the same time not completely belonging anywhere at first, but over time growing content with my own values and having multiple cultures as part of my identity.
Good production value!
Haha your story sounds almost exactly like mine expect with different countries/states. Funny how we can relate even though we didn’t live the same lives. Thanks for sharing!
572 subs?!?!?! This is so well made!! Good job, really enjoyed this.
Thank you!!
May I just say that this is a beautiful piece of art what you made here? ❤ Second, I can relate so much being a kid of immigrants parents. It took me 20 years to feel home wherever I am. I remember how embarrassed I was when my mom would write notes to the teacher because she had so many misspellings. One thing I wish though, is that she would keep talking to me in her language. Luckily, my dad kept speaking to me in English and only few Italian words his dad used to say.
Totally feel the embarrassment aspect of that. Very relatable. Thanks for watching the video!
holy shit. surely its not THAT hard if i were break it down, but the edit on 2:12 where we are the perspective of the phone is soooo good. and the sprite art is crazy!! suuuper sick video. glad u had the trip you been wantin to take. & i really fw the edits in this!
Thank you! And yeah, you can definitely do the edits I did with some TH-cam tutorials haha
Absolutely felt this. I mostly grew up in Germany, but I was able to visit Hungary even if it was for a relatively short time. It's been 2 years since I've been there, but it still feels like eternity. Luckily I'll be able to visit this summer for an entire month! The rest about how you don't know where your home is, is so relatable too. I've had life crises about what home means to me and where it is and how it influences me as a person. Sometimes I forget how there are other people out there who experience something similar. Great video!
I’m so excited for your trip back!! Hope to hear all about it :)
bro ur editting, and video structure is so good. ur going places bro
thank you!! i appreciate it :)
Beautiful video. Congratulations! As a Japanese American I have always identified with Japan but visiting Japan made me realize I’m not Japanese. Yet I can take the best of both worlds and be happy.
Awesome!
this somewhat touches on my experience as a filipino immigrant in Australia
Born in the Philippines but grew up here in Australia
I’ve experienced my fair share of identity crisis and in both cultures i somewhat feel foreign and out of place
amazing editing btw
keep up the great work ❤
im glad to hear we can bond over our experiences as immigrants. it definitely helps to know there are others around us with similar experiences :)
i lived in Tokyo for my first 7 years, and 46 years later, still feel like an outsider in America, but also an outsider when I have visited Japan. People like us who share the experience of not belonging to our original country or to the one we moved to during our youth have much in common, and there is a name for this experience. We are called 3rd culture kids, and we may feel most at home, most understood, with other 3rd culture kids, even when their story and their nations are very different from ours.
My hope of reconnecting with Tokyo when I returned was only partly successful, because Tokyo has changed since 1978, too. I realized that what I was hoping to smell again, see again, hear again, etc. was not so much Tokyo the place, as it was 1970s Tokyo, the moment.
As far as why Japanese sensed you were not one of them, I expect it was many little things, from your clothes, body language, how your gaze may have wandered like a tourist’s rather than the way a person’s eyes look at the familiar and mundane, how freely your noise and gestures flow into a shared space, etc. Americans lack the inhibition that is so deeply ingrained into Japanese at every level of being. This need to inhibit one’s self for the good of the group also means their radar is very powerful, scanning for signs of what the group is doing, and how to be. As much as it might feel uncomfortable to know that you were not accepted there, know that there is a trade off, and be grateful that you have learned another way to be, an American comfort letting your own feelings be expressed in public in a way they will never know or be allowed.
An excellent video, and some very moving words, scenes and ideas. Lots here for many of us to connect with. Keep it up!
Thank you so much for your insight and for the kind words! It feels nice being able to connect with people like you who have experienced more than I have.
Well, I think after watching your video, you have a natural talent at doing videos! Congrats!
Thanks for sharing this story with us-- it must have been really tough to tell this story 20 years in the making, but I'm glad you were able reunite with some of the people and places that you missed. If you're able to travel again, I hope you will be able to find more spaces and places in Japan where you do feel some sense of belongingness, even while some parts feel less welcoming.
I'm someone from the U.S., and I'll be travelling to Japan again later this year with some friends, where we hope to do some hiking and meet some of my friends in Japan. It's been a while since I was there last, but I hope to reconnect with some of the people I enjoyed spending time with while there. With my friends in the U.S., one of our goals is to explore some places in Japan that none of us have ever been to before, so we're heading to explore a few places in Kanagawa Prefecture. : )
thanks for the kind words, and woah, that trip sounds super exciting!! i hope you and your friends are able to make the most out of your trip and enjoy what japan can offer!!
