Being “Foreigner” American Twins Born in Nara, Japan ft. Reylia & Johnna

Reylia and Johnna Slaby are twins, born and raised in Nara, Japan. They were homeschooled by American parents until the age of 16 when they went independent and moved out, and starting living on their own. This video goes into detail of some of their experiences being "foreign" living in a country that they can only call home, more than their parents country of the United States.
As per yuge, sorry about audio issues. New mics were purchased after this video to make sure audio doesn't mess up again.
Reylia Instagram:
/ reylia.slaby
Reylia’s website: reyliaslaby.com/
Johnna's Instagram:
/ johnnaslaby
Johnna’s Prints for sale: johnnaslaby.com/store
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Time Stamps:
0:00 Preview
0:41 Introduction to Reylia and Johnna
2:40 Homeschooled in Japan
5:30 Learning Japanese through manga
7:10 Growing up speaking Kansai dialect
8:30 People taking sneak photos of Johnna at Universal studios
10:30 Getting attention as young white girls in Japan
12:12 Finding people outside of homeschooling
13:41 Hot spring experience
15:00 Wishing I looked Japanese
17:25 Learning how different life was for themselves
19:14 Going independent from parents at age of 16
21:25 Difficulty to buy a home in Japan
23:33 Trying to Become Japanese
26:29 Being multicultural in art
31:10 Weebs and watching anime with no subs
32:06 What's next / Conclusion
📷My Equipment:
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[@BPMChan-nr7ik]

Proud of Reylia and Johnna Slaby! Adversity only made them stronger!

[@lebellees-double-you2827]

Fascinating interview. Their parents were so strict on homeschooling that they missed out on Japanese friends and full Japanese integration yet they didnt have American integration either. Im surprised that they have turned out so well balanced despite the cultural and social isolation

[@urbanws1234]

You only assume cultural and Social isolation from home schooling. In Every Country in the world, even you were born there, perfectly speak the language, and blend in 99% You are an outsider, and will be classified separately. Asian Countries are among the worst to exhibit actions like that even if done politely with a smile on their face. The result they experienced will be felt equally by someone who attended public school. Saying it is done from a place of good intent and they did not mean it is how all ensure it will continue unabated for a VERY long time. Every country practices Nationalism in their own way. I Believe they are lucky to have the life they do and the blessings they have are unique.

[@yo2trader539]

Not having any formal Japanese education may impede their opportunity in everything from naturalization, mortgages, employment, etc. If their parents were Japanese citizens, I think it would have been illegal to not enroll them in school. I don't know what happened.

[@viz8746]

Twins are never alone.

[@MaHennessy]

Oh wow! My girls are twins and are half American half British but we live in Yokohama. They go to Japanese schools and their experience is quite different but also very similar! Japan is amazing and I love this video. Thank you Rayleigh and Joanna for sharing your story! You are so talented! I wish you all the best!

[@Scrub_Lord-en7cq]

Half-American?

[@negationf6973]

@@Scrub_Lord-en7cq They probably have an American parent.

[@pennify2079]

@@Scrub_Lord-en7cqone parent is American and the other is British

[@giselle4418]

I was a blonde, blue eyed child that grew up in Hawaii, with a lot of influences from Japan. I could relate to much of what Raylia and Johnna were talking about. Both twins are SO talented and amazing. I wish them continued inspiration and success.😊❣

[@user-eb9pv4dw5p9]

I love KZbin for presenting me with so many amazing individuals.

[@section-9]

お二人は表現力が素晴らしいですね✨ 子供の頃に感じたことや体験談は物語のように面白くて興味深く感じました。

[@moniquehuchet3646]

I can understand their parents emigrating with the intention of going back “home” it happened to us from France to Canada and with 4 children 6 years later choosing to stay. I envy you Kansai, I visited my daughter and her husband living near Kobe for several years and fell in love with Japan.

[@jub8891]

fascinating perspectives from the twins in this interview..

[@Heidi2003]

Love this type of content! Awesome

[@user-rw8zb3kc3v]

外国人が家を借りづらいというのはよく聞く話ですね😢 過去に外国人が家賃を払わずに帰国したり、部屋でパーティをして騒いだり部屋を汚くしたまま帰国したり、といった事が多かったため、揉め事を嫌う大家さんが国籍関係なく外国人を一括りにして拒否するケースが多いようです。 高齢者の多い日本は、身寄りのない年配の方も孤独死の問題もあって部屋を借りられないケースが多いです。 高齢者の問題と外国人の問題は全く別問題ではありますが、家を買ったり借りることに関しては外国人だけではなく日本人でも苦労する事なので、もっと誰もがストレスなく暮らせる社会になってほしいですよね。

[@24-daina95]

外国人というだけでなく、予測できる弊害を回避する権利は日本人相手でもありうる。家主の経験から外国人とのトラブル率が高いからそうなるだけ。貸主に権利がある。決して人種差別ではない。

