ナオミの紹介と背景
What's up, amazing people? This is IYASASA RADIO by Akane and Minami. In this radio, we're going to talk about random topics in Okinawan, Japanese and English.
はいたーい!
はいたーい!
ぐすーよーちゅーがなぶらー!
はいたーい!
イヤササレディオのアカネとミナミやイビーン!
このレディオでぐすーよーんかい!
イエーゴとウチナーグチさんにいっぺーんさのはなし!
ドゥドゥケーアンディチ!
ウムトーイビーン!
ということで
We have a guest today, Naomi.
Let me introduce her real quick.
So, she is a second-generation Uchinancho American,
a world traveler, surfer, skater, and second-degree black belt in Uechi-ryu Karate.
With a background in mechanical engineering and a passion for art and community,
Naomi brings a powerful blend of creativity, culture, and strength to everything she does.
ということで
We have Naomi today.
Thank you for coming.
シマクトバクラスの体験
Thank you for coming.
Hi, Tai. Thank you for having me.
So, you're in L.A. right now.
Yup, I live in Los Angeles.
So, in Japan, we're in the afternoon, and in L.A., it's at night.
At night.
Night time, 9 o'clock.
So, this is how I met Naomi in Okinawa.
My husband started Shimakutoba Juku in Okinawa,
and she was in Okinawa at the same time, and I met her at the class.
And immediately, I wanted to do, you know, doing podcast with her,
and then she said yes, and then now we are.
Yeah.
You did.
You guys are awesome.
I love the class, too.
How was the Shimakutoba class, though?
Was it easy, or was it like...
I think I learned a lot.
I learned a lot about, like, the correct way to, like, say what the Okinawan language is.
Like, I always thought it was Ichinaguchi, but that just is, like, specific.
Like, that's just, like, mainland, like, central and south, like, languages.
And then Shimakutoba is, like, that is more of a general way to say, like,
the different languages across the towns and the islands of Okinawa.
I learned so much, yeah.
It's cool.
You guys took the class, too, right?
It was the first time we did a class.
Yeah.
Like, even if I live in Okinawa, it's really difficult to find the Shimakutoba class.
Like, I know, like, a lot of people can speak, like, Obachan, Toka Ojiichan, Toka,
but they don't teach us, like, class.
So, that's why we started the class.
Yeah, that's a good movement, I think.
So, let's go.
Go ahead.
Oh, I was just going to say, like, I posted a video of me learning Shimakutoba with my Obachan.
Yo, we were using the paper from the class, and we were reading it together.
And I posted that video, and so many people were like, oh, my God, like, where can I learn more?
Like, and then I just went on YouTube.
Like, there's so many videos on YouTube.
But it's interesting, like, people are curious.
They want to learn more, and a lot of people don't know that Okinawa language is so different from Japanese.
It's going to be big, then, that class.
Yeah, a lot more people are going to learn.
ナオミの夏休みの思い出
So, let's dig in about Naomi more.
So, you grew up in Virginia, near Washington, D.C.
So, you were born and raised in the States?
Yeah, born and raised in the States.
But every year, I think every year since I was, like, two or three years old, I would come to Okinawa.
For sure, when I was five years old, I would come to Okinawa for, like, the whole summer.
Like, three months, June, July, August, because that's when we had summer vacation.
And I would live with my obachan and ojiichan.
So, during the summer vacation, you went to a local Japanese, I mean, Okinawan school during the day?
Yeah, so, yeah, my parents insisted that I go to...
So, I have a twin brother, so it would be me and my twin brother.
We went to...
We had a twin brother, so we survived school in the summer.
Because we would finish the school year in America, like, September to June.
And then, my parents would take us to Okinawa.
And, like, starting at age eight years old, they wouldn't take us to Okinawa.
Like, my brother and I would just go on the airplane by ourselves.
They'd be like, bye-bye, go to your ojiichan, obachan.
So, like, yeah, we flew to Japan or we flew to Tokyo and then Okinawa by ourselves.
Sometimes our uncle would meet us in Tokyo and then take us to Okinawa.
沖縄の学校生活
But, yeah, we went to school out there.
And my obachan's house is actually right beside a hoikuen.
So, I first started going to hoikuen.
And I remember, like, my brother and I would be crying.
We're like, we want to go home.
So, we would just walk home because it's right by the...
Our house was right by the hoikuen.
But then, after that, like, yo-chi-en, yo-chi-en, and then sho-gakko, chu-gakko, we started going.
Like, every summer we would go.
Oh, I see.
But when you went to, like, elementary school in Okinawa first, did you get, like, nervous?
Or you didn't understand most of it?
Or how was the... How was it?
