British/Canadian | Japanese

My parents both worked in development and moved for work every few years. So I spent my childhood in lots of different places, mostly in different Asian countries. My Father grew up in a really similar way, living in many countries including Zimbabwe, Pakistan and the United States. My Mum left Japan after university, moving first to East Africa, and other than for short periods, she only lived back in Japan after retirement. So living within multiple cultures was a shared experience in my family.

Despite being of mixed Asian and White ethnicity, I experience a lot of privilege so my feelings of cultural isolation are always quite conflicted. On the one hand not being considered ‘enough’ of a certain identity, or having to repeatedly justify your heritage is demoralising. But on the other hand I internalise those feelings of isolation because I feel guilty. I think other people experience more stigma and prejudice. This internalised conflict will probably never go away. But I’m really proud of having a mixed heritage, it has brought me a lot of joy.

Now that I live in London and am a Father, my Japanese heritage is even more important to me as I want to share it with my daughter. I try to speak to her exclusively in Japanese, like my Mum did to me, and really feel a responsibility to make her feel a part of her Japanese heritage. My daughter will have her own journey to discover what it means to be mixed-race for her. But I hope that I can support her in feeling that (my wife who phrased it so eloquently) your identity isn’t a fraction. You are all your identities, as a whole, in equal manner.

In Japan there are so many festivals to celebrate for children as they are growing up. My parents are so supportive in helping me maintain those traditions for my daughter to help her interact with Japanese culture. There is hinamatsuri, shichi-go-san, and tons of traditions over new years. Obviously, my daughter receiving otoshidama (pocket money) from her relatives on New years day and going to the toy store later that afternoon is a favourite!

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