[@zousanda1]

このインタビューアーの男はしょっちゅう日本は差別的と言っているが、そういう経緯などの知識もなく偏見のみで今だによくこんな動画を出していると感心する。自分の無知が恥ずかしいと思わないのは痛いね。人種差別はアメリカの方がはるかに激しくて下劣なのにね。こういうヤツがいると外国人が嫌われる原因になるのに‥。こいつのような奴が一番悪質。

[@MochiChuru]

Amazing story, loved it! Shame that we didn’t get to go on a tour of their house!! Also very interesting to see the differences (and similarities) in personality between the two. I’m a Japanese who moved to the States in high school and lived in the U.S. for decades so totally understand the struggle and identity crisis, though in a opposite way. At the end of the day we must all overcome in our own way regardless of circumstances. Excellent video and thanks for posting!

[@Nepartinis]

Had pleasure to listen to it!

[@lairddougal3833]

Hey Max Thanks so much for these segments. They are so interesting and informative.

[@MsShanarun]

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[@MaxDCapo]

Long awaited post. I had audio issues (again), that’s why Johnna’s audio only sounds crisp. But finally have fixed this for future interviews by buying completely new mics. No more issues to come, fingers crossed. Sneak peak to new interviews btw O__O: - Bilingual Harajuku DJ girl (should be up this month) instagram.com/bananaoka/?hl=en - Kazuo (rapper) interview instagram.com/kazuotv/?hl=en Stay tuned and follow me on Instagram or support on Patreon for more updates!

[@jeffreybroussely9795]

Loved the interview. Maybe I missed this, but before they 'taught' themselves Japanese, what was their level? Did their parents ever speak Japanese at home or just English since they were homeschooled?

[@MaxDCapo]

@@jeffreybroussely9795 they told me that basically schooling was English, home life was English, could rarely go outside, but they would try to make friends on the bus or with neighborhood elderly people. And I believe children of family friends, even including meeting Joji / Filthy frank 😂Other than that primarily English it seems like.

[@DanDanJanJanJP]

Max, one question for you to ask in these interviews with "foreigners" that were born in Japan and lived here most of their lives: why don't you naturalize? I know Japanese law for naturalization is antiquate (beginning with the fact that citizenship itself only comes via ascendancy, not by being born in Japan), but since they feel at home here, why not naturalizing?

[@atatur123]

@@DanDanJanJanJP You pretty much answered your own question there. I remember Jazmine (the British girl) saying that she can't naturalize since she doesn't have any Japanese ancestry. A lot of Asian countries (though not all) still function this way.

[@gregorytoddsmith9744]

An enjoyable interview. You two have a unique story and perspective. Best wishes.

[@patharrison5061]

I lived in Japan for a few years as an adult. It's so interesting listen to Johnna and Reylia talk about the discrimination that was allowed. I understood as an actual foreign, it must have been so frustrating when the place you grew up was Japan.

[@Kojimochi]

Another great vid Max!

[@MaxDCapo]

Thank you serrr🫣🙏

[@jagion]

Another banger, good job man!

[@MaxDCapo]

Wait til the next one comes out in a couple days bro👀👀

[@sarahdrio4623]

T'was a great interview!

[@hanpeigugu2110]

福岡生まれの日本人で今も在住です。大学入学から10年位東京と横浜で暮らしました。 その間ずっと「九州男児」という分類に入れられましたよ。九州男児なら男らしくしろとか、もっと酒を飲めるはずとか、 九州の男は男尊女卑だろうとか、もう今なら全部ハラスメントですよね。 だから更に日本在住で東アジア系以外の外見の方々の苦労は、想像に難くありません。 最後に一言、俺納豆とかめっちゃ好かんったいね！

[@ashikagakotatsu7354]

今もそういう九州男児的な偏見はあるかと思いますね。

[@monoris2008]

納豆を日本の代表食みたいに扱われるのは本当に心外です！ 見るだけで不愉快ですよ。

[@etherdog]

From the clock on the wall, that interview took no time at all! Interesting perspective from the twins, but it seems the stories of the hafu and "born in Japan foreigners" have a lot of common elements.

[@svmanana5852]

These young ladies are amazing, Kudos to them and to you Max for interviewing them. But, I've raised kids to adulthood, and it's a red flag for me that they went out on their own at 16 - it would be an extraordinary set of circumstances for me to agree to allowing my girls to fend for themselves at that age. I must admit my curiosity about their family dynamics. Still, they seem happy and contented, so more power to them - and you!

[@alp9]

yeah they are amazing. with the solid insisance of their parents on homeschooling, I believe they are exteremely conservative in a way, maybe about religion. but hey, they turned out amazing.

[@louloulouable]

@@alp9 I wont say much because these girls are not their parents, but yes it is very apparent from her mum's social media that she is religious and in my opinion a conspiracy theorist

[@TheMan21892]

I have heard of children as young as 15 traveling on their own(notably in Europe where it’s very easy and affordable to travel), as well as in Japan where there was even a television show centered on elementary age children traveling all on their own for the first time.