Yeah, I think it was a shock.
Because I just remember, like, you're, like, six years old or five years old.
And you're, like, you're going to your first day of school with, like, all these kids that you don't know.
And you don't know what to expect.
Like, I think I'm reflecting on it a lot now.
And I'm like, oh, my God, I was just a kid.
And, like, when you're a kid, you're exposed to new things.
And you kind of learn fast.
So, maybe more than shock, I was just, like, learning.
But, yeah, like, I learned quickly, like, the rules in school.
I learned that, like, you have to clean your own classroom.
You have to serve everybody lunch.
Like, I remember, like, the milk carton.
You had to fold it a certain way.
And I'm like, what the?
How does everybody know?
How does every single kid know how to fold the milk carton?
I was like, what the heck?
This is so crazy.
Yeah.
I noticed, like, education in the States and Japan is, like, totally different.
And there's some, like, advantages and disadvantages in, like, Japan.
Like, everyone is follow the rules.
And then it's easy to, like, organize people in Japan.
But it, you know, because of that, a lot of people, like, lost their, like, their uniqueness.
Or, like, you know, like, what they really want to do, they lost it.
Sometimes I feel like that.
But in the States, everyone is, like, showing their character.
And then people really don't care about around people style.
For me, I felt like that.
But how did you feel about it when you were in school in Japan?
That's so interesting because I think, yeah, that's interesting.
Because there's two things happening at once when I was at school in Japan.
Like, one, I knew I was, like, the American kid.
And I knew I had, like, certain strengths.
Like, I loved doing sports.
I was, like, a tomboy.
So I was, like, I always want to play soccer with the guys and be outside.
But, like, that wasn't normal.
And, like, I know I was strong.
And I remember school in Japan, I was, like, okay, I'm going to arm wrestle everybody.
Like, just some random stuff that you do as a kid.
But then at the same time, I knew, like, I didn't want to stick out so much.
Because already going to school, I was, like, the American kid.
So, like, people would come to, like, people from other floors of my school, like, in elementary school,
they would come to our classroom and they, like, look at, like, the window.
And they'd, like, be, like, where's the girl?
Like, they would point at me.
So I didn't want to be, like, so seen, you know.
So I was, like, oh, my God, everybody's already talking about me.
Like, they're looking at me.
Like, I was so self-conscious.
Like, even, like, the folding the milk carton, I was, like, oh, my God, somebody's looking at me.
They know I didn't do it right.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, all these little things.
But then I knew I was, like, also, like, different.
Like, not different.
But, like, I knew I was, like, a louder person and more, like, I'm going to do this.
I'm going to go outside and play with the boys.
And, like, it's going to be okay.
And, like, you know, all these other things.
So it was a balance.
I was trying to balance all the time.
Oh, nice.
I think you fit in the school because of your personality, I guess.
Like, you're outgoing and then people will follow you one day.
言語と教育の背景
Maybe.
Maybe.
I mean, I feel like I was, of course, you have to be nice.
Like, I feel like I was a nice kid.
And I feel like I could do a lot.
Like, my parents always made sure I tried so many things.
And that I was, you know, at least, like, pretty good at many things.
I wasn't, like, an expert.
But, like, you know, I could get by.
I could learn fast.
So I feel like I was prepared to go to school in Japan.
Or to have new experiences.
Yeah.
I think Naomi took, you know, both good thing and then blended together.
Right.
So.
I hope.
Yeah, you are.
I mean, like, you're shiny.
Because there's a light.
It's right there.
It's a good light.
Oh, wait.
It's a good light.
So, grew up in the States.
So, your parents, your mom is Japanese.
And your dad is American.
So, you guys speaking in both languages at home.
Or when you come to Japan, you learn Japanese.
And going back to States and speaking all English.
How was, like, the language-wise?
Yeah.
So.
So, I.
A couple of things.
I actually went to elementary school in America that was.
It had a Japanese immersion program.
So, half the day was in Japanese.
Half the day was in English.
It was just a regular public school.
But they had this program that anybody could enter.
Like, people who are not Japanese did this program.
So, like, science, math, and health was all in Japanese.
And then English, history, and, like, gym was in English.
So, I actually spent, like, half the day.
Like, a lot of the.
A lot of.
Whoa, I just almost ate my microphone.
A lot of.
A lot of the, like, words I learned in science.
I learned in Japanese first, almost, you know.
Because it was this Japanese immersion program.
So, I spoke a lot of Japanese in America from that.
And I went.
In middle school, I took Japanese classes.
High school, I took Japanese class.
And then.
Yeah, at home, my mom would speak Japanese a lot.
With my dad, we speak mostly English.
