i returned home to japan for the FIRST TIME in 20 years

Hi friend, thanks for watching this video about my recent travel back to japan. :) I hope you enjoy it!!

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[CrillerVids]

I listened to this while doing the dishes and thought it had millions of views, that says something about the quality, good job :)

[phoebeanderson]

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。

[lisabethb]

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!🙂❤️🇺🇸

[momotaroux]

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!

[naomiseale]

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.

[GiselleMetcalf-Grosso]

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.

[iiTzXDXDXD]

Mad respect for not letting anyone define who you are bro! Its your journey and you get to decide what it means to you🚀

[americanbystandard]

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.

[elshowdeoscarflores]

I am Mexican married to a Japanese woman from Tokyo. We have been in Los Angeles together for over twenty years. Every time we visit Japan, she feels more like a foreigner. She now lost track of the train system, she easily gets lost because how much Japan has changed since she left. I even took it as a task to learn the train system myself so that I can help her. It really is a struggle for her. Right now that the number of foreigners in Japan has been a its highest, she also feels like Japanese people look at her as if she is American rather. I feel you brother. Just keep it up.

[alexanderkoo]

Ethnically Taiwanese, culturally Japanese, educated in America. Coming back to Japan to stay, I told my Japanese friend, I hope I can fit in. He said, why? He was right.

I loved my home, family, friends, culture in Japan. It's not about fitting in, it's about loving your home.

[christopherrobertson]

You’re a captivating story teller! Great cinematography and editing too :)

[sero-zin_]

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!

[rizziphus]

Ashamed I didn’t find you sooner, glad I found you now. The editing is impeccable. I feel like I’m watching a documentary. ❤

[qwert_yuiop]

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!

[piercerose]

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.

[matthewflinchum]

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. 🙂🇺🇸❤️🇯🇵

[autumntriesthings]

This was recommended by YouTube 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

[kinositajona]

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.

[AyshhPayshhYT]

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

[marionbooth]

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. ☺