[@Kokanee604]

Keep it up! Congrats on 100K subs 👍.

[@MaxDCapo]

Almost there! 🎉 appreciate it

[@kubapuchar7069]

To make things more interesting, I believe they are Americans of Polish origin, because their surname: "słaby" means "weak" in Polish. And it is pretty common for Polish words/names to lose Polish-specific characters ( "l" instead of "ł") when written in English-speaking countries. Słaby is not extremely popular surname in Poland, but not so rare either.

[@SuperKokuJin916]

This was another great interview, Max! Some parts of their story remind me of Tiffany's (another great interviewee on your channel). Unique stories and experiences of foreigners born/raised in Japan (especially outside of the big city of Tokyo) are so interesting to me. I like hearing people speak Kansai-ben trying to pick up the differences. We even have the same favorite manga/anime!😆 It's my siblings and closest friends' favorite too. My older brother introduced me and my older sister to the manga back in the early 90's and we were hooked! It made me want to find and enjoy Takahashi-san's previous works. I'm so glad I did. Maison Ikkoku is my personal favorite but Ranma 1/2 is my forever love! I can't wait for more of these interviews! 🙂

[@MaxDCapo]

First off, I love the username SuperKokujin😂 Okay I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks Rumiko Takahashi makes bangers. Ranma 1/2 has a special place in my heart even though I never finished the series, I always thought the guy to girl transformation and Vice versa was hilarious. And InuYasha just feels like it hit a sweet spot for me. Sesshomaru still cool af too lol

[@dearkazuscorner2549]

I love the fact that when they speak to each other, they naturally switch to japanese!! Sassuga ne!!

[@user-cn5kt3od5q]

初めて視聴させていただきました。インタビュワー様の話し方や表情はとても自然で心地いいものでした。 稀有な生き方をされてきた方々のお話は大変貴重で有意義な活動と思います。ありがとうございます。 一つお聞きしたい事があります。不動産関連の出来事を "人種差別" と形容されていますが、その心はどこあるのでしょうか。 言葉の一つを取って他人様の考えを変えようなどと大それた事をしようとは思っていませんし、如何様に表現したとしても私個人としてはその心のありようが前向きなものであればいいと考えています。 ただ、前提として、日本の借地借家法は他国に比べ賃借人を手厚く保護するものが多く、当然対になる賃貸人は自らの手で財産を守らなければいけません。 外国籍の賃借人が何某かの不履行をはたらき日本国外に去った場合、法的に金銭的なものを取り返す術がありません。 時に、パスポートが不必要な海外渡航は存在しませんが、これを人種差別だと声高に吹聴する人は皆無でしょう。 一見するとなにも関係のない話のように感じる人も多いかと思いますが、私はこの事象を同質のものと思います。 人は国毎に人を分けます。それは法の力が及ばないからです。差別にしろ区別にしろ当たり前の事実として起こり認められ、世界中でこの一刻毎に正しく起きています。 私個人の考えでは、日本で起きている不動産関連の出来事を人種差別と形容することは些か乱暴だなと感じています。

[@nao-shi]

p様 同意。

[@ihiromi944]

今までいろんな youtubeを観てきて、それらのコメントを読んできましたが、こんな素晴らしいコメントを始めて読みました。もの凄く感動しました。有り難うございました。

[@2010winter100able]

違うと思うね。大家が暗愚で偏見の塊だからこういう対応をするケースがほとんどだろう。どこの国でもそんな言い訳は通用しない。人種差別として扱われる。

[@anthonyz7000]

I know the US and Japan are different countries, obviously, but there are laws in the United States making it illegal to deny someone housing based on ethnicity or culture. The reason for this is because the practice of discrimination is based upon _assumptions_ about how people _might_ behave, in other words pre-judging them without knowing them (as you have done in your example). Many Black and Asian people were not allowed to live in certain neighborhoods before these laws were enacted.

[@TheZenomeProject]

Yay! You finally posted this! I was really looking forward to watching this because I'm somewhat familiar with and I really enjoy Johnna's work as a painter. Nara seems like a really interesting place to grow up in, but it's also difficult to understand from an American perspective like my own as to why they it's so hard to own a home even as someone who, for all intents and purposes, should be considered Japanese. It's difficult to imagine myself walking in the same shoes, but I'm also pretty sure that if I was raised with the same background, even if I looked the same way, that I would be far more adamant than they would be in proclaiming myself as Japanese.

[@mctapoutos7426]

DEAR lord these two are annoying big time ...

[@GoodKong.BadKong]

As an Asian American, I can relate to some of their experiences growing up a minority in upstate New York. People treated me as a foreigner more when I was a child, even though I was born in NY, but I think that was more due to the times. These days foreigners and minorities are more common now so I don't really see a whole lot of discrimination or none at all. Either that, or I just look scary so people don't bother me. I do consider myself American through and through. But its fascinating seeing the other side of the fence, we aren't so different after all.