But he understood a little bit of Japanese.
Because he lived in Okinawa for, like, seven to eight years.
Yeah.
You had good education of language.
Yeah.
I feel like I should have learned Spanish, though, in high school.
Like, I took Japanese because it was an easy A.
But I feel like I should have taken Spanish.
Because it would help me now.
You know, because I'm learning Spanish right now.
Oh, nice.
Yeah.
So, besides the summer school in Okinawa.
You also participate with some exchange program.
沖縄・アルゼンチンの交流プログラム
In Okinawa and Argentina, was it?
Yeah.
Who are you?
And what did you do in the program?
Yeah.
So, the first program that I did was called Uchina Junior Study Tour.
And that's a program that is through the Okinawan government.
And they connect it with all the Okinawa Kenjinkai all over the world.
So, I learned about it from my Kenjinkai in Washington, D.C.
But I did the program in 2012.
And.
Um.
It was like.
I'm trying to remember.
How old was I? 2012.
I was in junior year, maybe.
High school.
So, maybe I was like 16?
17? 16?
I think I was 16 years old.
Something like that.
But, yeah.
So, I did that program.
And that was with like 30 other kids from all around the world.
Who are also Uchinanshu descent.
And that was like my first time.
I think meeting like Uchinanshu kids from like around the world.
And like hearing.
Like what they do back in their country.
Or back in their state.
Or back in their town.
Like what kind of involvement they have with Okinawa.
In Okinawan culture.
So, that was one program.
And then the other program was Niseta.
And Niseta is based in South America.
And they invite people from the U.S. as well.
But it's mostly people from South America.
But it's similar program.
They invited like also like 30 kids.
And that was in 2000 and.
Eh? What year was that?
Maybe like two years later, I think.
2014?
15?
I was in college.
沖縄文化とアイデンティティの探求
I guess I was in college.
But yeah.
I did this program too.
And that one was tricky for me.
Because most people there spoke Spanish.
Like when I was in Uchina Junior Study Tour.
I could speak English and Japanese.
And that was like.
I was good.
But in Niseta.
Not many people spoke English.
And not many people spoke Japanese.
So, I was like.
Dude, how do I talk to everybody?
But it was an amazing experience.
Why are you studying Spanish now?
No.
I'm studying Spanish now.
Because in California.
There's so many people who speak Spanish.
And I just want to be able to communicate.
But also like.
It's so helpful to know Spanish.
Like I wish I knew it.
When I went to Niseta.
Because.
Yeah.
I could communicate.
And like make deeper friendships.
I think.
But yeah.
That's nice.
But many populations speak Spanish in the States too.
Spanish is the second biggest language in the world, right?
I think it is.
I think Chinese.
Or the English was the number one.
And Spanish is number two.
Or three.
Those three.
You're right.
Almost the same.
It sounds similar.
Like the vowels.
Like A, I, U, E, O.
Is similar to Spanish.
Yeah.
So.
I would always mix it up.
That's true.
And like we talked earlier.
That we always feel like.
Utenants who live overseas.
Are more passionate about Okinawan culture.
And stuff.
Compared to Okinawan local people.
And.
It's.
It's sometimes weird.
Like.
Utenants who live outside of Okinawa.
Know about Okinawa more than us.
But.
What made you to.
Like study.
And like learn.
And you know.
Dig in about Okinawan identity so much.
That's a good question.
Yeah.
I think.
What made me.
Dig into Okinawan identity so much.
I feel like now as an adult.
I think about it a lot more.
Because I.
Understand how important.
Like culture and traditions.
Are and also I understand.
Like in the States.
Like identity is like.
Really really important.
But.
I also know that.
Like when people are like.
Oh are you Japanese?
Like I'm like.
I'm Japanese.
But I.
It's.
Not.
Like Tokyo Japanese.
It's a different kind of Japanese.
Like I'm Okinawan.
And.
I realize more and more that like.
The more I say I'm like.
Oh I'm Japanese.
It takes away from people actually.
Learning about Okinawa.
In general.
So now when I introduce myself.
They're like.
Oh what's your background?
I'm like.
Oh my mom is from Okinawa.
I'm half Okinawan.
And people are like.
Oh what is that?
Like it's easier for me to say like.
Oh I'm Japanese.
Like people are like.
Oh yeah yeah.
I know what that is.
But when I say Okinawan.
They're like.
What is that?
And it allows for.
A bigger conversation.
Like you know.
Somebody else can learn something.
That they didn't know.
You know.
I think it's.
I think it's important to mention it.
But.
Yeah.
Like.
Since I was young.
You know like.
I learned like.
I was learning like.
Different Okinawa.