I am a Japanese American that was born in Hawaii. Hawaii and Japan share a lot of cultural similarities but also so distinctively different. People from Hawaii are different from other Americans where they share take pride in their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Now I live here in Japan, been here for 4 years. I feel the same as you, I feel like I am Japanese, but culturally I am not. I take pride in my differences and yes, the social stigma here is suffocating. I used to hide my phone on the train or in the waiting room to try to assimilate. Now, I don't care. If someone sees me reading in English, then oh well. I have also learned that a lot of Japanese, privately, they don't like the idea of "Read the room" they want to know what is going on or if they did something wrong. They feel the guessing game is a bit too much lol. Anyways, this was an amazing video. You earned a subscriber.
Wish you the best.
Trust me. I’m born and raised in Japan and being outside of Japan for about 15 years. I live in Hawaii now. I officially feel outsider everywhere lol but I like it. I don’t know if I can ever fit in to Japanese culture again though I want to go back.
Thanks for sharing your background, and those are definitely similar experiences I had in Japan, too. There are always pros and cons to cultures that you partake in.
All Japanese living in Hawaii are Koreans who have changed their surnames to Japanese.
Very emotional video, thank you for sharing 💖💖💖
Thank you for watching :)
Dude are you into cinematography ? This is really cool and inspiring!!
I wanted to go visit Japan since I was 12. I can’t wait!
I’m trying to learn cinematography more! And awesome, hope you get to visit!
Brilliant video...well done. I can kind of relate as a Canadian who has lived in Japan for more than 30 years, other than...I'm not interested in returning "home". I've found a home here in Japan. Thanks for sharing...that was well worth the watch.
So glad to hear you found home there!!
Lately I have been watching many videos of ethnically Japanese people who grew up outside Japan, who then went back and had cathartic experiences... being Japanese but not really seen as Japanese... I grew up in California doing Odori lessons and koto lessons and practicing kendo. I was either surrounded entirely by my Japanese culture, or surrounded by non-Japanese at school and feeling the same you did - hiding the onigiri and bento especially... My whole life I have felt a deep desire to return there, but also fearful of what I will realize about myself.
Long story short, I think this duality or enigma or whatever we should call it, is an incredibly fascinating phenomena that is especially pronounced in us Japanese... and I think we all should explore it more.
Thank you for this Shoichi
a fellow sangatsu no lion enjoyer!
But seriously, nice story telling and I felt engaged until the end to hear your story. Kanpai!
This is an amazing story and glad you got to visit Japan. I live in the US and used to visit Tokyo every summer aa a kid. Until 2022, I hadn't been back there for 20 years too. I still try to keep up with the cultural stuff but its a different feeling when you're there. Hopefully you'll get to go again soon.
Yeah definitely an interesting experience going to Japan after some time. I hope you also get to go back, too!
bro i did not know you have not been there in 20 years!
so happy to see all of the visuals from insta come together in one vid! enjoyed the vid my man
thanks eyosias! looking forward to your next vid too 👀👀
What a lovely video. Well done! ❤❤❤
Very nice editing you deserve more subscribers !!
thank you so much!!!
The shot at 2:10 looks amazing! First time I've seen anything like it
thanks!!
Enjoyed the content.
Having a Japanese mother and American father and growing up in the states, I can relate. I definitely noticed it when I moved back to Japan as an adult.
Thanks for watching the video and sharing your experiences, too :)
such a beautiful video Shoichi
thanks, simanga! much appreciated 🙏
as a Cuban immigrant this made me tear up. i identify with so much of this and had a very similar childhood. this was beautiful ❤
Thank you, and I’m so glad to hear you could connect to part of my story. :)
Amazing story, thanks for sharing.
I'm half japanese and half Indian, 22 years old and have no connection to my japanese culture. My parents got divorced when i was a kid and my mum (japanese) went back to Japan. She slowly stopped contacting me and how should i say, just abandoned me. With my features it was difficult to assimilate in India, i started giving the excuse that i came from north east india since people there have more asian features.
Still got bullied a lot but grew a thick skin after wards, made some great friends during the teen years and things started going well
Even to this day, part of me wants to go to Japan and explore the other side of my identity but the pain of my mom abandoning me scares me so much
Though whenever I watch Anime or read manga i feel fascinated by it. To think i belong to this beautiful culture as well, i am learning Japanese though I'm not good and don't have people to practice with but hopefully some day will have the courage to go to japan and maybe find my mother, though i expect that she probably has another family now there 😂
hey thanks so much for sharing your story. thats so cool that you grew up with a mixed background! sounds like you had a pretty tough upbringing, and i really appreciate you opening up about it. i hope you find solace with your identity, and good luck with your japanese studies!
SEND THIS TO A SHORT FILM CONTEST.