[@cooey2ph]

very entertaining interview. the twins are lovely

[@superviewer]

Two amazing inspiring women. Thanks for another great insight.

[@kayayoshida-cruz3541]

Me too! Born and raised in Nara, Japan! But now live in the states.

[@janmauricegomezmato4183]

I like these types of contents you are doing.

[@Time2Fly]

The girls not quite right American english accent was noticeable. Learning American english from their parents but not living in an American community but with Japanese as a 2nd first language. Fascinating and enjoyable interview 👍

[@DJ_BROBOT]

I disagree, like their parents, their English sounds like the American Midwest accent...if youre where I am from they sound normal to me. Most people who live outside the states are not used to the American accent from the midwest region which can sound either super plain without a heavy accent (like Boston, Southern, Californian or Texan..) or can have an accent that is similar to those who live in northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Montana which sounds more Canadian.

[@fluffysnow7298]

This is interesting because at first I thought they were speaking English in a Japanese accent or an accent that would make them more understandable to native Japanese not considering the Midwest America influence. Maybe it’s a combination accent - unique to them.

[@orlandol.telesforo9597]

Thank you for sharing your video. ☮️🙏

[@workthentravel]

I so love when they suddenly switch from enlish to Japaneae

[@WMitty2112]

I love that they watched Ranma 1/2! That was one of the first anime that I ever watched and it's still my favorite.

[@shelleynichols9626]

OMG the QR code! Hilarious! Loved this interview. Great stuff Max.

[@ss-ls7qy]

このチャンネルめちゃくちゃ面白い。 テレビ局は食レポとかドッキリとかアホみたいな番組流さないでこの様なコンテンツを流すべき。

[@becknadia2563]

この2人が生駒に住んでて関西弁を話してるってことが面白くて素晴らしい。日本で生まれ育ったならどちらかと言うと気質は日本人に近いんだろうが、二か国語をネイティブレベルで話せるのはもちろん全く異なる２つの文化を知っていてその違いが理解できていたらどれだけ価値観の幅が広がって人生が楽しくなるか。こんな人たちが日本にもっと増えればいいのに。

[@DanDanJanJanJP]

しかしね、このような素晴らしい方々は日本で嫌われるのです。お二人は家も購入できなかったでしょう。一般の日本人は地味過ぎて魅力的な方々に対して抵抗します。「出る釘は打たれる」。

[@becknadia2563]

@@DanDanJanJanJP ずっと日本に住んでいるこの二人が家を購入できなかった件については具体的なことが分からないから何とも言えないが、一般論としてなかなか外国人が家を借りたりしにくいのは、外国人を全部一緒にすることにも問題はあるものの、中には散々室内を汚したり家賃を支払わないまま帰国したり家主が損害を被るようなことも現実的にあるからであって、今後は変わって行くとは思うが、簡単に「嫌われるから」とか「魅力的な方々に抵抗する」とかという感覚だけで判断しないほうがいい。

[@DanDanJanJanJP]

@@becknadia2563 室内を汚したり家賃を支払わなかったりする日本人も山ほどいます。寧ろ家主に害を与えるのは割合的に日本人の方が多いでしょう。外国人に家を売らなかったりする理由は日本人の底流にあります。あなたはテレビを観るでしょう。テレビでやる番組は多くの人に認められているものでなければならないでしょう。なぜなら、そうでないと番組を賄うスポンサーがつかないからです。それで外国人が日本語で喋る時に片仮名の字幕が出てくる番組が多いですね。外国人を馬鹿にするとこれだけ面白いと思う日本人が多い訳です。日本人は外国人に対してかなり抵抗感があるのです。

[@yo2trader539]

​​@@DanDanJanJanJP好かれるか嫌われるかは本人による。より問題は日本で育ちながら日本の教育を受けてないこと。不動産売買の税金関係、登記、契約書をどうやって理解するの？

[@DanDanJanJanJP]

@@yo2trader539 それほどでも問題ではないですよ。話している日本語を聞いたところで契約や税金などに関わる手続きは全く問題にならなさそうです。もし契約や税金の手続きで困るなら業者に任すだけで解決。なかなか解決できないのは日本にある根強い人種差別です。

[@asdfghjjhgf]

Speaking of buying a home in Japan, Canada has banned foreigners from buying homes as of this year. It is quite a challenge for foreigners to rent or buy a house in many countries not only in Japan.

[@light80050]

True.

[@roguechevelle]

That is true but I could see it being extra frustrating if you were born in a country, lived there all your life, and are naturalized as a citizen but still people won't let you buy a home.

[@giselle4418]

Canada is trying to stop investors buying up all of the homes, just to let them sit empty. With a shortage of available homes, the prices have gone stratospheric.