Like words.
Like even the way I talk.
Was different.
Like I would be in school.
In Japanese class.
And they'd be like.
My teacher would say like.
Oh.
Ah you have a funny way.
Of saying things.
You know.
Because it wasn't like.
Classic like Japanese.
And so.
Having moments like that.
I'm like.
Oh wow.
Like my experience.
With Japan.
Is different.
It's not.
Japanese.
It's.
Okinawan.
Remember that.
Akane also.
Speaking in some episodes.
That.
You gotta.
Explain about.
Japanese culture.
And.
Okinawan culture.
At the same time.
In New York.
Yeah.
When I was at the class.
I had to introduce.
My hometown.
And I explain.
About Okinawa.
I mean.
I had to talk about Japan first.
But.
I had to explain about Okinawa.
沖縄と本土の違い
At the same time.
Because.
For example.
The tempura.
The koromo.
Is different.
From mainland Japan.
And Okinawa.
You know.
Okinawa is thick.
And soft.
Tempura.
But.
In mainland Japan.
They have like.
What is it.
Crispy.
Thin.
Koromo.
That's so funny.
And then.
Yeah.
When it comes to soba.
We don't eat.
Nihon soba.
For.
New years.
In Japan.
They eat.
Like.
Nihon soba.
Right.
We eat Okinawa soba.
So.
I had to explain.
All the things.
They were like.
Ok.
Okinawa is Okinawa.
And finally.
They understood.
Where I'm from.
That's so interesting.
That happens a lot.
I feel like.
People are more open.
To.
Like.
People want to know.
Not just like.
The general idea.
Of things.
Nowadays.
You know.
People actually want to know.
Like.
Where are you from.
Like.
Oh.
What is that thing.
That you actually do.
That's different.
Like.
Maybe back in the day.
Like.
People are.
Like.
Didn't feel like.
They needed to explain.
Or.
Like.
Maybe.
We didn't think.
It was so important.
To explain.
Like.
Little things.
But I think now.
Like.
A lot more people are curious.
And.
Find it important.
To like.
Hey.
Like.
Okinawa.
And.
Mainland Japan.
Have differences.
You know.
I think.
Living in the states.
Especially.
You need to like.
Find your.
Like.
Identity.
Because.
You are not.
Native American.
You know.
Your nationality.
So.
We.
Minami and I.
Talk about it.
Like.
A lot recently.
That's our.
Right.
Think about.
Like.
What is America?
Yeah.
What is American?
Who is American?
But everyone.
What is American?
Everyone can be an American.
But.
No one is American.
True.
That's interesting.
Like.
That's so interesting.
Because when you think about it.
Like.
It depends.
Who you ask.
And.
It depends.
Like.
Sometimes where people start.
Like.
What year do they start?
Like.
Who is true American?
Like.
The Native Americans.
But like.
Who is American?
By.
The standards that we see as America.
Like today.
Yeah.
That's a good question too.
Because.
America looks like.
So many different people.
It's not just like.
White people.
You know.
But to me.
That what makes.
American.
American.
To me.
Because everything is mixed.
And everyone has different background.
That makes you.
That makes you.
Look like American to me.
But you can also mention about.
Your.
Your deeper background too.
So it's like.
For us.
It's like.
We have two.
Not nationality.
But two identities.
Like.
Okinawan.
Japanese.
But we're not against Japanese.
You know.
Being Japanese.
We're told.
We're told.
We're told.
We're told.
We're told.
We're told.
We're told.
We're told.
We're told.
We're totally.
Both.
You know.
It depends.
On situation.
As you know.
Uh huh.
The I can't imagine that.
Where.
Oh, there now.
Me mentioned.
So we are more.
Think about.
Our identity stuff.
I think.
Because of the.
You know, social media.
Short videos.
Like they.
About.
About you know.
Differences between.
Language or the.
Culture hate.
Is it true or not.