YESSIR
It also took me 20 years before I was able to come home to the Philippines from my stay of 5 years in Israel and 15 years in Canada. .It was very nostalgic.
commenting for engagement - you rocked this
thank you!!! means a lot :))
Good Job, Shoi! I really enjoyed your video! My parents took us to Sydney Australia when I was 19 years old and I went back and lived in HK at age of 28. Now I’m 55, I moved back to Sydney for almost 8 years now, living here is the most comfortable place on earth. But the place I would call home is still Hong Kong.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, too! Really appreciate you watching my video. :)
New subscriber here :) were also now here in Japan :) were just here for 3 or 4 yrs though , we will be back in the US after here. Favorites are the Ramen here , Japanese BBQ or in Yakiniku restaurants and the Spicy curry from Coco curry place :) You made a verygood vlog brother :) Great work :) Cheers
Thank you! And man, you listing out all those foods got me hungry 🤤
Moved here from Japan when I was 20 I’m 34 now but, I just love being united state. I couldn’t be a part of” read the room” society.
Not that I’m saying I don’t agree with being respectful of surroundings. But I just didn’t like that Japanese people like to shame others and gossip about for that reasons.
Thanks for sharing your experience Shoi.
Totally understand - I feel the same, too! Thanks for watching the video :)
Love your video and good editing ❤
Parents Korean and Vietnamese, born in Germany, not entirely the same story here, but non-appreciation of heritage in the childhood days and finally appreciating one‘s individual story/biography through travelling to Korea/vietnam, reconnecting with family and cuisine (similar to you maybe) and the feeling of belonging everywhere and nowhere - man, that hits me where I live. Awesome video, thanks for sharing your experiences and honesty. All the best to you from Germany.
Wow, that’s quite a background story. Sounds to me like you have even more unique cultural experiences than I could have. Thanks for watching!!
Exactly! being Japanese is not necessarily based on how you look but more on how you act..
^^^
You sound American.
This made me nostalgic for Okinawa, my home. Even brought me to tears. You are so right; going back is important. I have not been back since '95? '96"? I did get to see my obaa-chan one more time before she passed and after that, I didn't want to return. Now? I do want to go back, if to just visit. My mom goes back regularly and brings me my fave tea leaves. You are right; it is good to go back. Thank you for sharing your video journey.
Let us know when you get a chance to return to Japan!
This video is incredible!!
Thank you!
I love your video, is a beautiful story ❤
Thanks for this video, I can finally feel that I am not alone in this world.
So happy to hear that :)
so much love in one video
gotta spread the love! 💕
Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your inner world
Thanks for watching!
Please keep making video's! You are very much talented!
Thank you!! Will keep trying to make more :)
I was born and raised in the U.S as a japanease american it has been 18 years since ive visted I was 8 during the time and I will be visiting for the 3rd time this September to see family. Even though I wasint born in Japan I still related to most of the things in the video. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing as well!
Thank you for sharing your story. Awesome cinematic documentary on self-reflection. Will you continue living in Japan? Despite the social norms and being treated as a foreigner mostlly? Hope to see more docu-shorts.
Thinking about going back at some point! I don’t think abiding by cultural norms mean as much to me as being able to see my extended family.
Really great work, both emotionally and visually beautiful.
Thank you so much. :)
Great work uncovering your true identity!
Thank you! I hope you have had/get the chance to do so yourself.
I'm a Japanese American and sometimes feel torn between 2 countries. This was a great video!
That's interesting I would actually say we are kinda similar. My mom's japanese and my dad's croatian, lived my whole life in Croatia. But I don't look full Croatian not full japanese. When I was younger I hated that and I viewed it as "I don't belong to neither countries" but as I grow older it's more like "I belong in both countries?" mindset. Honestly when I was super small I would visit Japan every 2 years as I had family there and would stay for a month and i always loved it, now I hope someone would tell me to cherish it a bit more cause I couldn't go there in 6 years cause of COVID. And I actually didn't even miss Japan, or so I thought cause this year 3 months ago I visited Japan for 2 weeks and, damn. All the memories came back (meeting one of my cousins after 10 years, the smell and the atmosphere) it felt pretty surreal and magical. When I first landed I was still unsure whether this is real or not, cause I had like a distant memory of how travelling to Japan felt like but yeah. Best 2 weeks of my life, I didn't even do anything too special, just walking around and seeing people I haven't seen in a long time, hell one of my cousins got 2 kids in the meantime. I definitely want to return asap. I feel like it's hard conveying my feelings in a TH-cam comment so I'll leave it at that (if your read all of this I am sorry)
Hey, thanks for sharing your story! I can’t say I fully understand your feelings, but I definitely empathize with your emotions since I had a similar experience, too! I’m really glad you got to go back recently, and I hope you get to go back again. Maybe you’ll have your own surprises to show your cousins! :)
I love this ❤
thanks for watching (and being in the video) :)
This experience would resonate with so many people now that migration is popular. In a way, we’re blessed to have a multicultural background. It might isolate us to a degree but gives us experience and a richness to understand that all cultures are different but can be blended, so we are beautifully unique.