Due to her working situation in the media industry, Minami has lived in many different cities in Japan. Last April, she moved with her son from Tokyo to Jakarta, where her husband has been living for the last couple of years.
Profile
Name: Minami Age: Early 30’s
Minami was born in Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. While in university studying foreign languages, she spent 1 year in Singapore as an exchange student. After working in several media companies, she has been on a leave since April 2017 and moved to Jakarta.
———- Seeing your relocating history, you are like a nomad.
Minami: That’s true. I have been moving like this only because of my job, so I am not really self-motivated about it though. I knew that I would go through relocations often when I started to work, so I have no problem with it.
———What was the reason to move to Jakarta?
Minami: My husband has been in Jakarta since last year. I joined him with our son taking a leave from my job for a year. In my company, there is a system that allows employees to take a leave when their spouses work as expats. You can take it up to the maximum of 2 years. For now I plan to take 1 year, but still haven’t decided yet.
Jakarta is famous for its heavy traffic. It was a car free day on Sunday in the city central. Full body suit of Doraemon(?) does business to take pictures with tourists then ask for money
Chance to see my child closely
———How has your life changed after moving there?
Minami: My life cycle has been very much changed.I feel that now I am seeing my child closely for the very first time.
In Japan I could not stay at home much because of my job. That means that now I can see many good things about him, as much as no-so-good things. Discovering what makes him laugh and happy, it is eye opening.
——–What did you expect life in Jakarta would be like?
Minami: I was not really familiar with the culture of Indonesia before, so I was looking forward to studying the language and so on. Learning to speak a new language all over again and communicate with it, plus having myself surrounded by different values.
———How is the language situation in Indonesia?
Minami: Official language is Indonesian. They don’t speak much English. So you could say that it is necessary to learn the language to live there.
When I shop in markets, I make the most of my limited Indonesian like ”How much is it?” and “Can I use a credit card?”
Never been treated like a foreigner
——–How does it feel to be in Jakarta as a foreigner? Do you feel they treat you somewhat differently?
Minami: Not at all. Japanese tend to be thought of as rich, so depending on the situation there may be some people who would try to sell something to you.
Other than that, they come to you and speak to you in Indonesian in their regular speed, like nothing special. It doesn’t matter to them if you are Japanese.
They don’t get shy around foreigners. They just come to you and burst into conversation so naturally.
——– How do you react to them in those situations?
Minami: I answer to them when I understand what they are saying. When I don’t, I say to them straightforward “I don’t understand what you are saying”.
After that, some try to talk in their limited English, others say “Then that’s alright” and leave.
What I try to keep in mind at all times is to listen to them even if I don’t understand them.
Central area of Jakarta
Concerns about living abroad
———Did you have any concern before moving to Jakarta?
Minami: Yes, about the hygiene and childcare environment. Especially about the medical field and food.
———Now what do you think of these challenges?
Minami: They all turned out to be okay, though not perfect. You can buy organic food, just that they are more expensive.
It costs more, but as long as you pay for it, safe medical care and food are available. Just the price is high.
More relaxing and stress free
———-Have you noticed any change about yourself after the relocation?
Minami: I guess I have become more easygoing.
In Japan things come and go so quickly, which made me feel tense all the time. After coming here, I guess I have become more laid back, rather less punctual.
Besides here in Jakarta, people are relaxed and kind to people with kids even when they make noise. You know in public areas in Japan, people could look so coldly at them in that situation.
Even when I think of something as a problem, people here would say, “ It’s okay”. That let me be more relaxed about things in general. I find it more stress free that way, and people can live without problems that way.
Reassessing Japanese sense of value
Minami: Having said that, I also got the appreciation to have grown up in Japan after coming here. For example, the sense that you take good care of what you have. Or that you can taste the sensitive flavor of things such as Dashi(Japanese broth).
Japanese sense of value used to be my complex actually. Like, you could care about details a little too much, or that you could be a bit too squared. These same things though have good aspects, you attend to details to not make other people feel annoyed, you are diligent to learn and acquire new things. I have realized those good qualities.
Even here, there are time that I find the table Japanese people finished meals, and dishes are piled neatly so it would be easier to take care of . Then I find myself thinking like ”Oh I like this sort of thing”.
It is good that I am Japanese, whereas the sense of value here is also good. I guess I have become able to affirm diversity. I have become able to see things from a higher perspective. That is a gaining.
Building relationships in the current location
———– Have you got new friends there?
Minami: No, no. That is my goal for the rest of my time here, building my own community. That’s why I am going to university from September.
I thought that if I didn’t do anything, I would not be able to meet anyone other than Japanese, and it would be a shame. So I am going to take Indonesian language courses for foreign students in university. The teachers are local; also there may be chances to communicate with students who study Japanese there.
I am not sure yet how much communication and interaction there is going to be, but I thought that first I would get out of this current fixed community I live in. Initially when I came here, I was feeling so lonely and I could not do much other than taking care of it, but I guess I am more relaxed and ready now.
————What do you miss the most about back home?
Minami: It’s people. Not much about other things. Things other than people, I can adapt myself to.
Relocation is a change. Doesn’t make me feel it costs something else
————When you relocate yourself, I assume that there are things that you have to give up instead. How do you make that choice in priorities?
Minami: When I move, it doesn’t make me feel like I choose something over another. I perceive it as a change rather than a choice. Even when you keep living in the same place, there will be changes all the time right? There is nothing that doesn’t change, from my values to my child’s growing up.
So the fact that relocation changes relationships with people, your career plan and so on, I perceive it as one of the changes to make things better. If things stay the same, it is not fun nor can you grow.
————It sounds like relocation is something natural to you.
Minami: That is not entirely true though. The results of the changes, you have to assess them for yourself, which gives me a tough time sometimes. It does not always go as I wish; there are many headaches too.
———–What was the most difficult thing so far?
Minami: It has been tough to find something that makes you feel comfortable all over again, now that I am away from my job and the people I know. It could be anything that you feel comfortable about, your life style or the material stuff around you. I feel like everyone is looking to be comfortable.
———–Would you consider moving to another place?
Minami: Yeah I would! You eat new food and talk to different people, and feel like “There are people like this”. It is definitely fun and intriguing.
Illustration by Kaori Ois