like is it stereotype or is it like what is like so people start you know talking about
or shouting about like their rights so um can we talk about the Naomi's um tiktok stuff
like it was so it's connect to the dots what we talk about so yeah so what was the video you
yeah let me tell you guys about the tiktok drama
so recently i've been posting a lot of videos about okinawa i'm posting videos about like
okinawa history like a lot of people don't know that okinawa well we were just talking about this
沖縄の文化とハナシ
we're not sure right now but in my video i said that like okinawa was not always part of japan
that it has its own culture um i made videos about like indigenous like okinawa is okinawans
like uq people are indigenous people um i posted a video about this guy at a protest or he protested
against um or i posted a video of a guy who was protesting during um the
um and like saying like don't make sure okinawa doesn't go back into war again so
i was posting a lot of like opinion and also like stuff that i learned about okinawa
and a lot of people have a lot of things to say in social media a lot of people are like okinawans
or have always been japanese people or they're like some people are like free okinawa
and then people are like free okinawa if they're an independent country then someone's going to
take them over they're never going to be free and like and then other people are like really
positive they're like thank you for telling me about this i didn't know that okinawa was so
different like all i see is videos of how beautiful okinawa is the ocean the food but like no one's
talking about the culture so i'm getting a lot of information on there but it's it's interesting
because it's making me think and learn and i also feel like social media is interesting because i
feel when i'm talking about okinawa now so many people are like engaging i feel responsible like
i feel like i'm representing okinawans so i i almost feel like i have this role that i want
to make sure i'm doing correctly but i also realize like i'm human and i can't represent
every single uchinanchu or nisei or sansei you know like i can only be human so yeah that's totally
true yeah it you know no matter what information you post especially if it's related to culture
and identity some people will be against you and some people will be oh i didn't know that
like so it can be a really good tool to learn things but it can be really dangerous to you know
immerse in different information it can be i'm not talking about Naomi's tiktok but everyone can post
the video seems like the fact or the history but i in my guess but 90% won't dig in the truth
you know just see the video oh put the like that's it share it that's the fact
no one you know dig in more so that's that can be scary
hmm totally i feel like everybody has a responsibility to like
use their critical thinking right like you can't just accept for you can't just accept the
information that you see online like we have to use our brains we have to research we have to
even like stuff that i say i'm like i post it and i'm like somebody says something they're like oh
that's wrong i'm like okay i have to go look this up now you know like yeah it's it happens
yeah like some people like to talk about what they think and this is truth this is false
things like that but we are not like a researcher so we don't know that 100% like true stuff but
we try to dig and we try to research as much as we can and then it's important to you know show
our opinion and then exchange what we think and that's sometimes for some people to start thinking
about it and you know to click their mind so i think it's very nice you post okinawan stuff
and represent okinawa i'm trying my best i know i'm like only talking about my own experience
like everybody has so many different experiences um but i'm like hey it's my social media i'm
gonna talk about me but yeah i always try to respect and like you know check in and like
you know just make sure i'm a good person
you know at least the person who posted the video were open to you know discuss about
new ideas and that's fine yeah especially not only okinawan thing but like indigenous
or the like small island stuff hawaiian or cataluna or something like that
our information is pretty not really well balanced you know balanced you know
explained whole world like maybe some we sometimes believe that u.s government hiding okinawan
history so that we don't know it and then ghq control our textbooks so that we don't know the
truth but we don't know the truth if we have evidence but we are we were not living in the
ハジチの文化と意義
era so it's like a whole mystery like a universe so why cannot we be open about we're not 100%
sure but let's talk about it but yeah some people can be really aggressive but that's not a bad
thing i don't know i don't know i agree dude i feel like i feel like you're right like we don't
know what information is true we just know what experience of ours is true like like even if you
ask people um like or not if you ask people like what am i trying to say like we can like anyway
for example about hajichi right like a lot of people so when i first got hajichi and like i
researched it they were like oh you get it for marriage spiritual spiritual protection you get
it for um like seeing your ancestors in the afterlife people get it when they are coming of
age like all these different things this was in like different hajichi books right but then my
grandma and like all her generation they're like oh you only get it when you're married
so i'm like wait what's true because this is what my grandma's generation thinks and maybe it's true
but like there's other evidence that show that people got hajichi because
like they're coming of age they're protecting themselves like it's not just for marriage and
that was interesting because i was like even within the people like you can ask different
people and they have different interpretations about the doing that's so controversial that's
so fun yeah people going crazy on my i posted a video of like my mom reaction to my hajichi
which was consensual she let me post it i was like can i post it she's like okay um
and a lot of people they're like oh you did this like you did this to make your mom mad like how
dare you or people are like oh my god your mom is brainwashed she doesn't understand um
indigenous culture is so important like your mom is crazy i'm like dude i love my mom
she loves me and i got these tattoos for my own reasons like that's my truth but a lot of people
