You moved to Portland from Yokohama, Japan when you were in third grade. What was the reasoning behind the move?

My mom wanted to go to college here and get her psychology degree, and she also wanted us to learn English.

Did you move here with your whole family?

My dad stayed because he couldn’t find a job here. But my brother and my mom, yeah.

That must have been hard.

Yeah, it was really tough at first. I really wanted to see him and go back. Every week, we (would) Skype and that was a routine since like third grade. He would come to America once a year and I would get to see him over the summer because I (would) go back to Japan. But it was still tough, because every time I (left) it was very sad and every time he (left) it made us sad.

What was it like making the transition from Japan to America?

It seemed pretty fun at first but it was tough once school started. I couldn’t speak English and I couldn’t talk to anyone. I went to Richmond (Elementary School), so half (of the) day was Japanese and half (of the) day was English. English was pretty tough.

When did that change?

I quit Richmond because half (of the) day was Japanese and it wasn’t making me better, so I went to a neighborhood school. I kinda had to speak English all day, and, yeah, it kinda forced me to learn.

You’re in the Japanese Magnet Program at Grant. What’s that like for you?

It’s good to see people from Richmond, but it’s kinda easy. My teacher last year tried to put me in more challenging questions, but this year she left. So it’s kinda really easy. I just do whatever everyone else is doing, but just finish it earlier.

What are the differences between Japanese and American schools?

In U.S., there’s more discussion. In Japan, it’s like: just listen to teacher. They would just write on the board and we’d take notes.

Which style do you like better?

I like American English better because it’s more discussion and stuff. But like math, it’s easier in Japan because they don’t care about process. They just give you equations straight up, so a textbook’s like really small.

What do you do for fun?

I started playing soccer in second grade. Then when I came here, I didn’t play soccer for a year. After playing rec, I joined (a) classic team. So I kind of started playing competitively two years ago.

What do you miss most about Japan?

My friends and my relatives. I only meet them once a year. Everybody thinks I’m totally different because I’ve been in the U.S. And it’s pretty fun to be in Japan, like everybody’s way different than
American people. Foods are way better there.

And after high school, you’ll be going back to Japan for college. Where in Japan do you think you’ll go?

I haven’t really decided yet, but pretty much a lot of schools are around Tokyo. I might go to like college in Osaka or Kyoto since my grandma lives there.

Do you look forward to going back?

I mean, half and half. I’m kinda happy to go back to Japan to see all my family, and go to college and start (a) new life. But leaving America will be kind of sad to leave all my friends here that I’ve made the last few years. I’ll be missing Portland.

In what other ways will you be starting a new life?

I might get my own apartment, but I’m not sure. The only experiences I had when I was in Japan (were) when I was little, so it was like my family had more control over me to look over me. But when I go back to Japan this time, I’ll be more like an adult and I feel like I’ll have more freedom to make
my (own) choices. ◊