[@kareemnishkor9728]

Wow. England needs to be more like Canada

[@aristired6252]

Yes. It was a way to combat foreign companies buying up houses that people could use. However, it has been done in a way and doesn’t address the immediate issues that it causes foreign students, workers, migrants etc which I agree is really concerning. I think you have to be in Canada for a year before buying a house which is unfortunate. But it’s not quite for the same reason as in Japan (where it’s because it’s too difficult, threatening, unreliable etc.)

[@jamesburns6603]

I laughed when you said you watched Ranma 1/2 when you were younger. That was one of the first anime I was introduced to back in the early 90's.

[@leaveittolefty]

what amazing photography😮

[@pasyensyatv9092]

wow twins and both artists!

[@user-mv7yw5go2y]

Very interesting, and instructive video. I've got to love the twins after watching this video. But It was unexpecting that Max had an experience of becoming Inuyasha of Ranma 1/2, not Marverick of Top Gun.

[@GoemonLovesFujiko]

Like your channel. Pro tip- Please mic yourself tho to keep your sound between you and your interviewees consistent. You’re doing a great thing here telling these stories so would be great to have proper archival quality audio.

[@chickenfriedwaffles]

Did you not see the mic on his shirt?

[@GoemonLovesFujiko]

@@chickenfriedwaffles a mic, clipped on the shirt or not, is useless if it’s not turned on or at the appropriate level.

[@julianneheindorf5757]

Not fair of the parents to homeschool the kids and then not ensure that they speak Japanese as native speakers. There is a big difference in speaking a language as a native speaker than only speaking it as a second language. The parents insistence on home schooling in an environment not their own instead of sending the kids to a school to ensure their proper integration into Japanese society was a big disservice to their kids. I grew up in a country that was not the native country of my American mother, and I was sent to a local school, yet my mother did insist that I study English at home as she wanted me to be a fluent native speaker in English

[@user-kt5ff8rz6m]

ほぼ10万人登録者達成おめでとう㊗

[@kazunakaga9396]

こんな素晴らしい二人に育ったことを親御さんは誇りに思うやろね。

[@momchilyordanov8190]

I'm not Japanese or American, but find these stories very interesting, no idea why. Maybe they show a little know aspect of Japanese society? And tell what it is like to grow up as one of "the others" in general? I don't know. Cool channel, I watched several videos here already.

[@mhomel]

Interesting and lots to learn.

[@tibowmew]

It's funny becuase I got this same thing growing up in the US. Both of my parents are African, so I look more African that African-American. People therefore assume that I'm an immigrant and don't speak English well. The sheer number of times I've been told that my English is "so good". And it's funny watching people try and dance around with questions like "Where are you from?" "America." "No, but where are you FROM?"

[@taylorgay1641]

このインタビューしてありがとうございます。

[@user-ys8ni5sh3b]

日本語の、「雨がしとしと｣、「雪がしんしん｣、降るという表現が素晴らしい。日本語には、オノマトペが不可欠であり、スキャット性が美しさを創っている。

[@datakechi]

Good interview Max! Let them know their clock needs new batteries.

[@MaxDCapo]

Lol I dunno maybe this is fine art or something 😂and thank you!

[@Tazer_Silverscar]

I do understand some aspects of this, despite living in a country that mostly speaks the same language as mine (I'm Irish, living in England). There's a lot of cultural differences that make both countries feel really isolating. I moved to England when I was 5 with my parents, and never really fit in. Many of my friends are people who have mixed or non-English heritage, and oddly enough, I don't actually know anyone who is Irish either, outside my family, so it feels weird trying to connect back to my home heritage too. I'm definitely Irish, I have an Irish passport, and if anyone asks, I'm not a British citizen, I'm not English, I'm 100% Irish, but going back there, even though it's really not that far away, it just feels very... distant. Like I don't belong. Of course, surprise, turns out I'm disabled too (Epilepsy, ASD, ADHD), which I'm certain added to the 'not belonging'-ness. I bet trying to live in Japan with everything I've built up so far might be even harder. But it would be nice to go there some day, to at least experience the place.

[@Tazer_Silverscar]

​@Kiryu Kazuma Why thank you, Yakuza protagonist, while we're dishing out the compliments, you're just a weird guy too. 👍

[@mctapoutos7426]

Weird , why would your parents move to landlords to the Brit overlords? But then on the other hand you not missing much in Ireland , junkies, rats , vomits everywhere on Saturday morning , fighting , young woman acting like total trash ...yeah if you have a nice home then stay there but on the other hand UK is really depressing as well , I would probably recommend a place where the second language is English so you can survive just with English first few months and then learn the native language. Unless you under age then stay home and study .

