When I was in elementary school, watching Detective Conan sparked my interest in the UK and foreign cultures. I was especially drawn to the foreign mindset that “it’s okay for everyone to be different.”
Back then, because my tastes, ways of thinking, and actions differed from those around me, I started to stand out in my class. Feeling that “being myself makes people think I’m weird”, I gradually began to suppress who I really was. That experience made me feel that living in Japan was difficult, and I desperately wanted to “escape” to a foreign country where individuality was more respected.
After that, I entered a foreign language university and studied foreign languages with the dream of working abroad. When I first started university, I was honestly full of the desire to escape Japan, and I could not bring myself to like my home country at all.
However, I had many opportunities to talk with international students there, and they all said the exact same thing: “Japan is amazing. It’s safe, clean, polite, and so easy to live in. In my country, if you drop your wallet, it’s gone forever! (haha)” My friends from overseas would talk to me, a Japanese person, with sparkling eyes about everything they knew about Japan. Seeing them, I realized they looked exactly like me whenever I talked about foreign countries (haha). That was the exact moment I finally thought, “So glad I’m Japanese.”
Furthermore, through volunteer activities during my university years, I learned more about Japan’s beautiful culture and national character. Once I started working, the people I had to rely on weren’t my teachers or friends anymore, but total strangers who happened to be Japanese. Even though we were complete strangers, whenever a problem arose, they would sweat alongside me and sincerely help me resolve it. In moments like that, I feel full of gratitude. That kind of care is definitely not something you can take for granted abroad.
Even now, I still feel that places like Osaka, where I spent my student years, and overseas suit my personality better. However, my mindset has completely shifted. Instead of “I want to go abroad because I hate Japan,” I’ve come to realize that both Japan and foreign countries have their own unique strengths, and I simply want to choose the place that fits me best. No matter where I am in the world, I want to live as myself. If I can smile and be happy, that is enough. 💓🌈

(Translated by Thanh Van)