“We’re volunteer staff for today’s Vietnam Festival. It’s the biggest we’ve ever been to. Sometimes it surprises us how big the Vietnamese community is in Japan. We’re the third-largest group of foreign residents here. I’m from Huế (left), she’s from Danang (right), and we made a Japanese friend (center) today, who’s even wearing our traditionalContinue reading
“We’re all from Cambodia. It’s famous for Angkor Wat, a temple complex with religious monuments. Have you ever been? We came to Japan to study because Japan is a famous destination and getting a degree here means a lot.” Guy wearing a mask: “I’m majoring in electrical engineering. I hope to apply my knowledge andContinue reading Cambodia Festival 2019
“Growing up in Vietnam, I was so afraid of not getting into a good school. There was pressure from my family, teachers and friends. So when I didn’t pass the entrance exam of a university where I wanted to study, I cried for a whole day. Looking back now, it wasn’t the end of theContinue reading Accepting Failure
“My parents didn’t really support the idea of me pursuing art professionally back home in Indonesia. I guess because they were concerned about my future. But they were supportive of me coming to Japan, since they knew how much I love drawing ever since I was a kid. And it’s pretty big in Japan, withContinue reading For Art’s Sake
“I was very reclusive in my first year in Japan. I didn’t have many friends and didn’t go out much. I only focused on studying. I also kept coming up with reasons not to interact with people so I could stay in my personal space. I remember thinking it was OK because people have differentContinue reading Coming Out of My Shell
“My family got a lot of media attention while me and my seven younger brothers were growing up in Hiroshima. Maybe it’s because our father is Australian, our mother is Japanese, and there weren’t many big multicultural families (if any at all) in that remote part of Japan. We were on a TV show thatContinue reading Global Talent
“When I arrived at graduate school in Japan, the first thing that greeted me were two cards on my desk saying, ‘Don’t kill yourself’ and ‘Don’t sexually harass people.’ Then I found out I didn’t actually have a scholarship. So that was a very stressful period. Good thing I was able to manage another scholarshipContinue reading Brain Drain
***日本語訳は下をご覧ください*** “People think we’re a couple but we’re actually business partners. She’s from Vietnam, I’m from Thailand, and we met in university while I was a student and she was working in the admissions office of our campus. At first I was just helping out, making promotional videos for the university when it suddenly hitContinue reading STEQQI
“The situation in Algeria is really bad. We have huge political and social problems, not to mention youth unemployment is sky high. For most people back home, going abroad is difficult. They’re even dying while attempting to cross the sea to Europe. The government limits the number of visas issued. Scholarships are scarce and goodContinue reading Hope Lives
“My parents wanted me to be a public lawyer back home in India to help people who can’t afford legal counsel. But I was kind of selfish and even fickle minded. I took the biggest risk of my life by dropping out of law school and leaving the family business just to be back inContinue reading Foster Family
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I came to Japan to get a chance to be together with my dad. He was always away since I was two years old. He would only come home to Romania for a maximum of six months a year, then he’d be off again to play jazz and classical music in Japan. He’s aContinue reading Making an Impact
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I grew up in post-communist Romania, which is so different from when my parents were growing up in the 80s. It was a tough time. They’d get about two hours of television per day, with one hour dedicated to propaganda. Even though people had money, they couldn’t buy anything because there was literally nothingContinue reading Passion and Patience