[@Tazer_Silverscar]

@@mctapoutos7426 Well, this was pre-Celtic Tiger Ireland. Income where we were was kinda awful, and my parents were both educated in sectors that didn't pay well in Ireland. They couldn't afford to be picky. Pay was much better over here at the time, so it was more a case of need rather than want. I just couldn't adapt to the change in environment. But as I've suggested, that might be a disability issue rather than the environment itself (I wasn't diagnosed when we moved, and really, details on those disabilities, and how a change in environment would affect them, were still kinda sketchy at the time). I don't think there's much difference between Ireland and England now, but back then, the change would have felt enormous, and aspects of that still make it hard to connect with either country even now. Just the way it is 🤷 I have considered returning to Ireland (especially when the Brexit debacle started kicking off), but from what I've heard, health support over there is still not sufficient. Until that changes, I'm kinda stuck. I am using the time to try to work and study in the meantime, but progress is slow 😅

[@mctapoutos7426]

@@Tazer_Silverscar weather is just fantastic in Eire 😂🤣but its the same in UK, yeah if you OK in UK stay there health service is actually not as bad but definitely not great.

[@Tazer_Silverscar]

@@mctapoutos7426 Weather's pretty bad here, right now, lol. I'm fine when there's a bit of rain, but it's been pissing it down for nearly two weeks straight. Need a break 😅

[@user-xl6im9ix8z]

珍しい物でも見るような目で、欧米の人を見たり触りたがる人が昔はいたのですね。日本人として　ごめんなさい‼️。子供だったので、なおさら貴女がすごく傷ついたことに心が痛みます。よく精神的な傷を克服してくれて安堵しました。触りたがったのは、綺麗だと感じたからという事は間違いないと思います。ただ貴女に対する配慮が足らない方だったのでしょう。子供だって感情がある人間なのだから、見知らぬ人に触られたら嫌な事ぐらい解らなくてはいけません。そのような環境だったにも拘わらず、日本に住み続けてくれて、本当に有り難うございます❤😊。これからも、日本を嫌いにならないで下さい。

[@alias9025]

I've always found mixed culture interesting, having spent time in Japan at 18 and later marrying a gal from Taipei. The challenges today are benign compared to the past. Heard a recording today by Yoshiko Yamaguchi that reminded me of her difficult story. She was born in China of Japanese parents in 1920. How she survived during those turbulent times can provide some context for today. The people you have interviewed seem capable of making a good life for themselves perhaps because of the challenges they have faced already.

[@theMyouknow]

Ranma 1/2 is so good, its a good starter anime if you grew up around that time or Lu by Urusei Yatsura.

[@designdoctor247]

6:36 As a teacher and then counselor in the American schools...after age 13 students r honestly "on their own" here toooo i mean...by that age we give assignments and they complete them. yes age 13 to 18 and "for sure" college is allllll about personal DISCIPLINE and personal goal setting.

[@nadiromar2666]

The girl in the blue sweater has such a magnetic personality 😊

[@KY-dz9zh]

生駒か。奈良県だけど駅周辺には生活に必要なほぼすべてが揃っていて、生駒山を中心に自然環境も良い。 そして大阪にも近くて生活するにはちょうど良い町だね。

[@darrelnelson1395]

I don't care where you come from. You both are just beautiful. Nice people.

[@oldenslo4141]

The clock needs a new battery (batteries). Very interesting, thank you.

[@capitalb5889]

I was thinking it was a strange time of day for an interview

[@Ann12681]

Their parents loved Japan but insulated their children so they didn’t speak the language or integrate into the general society? They are delightful girls with very different personalities. It is very difficult to be from a different race in countries that are not heterogeneous

[@DanDanJanJanJP]

A strange form of love in deed. Many foreigners see Japan as an amusement park and they believe they can get along by just observing it from inside a bubble. It is fine when you do not have your kids with you. When you do, you have to think about them.

[@natalierebolledo9796]

Maybe they didn't like the school system, it is super focus on academic performance, kids have barely vacations, and as they grow older it gets even more time consuming, I don't think that school system would have encourage them or even allowed them to develop the art and creative side that they both have and have made their careers off. So I guess, they lost something but they also won something.

[@DanDanJanJanJP]

@@natalierebolledo9796 Yeah! Not going to school=artistic creativity sprouting. That is why all the great artists of the world come from underdeveloped countries where lots of kids don't go to school.

[@yo2trader539]

How do they file tax or sign contracts without Japanese language?

[@sddfsfsfsd]

They are from Wisconsin, a lot of super white people over there who have their little "islands" over there, mainly in Wisconsin and Michigan, super Christian people that prefer not to mix with the rest of the people, they live in a big house with a lot of kids in the middle of nowhere

[@scarlettrubyrose]

A question about dating/relationships would be interesting

[@miked4152]

I love natto too and I'm 100% American. The first time I ever ate natto my Japanese friend gave to me. At first I was like what am I doing and then I thought a lot of Japanese eat it so it must be ok....lol. So eventually I came to like it and my favorite way to eat it is out of the box with soy sauce and hot mustard. Cho oishi....lol. 😂

[@t.m.y7033]

I bet you won’t eat the fish sperm. Forgot the name

[@bryancole842]

Really enjoyed the interview ほまに

[@Minty1888]

The UK isn't just England. Referencing the subtitles that say 'England' when Jana says the UK.