will speculate a lot they'll talk about different things and i forgot why i was talking about this
but yeah the tattoo the whole tattoo thing like also it's interesting in japan and interesting
in okinawa yeah hajichi is very controversial so i was so curious like what people react
to your like hajichi too yeah so many people in america supported me like all my friends here
supported me um strangers i don't know they were like oh my god those are so cool are they real
um and then i get to explain like what they are
um and then in okinawa i was super nervous when i came to okinawa in june uh june this past year
like a few months ago or last month what wait it was only last month that's crazy
so when i came last month i was nervous because i was like okay this is the real like
you know this is actual people from okinawa like where this culture is from who are going to see my
tattoos so yeah tattoo hajichi can be really controversial because you know now people
getting a tattoo uh to as a fashion but for hajichi not really a fashion but some people
just get it because it's cool or they love okinawa but you know their identity but is it
you know i i'm not in position to say like hey you you cannot get hajichi because you are not
a certain you know position everyone can have it one but wait hajichi was for
when people get married or people some kind of life how was it
right but uh hajicha my friend hajicha said she try not to do hajichi to both hands who hasn't
who doesn't have okinawa dna oh and to protect how hajichi is as a traditional
things if she does hajichi to like everyone and if she doesn't care about the root and it doesn't
mean anything anymore right so it's a small thing but she tries to keep the tradition
and protect how it is so that's what she says and i remember it
i feel like there's a responsibility for like both people like the person who is getting hajichi
and then the hajicha right like i think the person who's getting hajichi is like looking up to the
and like hoping that they're guided properly like getting the correct symbols um and like
ハジチと文化の重要性
learning everything that they need to learn before getting hajichi right so it's like mindful and i
feel like they also have like the responsibility to make sure like if they want to preserve it
right like how your friend is doing um that they like take their own steps to make sure that
they're respecting the culture you know so if that's like you're only doing hajichi for people
who are have okinawa descendant or okinawan lineage then that's what they're going to do
you know and i feel like people who want to get hajichi also have the responsibility to like
respect the culture but also like if you're not by blood okinawan but maybe you're born and raised
in okinawa like are you allowed to have hajichi like i think so you know but again yeah i don't know
interesting because you know hajichi is kind of new new i should not say it's trend but it's a new
trend right now but you know all over the world we have
it's like all over and then i think they also had this period of time like talking about like what
you know what kind of person should not get it or get it but now it's like all over so
sadly i think hajichi can be like that too like you know one of the cool
you know it's really personal so it doesn't you know should affect the hajichi itself it's
i mean people has right to get ink so
um so like before that we cut off i was saying how like in america i felt super supported getting
hajichi but in okinawa i felt like nervous because i was like okay this is like where i actually care
like what people think about my hajichi because like this is the okinawan culture
and i remember like walking around i was like walking around naha like doing things and i was
like scared people are gonna be like oh she's not uchinanchu or like why does she have hajichi
like i was afraid that people were gonna say different things or if they were going to be
like nervous to talk to me or interact with me because i have hand tattoos um and it was actually
interesting because i got more like i was actually able to open up and talk to hajichi or talk about
hajichi to people around me because i have hajichi like my family members were asking me
questions my obachan was talking about history um i was in like a random place in ikejima
and at this gift store and these ladies were like is that hajichi like i haven't seen that since my
obachan that she like wow like what is the meaning and because i learned about the meaning of hajichi
i was able to explain and a lot of the people were like wow like they did not know that was
the meaning for hajichi and like i think i felt grateful to have this because it opened up so many
conversations and opened up so many interactions whether it was like really light and positive or
like if it was like more heavy like with my family they were like why did you get it you know what
does this mean for you it really like made me question and be curious about myself and like my
interaction with my family and like with my relationship with okinawan culture so but i'm
happy i got it you know she at the beginning akane asked naomi that why what made you you know
motivated to dig in about okinawa identity so much then you know the okinawan raised and grew up
in here i just felt like you know to be open about differences and new stuff is
one of the important thing is to travel i think
i visit another country or immerse in another
people who has their like a strong their identity makes me feel too curious about myself too
hmm like i'm me grew up in okinawa like as normal okinawan kids but if i go outside and then meet
people and if some people are proud of their country or their culture and it makes me more
interesting about myself like what we do in okinawa hometown and compared to other places
and countries okinawa has like different culture and it's very interesting and if some people
react like you have like such a special you know culture and tradition and that makes me proud of
okinawa too and you know connecting the people who also have like same identity and who has
沖縄とアメリカの文化的視点
same passion it's fun to you know do something together like this
i feel that
yeah no i feel that way too like i find it so interesting too when i travel and i meet people
who are super prideful for their country and for their culture and who are excited to
teach people about their culture because then it makes me think like okay like what do i feel
