Tell me about where you were born and your connections with that place nowadays.
I was born and raised in Matsue. I grew-up in Koshibara-cho, and attended Tsuda Elementary school. My connection with that place now? Well, after living in the U.S. for about eight years, I ended up living just five minutes away from my old elementary school!

How has Matsue changed since your childhood days?
I think Matsue has changed in quite a few ways. The biggest change in Matsue is that we see more foreigners around. This is a wonderful thing for us.

You have a wonderful command of English. When did you first discover English, and what were your motivations to continue its study?
My first discovery of English was when I was just five or six years old. For some reason, my mom used to sing this song called "Ten Little Indians" to me. I loved that song so much and remember singing it along with her. The other influence came from my uncle, who used to be a sub-captain of a cargo vessel. He had visited most of the countries around the world and when he was in Japan, he used to come over to our house and tell us some interesting stories about abroad.
Basically, I am a rock music and movie lover, and have been since I was a little girl. English movies and songs were always fascinating and I was eager to learn the language. I always liked studying English. When I was in the U.S., I did most of my study for conversational English at home, where I shared a house with 6 or 7 American housemates. My first three months in the U.S. were a disaster! I couldn't understand what my roommates were talking about.

Celebrating Christmas in the United States

What opportunities have you had to use your English since you left the States?
I have some friends who are native English speakers and I am a member of various volunteer groups as an interpreter. Unfortunately, I do not have many opportunities to use my English in Shimane. I guess that is why my English speaking ability is getting worse and worse as time goes by!

Of those places you have traveled in the world, which remains in your mind as your most treasured memory?
There are many places. I traveled to some countries in Europe and Asia, and have lived in the U.S. If I had to choose one place, it would be the U.S. where I spent most of my 20's. In the U.S., I graduated from university, got my first driver's license, made many friends and sadly experienced the deaths of some of those people. I also did a few crazy things like working under-the-table with some illegal Mexican workers to earn money for my college tuition and living expenses! I also got my first full-time job in the U.S, working for a newspaper published for the Japanese community. My eight years there are very special years and will be my treasured memories forever.

Some foreigners living in Japan say they have trouble dealing with the limits and rules Japanese culture places on them. Others are in love with the kindness and generosity of the Japanese people. How have your experiences abroad changed the way you view Japan and the Japanese?
Living in the U.S. and having several business trips to European countries changed the way I view Japan a lot. Without living abroad, I wouldn't be able to learn about my own country. I think we Japanese lack the ability to smile at others. For example, when I was in the U.S. even strangers used to smile at me on the streets and say, "Hi, how are you?" I believe that we are friendly people, but we are not good at showing our friendliness very well.

If you had to sum up Shimane in one word, what word would you choose and why?
Curious. I cannot say this of all people in Shimane, but people in Matsue are known as curious. For example, some foreigners and newcomers feel uncomfortable with our
interrogative greetings like:
"Good morning, where are you going?"
"Hi! Are you going somewhere? Who are you going with?"
"Hi! Long time, no see! Are you married, yet? Why not?"
We are curious in good ways, too. I know many artistic people who were born and raised here, or moved into Matsue because they like living here. They are very creative, active, and eager to learn new things. They do not hesitate in adopting new ideas.

What is the most useful thing foreigners can do for the people of Shimane?
Cultural exchange. There are so many people who do not have a chance to really experience other cultures. Traveling abroad for a few days is not enough to experience such a thing.

If you live in Shimane and would like to become a volunteer translator/interpreter, please contact the Shimane International Center.

If you would like to be put "on the spot" for the next issue of the Shimanean, please contact the editor at tim_mansfield@sic-info.org