[@blondegaijin]

The one they didn't talk about is where you order in Japanese, then the waitress turns to your Japanese friend and asks what YOUR order is, then friend simply repeats verbatim what you just said, but THEN it's all understood. EVERYBODY has that one, even those with zero accent.

[@paulwalther5237]

That's true. I was gonna argue that it's not but then I thought back to this half Japanese KZbinr Joey who is native in English and Japanese and his girlfriend is American (or maybe Canadian..) and I don't know her ancestry but she looks more Asian than he does, doesn't speak Japanese (or didn't at the time) and this lady just kept talking to her while she pointed at her Japanese husband like he's the one who can talk.

[@bryancole842]

Yes, totally forgot about that instance _ during my 11 yrs in Japan I witnessed this a lot…

[@junichi9182]

Thank you Max for another great video. I'm sure this would exceed 1,000,000 views in a week or so. This is my first time to put a comment although I've been watching your interviews of Tiffany, Jasmine and others. One reason I can think of why you get so many views by Japanese like myself, especially, is that the experiences of those "Japanese" looking like foreigners are something every Japanese goes through. People are different inside even if they look like the people around them. And I think you, Japanese who were born in Japan to Japanese parents are trying to fit into the Japanese homogeneous community even though you look and speak 100% Japanese but are different from other people. The Japan-born "foreigners"" experiences are extreme cases but they actually are the feelings we Japanese have who are expected to look, behave and think as Japanese as we can although we are not the same as other Japanese at all. So, in those "foreigners" experiences, we (Japanese Japanese) kind of find "solutions" or ideas on how to handle to find reconciliation between ourselves and the Japanese culture or communities. Thanks again for the great interviews that I think are making people intercultural competent and more sensitive to other people. Keep up the good work. (BTW I teach communications, marketing and intercultural classes in a Japanese graduate school and an international undergraduate program. I used your videos as one of the materials for my students to learn the subjects).

[@feliciacoffey6832]

Yes! Intercultural competence is so important!

[@gamo888]

私もユニバのお土産屋さんで働いてました！ しかも同じ時期！ もしかしたら、どこかですれ違ってたかもしれないです☺️

[@kazualfa1310]

I would like you to visit Aogashima Village, which belongs to Tokyo. I would like you to see the starry sky that is touted as the best in the world with a very mysterious sight with two craters, which are rare in the world on an isolated island in the sea. I'm sure you won't regret it.🤗

[@Marcel_Audubon]

they have in interesting perspective, that's for sure! The overt racism of the failed house purchase is hurtful even though I was not even there side note: love Reylia's shirt

[@ramujomonshumeru1184]

Born this way! 🙂

[@alexlilano1931]

As an Asian American, I didn't know White people experienced the same thing as me. I have to say that White people were way more mean and blunt about me being Asian though.

[@yokohamaborn]

As a half Japanese person and first US lawyer to be hired in-house for a major Japanese company, I am not surprised to hear stories like the “are you lesbian” story. Japan is making progress overall but even large companies still struggle with HR and inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Anyway, love these interviews.

[@light80050]

Really? I am Japanese and I was very surprised...

[@Japonicasian]

Can you tell me why you are not surprised, because as a Japanese it is not normal at all

[@trxwrftrk1219]

お二人の歩んで来た人生は退屈の無い毎日で羨ましくも思える。👍 また それが ing の進行形だから故に今後が楽しみ…❤

[@hazelmeldrum5860]

They had each other for mutual support I wondered what path their sisters have taken. I also wondered if they dated Japanese or foreigners

[@wowy22]

Love this channel so bad.

[@Miyabiko-zq2fh]

28：40あたりについてです。おっしゃる様に、本当に悪気は無かったと思います。日本で生まれて育ったとしても、ご両親の教育により、その文化も受け継いでいる。だから彼女の今までの経歴も踏まえて褒めたつもりが…褒めるのって難しいものですね。日本人は文化の盗用については、誤解を招く表現が無く、敬意が有れば全く気にしませんよ。文化盗用という考えがある事に逆に驚きました。文化や芸術って、そもそも様々な物が混ざりあって生まれるものだと思うからです。

[@RS-ti5iv]

When I was in the Midwest, some white people came touch my hair and said "Wow, Asian hair is really blank. I have never touch it before!" It was around 2004, not that long ago, though.

[@metricstormtrooper]

No matter the problem, the answer in Not home schooling, it's unfair to the children, the community and it's selfish of the parents, No matter which country you are in. I loved these two and loved watching this video but I found that in my heart I have a little bit of hate for the way Japan treats people who are born there but not typically Japanese. I'm from Australia and revel in the different Australians I meet.