excited about like my culture to share you know and then i think about america like am i proud
to be american am i proud you know to be okinawa like and the more i talk about okinawa and the
more i get to experience it like every time i leave okinawa and then i come back
like for me to be able to experience life as american person and then go back to okinawa
i'm able to like have a fresh mindset and be like wow this is different this is new like i'm able to
appreciate it more and i think it can also go the same way as like american like i go to another
country i come back to the u.s i'm like wow i'm so happy to be american for these reasons it's like
maybe similar you know but until you like sometimes until you leave you don't really
appreciate like what there is right or maybe you do and you know i don't know
yeah i feel like i have to remember like when i go back and forth like i am able to experience
okinawa in such like small intense and like beautiful bursts but i also have to remember like
like the okinawa that i experienced in like a week or two or two months is not like the day-to-day
lifestyle that people normally live in okinawa you know and i have to like remember to respect
that and appreciate that you know like um and like be real like if i want to live long term in okinawa
i know it's not going to be like this incredible like oh my god so many people can hang out and
like i'm experiencing all these beautiful things like i know life is going to continue to happen
you know um and i feel like yeah when you visit any place like we should keep that mindset like
if you're like visiting hawaii or like thailand or another country like yeah it can be beautiful
and amazing but like remember people like have lives and live day to day and they experience
certain things every day that you don't have to experience like if i'm visiting chatan or sunabe
like i don't experience what people might experience every day with like the military
base like hearing all the helicopters and sounds like i'm like oh i'm enjoying but i have to
remember people are you know they're going through things every day that i don't have to
and i just have to remember to respect that and and acknowledge it too you know
yeah yeah that's so true i mean you can learn from you know the textbook or internet but if you
in that you know the place like you can smell and you can hear the sound and everything in atmosphere
and especially okinawa this so muggy weather is like oh i'm in okinawa feels like
to visit the places is so important to you know to aware of a new things
because i appreciate to hear like you respect like a locals and like their life
yeah
it's not like 100 percent okinawa
like you because since you have family in okinawa and it's you know more easy to access to local
people's life so that way you know more about okinawa compared to like other like tourists
you know even if it's like a short time to visit yeah i still feel like i'm like learning
to like i have like the okinawa that i grew up in as a kid and i like glamorized it for sure i was
like oh my god i'm in the summer like going to the beach being with my obacha on chicha all my friends
but like the more i go as an adult like i'm more aware of like certain things that
i never really understood as a kid you know like i don't know stuff like
the day-to-day things that you see or even like learning that like okinawa is is the poorest
prefecture in all of japan right and like then i remember seeing like a lot of my friends like
they have babies when they're younger and i was like you know i never understood what that was
but like yeah there's just certain things that that i'm like learning as an adult and like
沖縄文化の多様性
even though i'm trying to like represent and like understand so much of okinawa like
um what am i trying to say i think i all i have is like my own experience and all i can do is like
respect other people's experiences and like be curious but yeah there's definitely so many
different versions of life and like how people view the culture and how people live in okinawa
like people leave they go to tokyo and they live there you know or like they'll stay and they'll
have a family yeah i don't know where i was going with that but that's that's that yeah i feel you
um yeah maybe you know for like naomi who grew up as a second generation in overseas
outside of you know okinawa if you you know ever come to okinawa you know we can you know reach us
and then maybe we can hang out and you know see the places together but for us okinawan
raised and grew up in here try travel and see different kinds of people and then you know
expand your view or something like that so we can you know do both you know try to
in like naomi case you travel like around and you lived like few places and you visit like many
places and meet people and you have like like real experience at the place so
you
depends on the the person's experience
the more we know things the more we feel like we're so ignorant you see you see what i mean
like i always think that like you dig in more and then you feel like you're fucking stupid
like you don't know shit and then
like we just love being okinawan and be who we are but we cannot say like hey i know things
you know because you don't we don't know the history even like there is no
such a thing to make sure what that was for you
yeah that was that was so interesting that you said that like even you guys like
are saying that you don't know if the history that
we're that you're learning in okinawa is correct okinawa history you know like that for me that
because i'm like talking online about okinawa and then i'm like wait is this even true
and then like there's kenjin guy all over the world who are talking about
things about okinawa and we're all teaching each other like the same thing you know
so it's like net like yeah kind of conflicting i think but i think what no no it's a biggest
mystery now no go ahead i was just gonna say i think like the whole purpose of maintaining
culture and tradition is to feel connection with people in general right so like we're
maintaining okinawan culture yeah to respect the traditions and whatnot but like to feel connected
to other people to be able to be like that's my brother that's my sister they're living in brazil
but i feel connected to them because we both have uchinanchi roots you know like people just
want to feel connection just as humans so like whether or not we know the history i feel like
