👾 About Me
こんにちは！My name is Ayumi.
I’m a second-generation Japanese-American on a lifelong journey to embrace my Japanese heritage.
This blog started from a commitment to continuous learning and embracing my unique background. I explore learning strategies, multiculturalism, and my experiences as a second-generation Japanese-American. My goal is to help others feel less alone on their language-learning or heritage-exploring journey.
Other than studying Japanese language and culture, my other interests include finding balance in my life. This largely involves working towards excelling in my professional career while staying physical active, better understanding myself emotionally, and making time for hobbies and relationships (it’s a lot to juggle!).
Blogging is a new venture for me and I am most thankful for your patience and interest.
Check out other places I am around the web or contact me with any inquiries at ayumi@ameripanese.com.
📌 Why the blog?
I grew up speaking Japanese at home with my parents so I felt comfortable with casual speaking, but didn’t have much practice reading and writing Japanese. This is especially so because I spent most of my days in the American public school system, learning and speaking in English and interacting with my American friends. After growing up in predominately white communities and schools, tween/teenage me became slightly resentful of my Japanese heritage.
Why can’t I just be like the other kids?
It wasn’t until my later college years that I began to realize that I have a special opportunity to know two cultures and languages and that there are people out there who are genuinely interested in Japanese culture.
I created this blog to share my journey as I continue to learn more about Japanese culture and further practice my reading and writing skills. Although I am currently focused on starting my career as a computer scientist, I want to continue learning Japanese and better embrace the culture and my family’s heritage.
Thank you for coming along with me on this journey.
🌸 Why Ayumi?
I write under a pseudonym on the internet. This is partly for privacy reasons, but it also helps me see my past experiences from a different perspective.
“Ayumi” is a feminine Japanese given name, which is fitting as I am a woman of Japanese heritage.
One of the meanings of Ayumi is, “walking, step, progress.” I believe that learning is a lifelong endeavor, and we should take it one step at a time. Learning is not a race — we are not running towards some finish line against other people. We take the journey one step at a time. Yes, it is slower than running. But it allows us the time to enjoy and appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come. Ayumi is the embodiment of my belief that we should learn at our own pace, but continue for a long time.
🍓 What does the blog name mean?
“Japanese American” is the term used to describe Americans of Japanese ancestry. In English, Americans who have ancestry from another country are typically described as [country of ancestors] Americans.
Though I don’t disagree with this nomenclature, I personally feel that my American side is more prominent than my Japanese side. Born and raised in the United States, with my connection to Japan mainly being through my parents, for much of my life I’ve felt American first. I am an American who has Japanese ancestry. Sometimes I’d like to think of myself as “American Japanese,” though the ordering of which country comes first doesn’t really matter.
By taking the first part of “American” and the second part of “Japanese,” you get my blog name, “Ameripanese.”
I hope you find some inspiration and comfort in my corner of the internet. Happy learning! 🍓