[@rev.paull.vasquez4001]

I will no more blanket condemn homeschooling than I will condemn public schooling, though there are profound problems with the public schools in several locations on the planet. I don’t think too many Uyghurs are happy with the Chinese public schools for instance. I’ve known families in public, private-secular, private-religious, and homeschooling, and was involved in all of these as a participant or instructor. Just depends on the actual individuals involved.

[@squiggs1002]

Biggest problem with their home school is they were basically on their own at age 12. Sorry but 99% of kids are not motivated enough to properly educate themselves. Their parents decision left many careers which involve university degrees and higher education off the table for them. They left home at age 16 and are now artists. While they seem happy, what if they did not have artistic inclinations? They would be doing menial and low wage jobs most likely. Home schooling can work but the parent's have to be very involved and actually have the ability to teach themselves or hire people to teach through the high school level and the students have to be very self motivated.

[@davidleding2993]

Fascinating discussion. I have a friend who is a Japanese American. Her mother is from Japan and her father from the United States. She has travelled back to Japan several times to spend time with her mothers family. She has expressed that she doesn’t feel American and does not feel Japanese. Just like these two lovely women she sits on the same edge of being multi cultural. She is a dual citizen and maintains her Japanese citizenship and her United States citizenship. Additionally, I have a very close friend who moved to Japan and has married a Japanese women. I had the distinct privilege of traveling to Japan to be his best man at his wedding. It was an incredible trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

[@zeitgeistx5239]

Japan will make her choose her citizenship when she comes of age. Japan and the U.S. frown upon dual citizenship, with the U.S. being slightly more flexible.

[@taimeido]

日本では、農業を主産業にしていた時代、村社会と言われる30戸ほどの農家が集まった自治組織があり、共同で農作業を したり、問題事が起きた場合にはみんなで相談して結論を出したりしていた。自然災害が起きて、村の一部の田畑が破壊 され、その田畑の生産物で生活していた人が困窮した時には、村に所属するみんなで助けることになるし、ある家の主人が 病気で亡くなった時も、残された家族は村が養うことになっていた。その村の結束はとても強く、ある村人が重大な犯罪を 犯せばその家族全員が村から追い出されることもあった。また、新規にその村に参入する時は、何十年もその村の農作業等 を手伝ってやっと許可が出るほど難しかった。その村に数年間臨時に住むことは簡単に許され、客人としての扱いを受けも てなしてもらえるけれども、村の住人となるには、代々相互扶助、共存していく責任を負うことになった。現代でも農村地 域ではその慣習が続いているところもあるかもしれない。日本の会社組織も原則終身雇用という面においては村社会時代の 慣習が残っているようだ。

[@capitalb5889]

As a left hander, there are two ways to approach shodou- either badly and incorrectly with your left hand, or correctly and badly with your right hand. The results for most of us are never pretty.

[@MaxDCapo]

The results… remains unchanged 😂

[@cber5077]

One very interesting experience is when you travel outside Japan and then you feel more comfortable being around Japanese people, so you find yourself listening for Japanese and them meeting them. A question I have is now that you are adults, what kind of visas do you have or need to stay in Japan.

[@peterslaby9782]

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw their last names.

[@tomino-reiji]

関西人、親近感ありますわ

[@Potbelly76]

I"m full Japanese but grew up in Iowa and have lived in the States my whole life. I can relate to a lot of this, but from the opposite side of the ocean. (Obviously not the crazy harassment stuff).

[@porcorosso4330]

US kids watch Inuyasha too. Probably not Rama. Less "kid" friendly. It kind of make sense that max identified with Inuyasha... He is a hafu too...

[@averageguy1261]

It's interesting to hear about the preconceptions, ignorance, and prejudices from a Japanese perspective. I was once asked by a Japanese couple who lived here for decades about Vietnam repeatedly, despite the fact that I was born here and am not Vietnamese. Regardless I don't think it's a Japanese thing, but a human thing.

[@asiankitchen5294]

I am just wondering whether they now hold Japanese citizenship or are they dual national.

[@dennisreeve8859]

Thanks for explaining the plusses and minuses of your experiences! Sounds a lot like having a minority situation outside of your control! But look at yourselves now in your understanding! It has added a private beauty and accomplishment

[@aerobicsparadise]

Homeschooled ?! Born in Japan and didn't go to normal school and didn't have a grasp on the language going into their tweens ?! That is rather backwards !!

[@denisecaringer4726]

Probably not the wisest decision to isolate your "American" children in Japan by home schooling them, but these twins have turned out so beautifully, haven't they?

[@BTG07]

Max, you really need to check for audio levels before starting an interview. Its a good interview but the uneven audio a huge turnoff.

[@kylegawron5358]

wish i understood and could write and speak japanese. i'm a visual and hands on person and good with context. Not sure how to go by learning japanese. would be sweet to be able to speak another language as if it was my native language if that makes sense.

[@captaindogparty1]

Beautiful