as long as like we're being human and respecting each other and wanting to connect with other
people i feel like if we're doing that at the minimum like i think we're doing pretty good
you know i think once things start to become negative and we become closed off to things then
that's when something must be going wrong i don't know that's my opinion
歴史とアイデンティティ
yeah believe yeah yeah it's religious
it's not religion i know but it's kind of similar you know i think so pursuing something we can't
see or we don't know but we want to believe it and yeah yeah oh that's so huge it's like a universe
but you know what makes okinawan okinawan is not based on the history i mean it can be
it helps to think about it but at the end of the day you decide who you are and then
no one can deny that yeah it's important to think about not only discussing about
what textbook it sounds about right to study about it but you know the day-to-day life i don't care
what you think so you know just have a good life i know i feel like i'm like am i going to get
cancelled if i say this but i'm not that but i feel like a lot of people okay i think there's
like a lot of good things happening here in the states and maybe other countries where like nisei
sensei yonsei tachi are like there's like a movement happening right now where people want to
call okinawa ichina right they want to use like traditional okinawan language and like they don't
want to call it okinawa because that's what like colonial japan gave the name right yeah i think i
was just saying like all these things i think are important to like retain the culture right
but at the same time i feel like like how you said um but then my brain is gonna go crazy but
okay i think it's important what you said like you just gotta live life like what makes okinawans
is not like what's written in the history textbooks or you know like it's like the people it's the
lifestyle like my friends who i love who are uchinanchu who are like super uchinanchu like
they're not worried about calling okinawa uchina you know they're just living their life the way
that they grew up with the traditions that they grew up in they're experiencing it day to day
they're not all doing esa they're not all doing karate you know like they're just who they are
because of how they grew up in okinawa because of their environment and like that makes them
uchinanchu and like when i go to okinawa like i'm excited to be in that atmosphere because like that
for me feels like real and not performative and um and like it doesn't feel like it's like trying
to be something you know it's like no like they're this way because they're uchinanchu
if that makes sense yeah
like it's good to describe the difference between like a local uchinanchu versus
um naita uchinanchu uchina shima uchinanchu how do you say
shima naita
shima naita wants to be like okinawan people and they try to do like a like a esa okinawan izakaya
or stuff like that but we don't do it so it's kind of similar to that oh wait what's shima naita is
that shima naita is like a
naiti no hito?
naiti no hito is a naiti who moved to okinawa
right oh yeah many of them come to okinawa and do okinawan stuff because they love okinawa
what do you guys what do you guys feel about that i don't know it's i don't think it's positive
calling i don't think
even they say shima naita themselves uh yeah so it's not really uh you know it's like pride you
know i'm shimana i never heard that before
but it's interesting
yeah you know i know i want to accept i mean i accept everyone who they are but
man if think start thinking about okinawan stuff a lot it makes me feel like
you know i want to discuss more like because there's no certain answer like i want to say
something to towards everything but yeah yeah
minami like to debate and discuss and you know like yeah is it about is it because i love okinawa
too much or i don't know
being american discussing about what american is the same
but everyone has strong identity i think especially okinawa is the most
strong identity that all the japanese has because of the history and then
and it's popular island for every kind of thing so yeah we i think we cannot stop talking about it
you know
i think it's good though that there's people who will talk passionately about it you know
because that will open up discussions for people like if i didn't know who to talk to i'll be like
okay i'm gonna talk to minami and ask her what she thinks about this you know because i know
she's gonna want to talk about it um yeah yeah but
i think a lot of people think that yes is like so real and then you know but loved okinawa as
indigenous people
we are widely more open about you know to know about okinawa
we don't support anything but we do support you know discussing about and hearing about
the differences
sometimes it can be it can be ugly discussion maybe in the future with some guests but yeah why
not like when i talk to the guest and when i hear what they think that makes me to you know organize
my thought you know like what i think what i feel from what i hear from somebody else
i think what you guys are doing is
really really important and incredible like and it's great that you guys are open-minded to
異なる経験の重要性
having different voices and that you guys are open-minded to like if it's even something like
good or bad or whatever like you're open to listening and then researching it and thinking
about having your own opinion about it for yourself but like i think the same thing can
apply if like we were in a podcast about america and you're asking me my experience as an american
like dude there's so many different experiences you know like i think it's important to hear
different voices to really put the picture together like how are we all living in this one
place so same thing with okinawa like you guys probably have a different lifestyle from your
friends or your neighbor so or yeah or like other ichinanshi around the world and i think
it's all information you know and
it's if people want to be curious about it like at least there's a place
where they can find this information yeah so true okay so at the end of the day
we're just human
doesn't matter just connect and support and then you know don't be a bitch be nice
ナオミへの感謝
be real be supportive yeah so uh about naomi i will put some you know her instagram and then
about skateboarding that we couldn't talk about it so let's you know check her out and thank you
for coming again thank you thank you guys so much thank you
