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Comedian, fashion designer, and actress Naomi Watanabe has only been going from strength to strength in recent years, with a slew of viral hits under her belt as well as work with beloved franchises both within Japan and across the globe. After moving to New York earlier this year, she’s set her future ambitions accordingly high while keeping contact with her base back in Japan through a series of livestreams on her official YouTube channel.
Naomi’s livestreams are incredibly comfortable affairs where she sits down in front of the camera, often with a meal or a snack, and just chats happily away to her commenters.
In this recent broadcast, her first in about five months, she catches up with her fans and lets them know how everything is going stateside. She chats about how happy she was to find an authentic Japanese grocery store, which is where she bought the natto she’s eating on camera; her new hair extensions, which she got fitted at an American parlor and was surprised to have the option to clip in a full head all at once, and her latest manicure, which features several Sailor Moon designs.
At around the thirty-minute mark, she admits that there’s been a lot of news about racism that caused her to doubt the intentions of people around her. Then she adds that she’s been meaning to share something semi-related to that topic. “But lemme eat some more of my dinner first, okay?” she grins.
After a little bow to the camera, a customary “gochisousama deshita”, and a swig of energy drink she explains:
“There are these cars in New York that I use…they’re called Ubers. When I’m in one with a friend and we’re chatting in Japanese, the driver will always comment something like, ‘Hey, what language are you guys speaking?’ so I answer, ‘Oh, it’s Japanese.’ And nine times out of ten they’ll reply like ‘Oh, Japanese! It’s sooo pleasant to listen to. It feels so nice. It’s such a gentle language, isn’t it!'”
“People here don’t tend to understand Japanese when they hear it, but they really love to hear it. I also got responses like ‘Oh, I love Japan! The people there are so kind and nice. So peaceful. I love hearing the Japanese language.’ I think that what must have happened is that lots of our Japanese ancestors must have moved to New York and had great relations there, and built up this great reserve of trust. It makes me want to follow their example and be a great, kind person, as another Japanese person.”
Considering the anti-Asian hate crimes that have sprung up in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly the ones reported on from the United States, there has been some trepidation from Japanese travelers about visiting America. The users who were chatting alongside Naomi’s livestream seemed delighted to hear this much more positive encounter:
“Oh, hearing that warms my heart a lot.”
“I’ve definitely gotten those impressions while living abroad, too.”
“This makes me wanna go visit America!”
“That’s the best compliment you could hope for about your language.”
“I think they were just charmed by Naomi’s lovely personality.”
“I wanna be the kind of Japanese person who can maintain that good impression they have of us.”
Considering how gracefully Naomi has cast off disparaging remarks in the past, it certainly comes as no surprise to hear that she has a sunny and optimistic attitude about living Stateside. Stay tuned to hear whatever she’s up to next!
Source: YouTube/NAOMI CLUB via Hachima Kiko
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2021/08/26/fashion-icon-naomi-watanabe-has-a-reassuring-anecdote-for-japanese-people-in-the-u-s/
25 Comments
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NAM
Well of course they're going to say nice things, they literally work for her! She's paying them to provide a service, so naturally they're going to say nice things partly cos they want a tip, and partly because they need a good review and want to work more in the future. Rich people live in little isolated bubbles, and think this is how the real world works for the rest of us. She needs to take the subway, hang out in a park, and be around people that aren't serving her. Then she will hear some real comments.
Mr Kipling
Naomi needs to learn to understand sarcasm.... and maybe swap the Snickers for a carrot stick? The promotion of obesity is not good.
yakyak
Really?
Jalapeno
@NAM: Good point about the drivers wanting the rider to leave a positive review. But I have found in the U.S. that people are generally fond of Japanese and even the language. It's still a bit of an "exotic" culture in the U.S., despite all the Japanese restaurants. Compared to the other Asian languages, the Japanese language does seem to have a mellower tone, at least to the American ear. And there are far few Japanese compared to other Asians, like Chinese, Korean, or Cambodian.
Rick Hepner
Why a Snickers? You can get one pretty much anywhere on the planet.
Johansawada
I was told by my American colleagues, it depends which part of the States you're in - it is recommended if i ever go to the southern states (i.e. Alabama), never tell them my wife is japanese... just say she is hawaiian...
Pacific Saury
Fashion icon!? hahahahahaha
She's a comedian!
therougou
If she's not doing the Beyonce dance, there isn't much reason to watch.
InspectorGadget
I know she is famous in Japan and her brand of slapstick, self-depricating humour seems to go down well here. She left Japan to seek fame etc in the US.
But what has she actually done in the last 5 months? The article only mentioned the usual stuff you do to get used to living in another country,
Lorem ipsum
What the heck did I just read...sounds like a first grader said this...
bass4funk
It’s a little bit more complicated than that. I don’t think it’s something she strives to be may be in her personal life, but for the Japanese audience as a TV talent you have to have some thing that makes you stand out and to be noticed you need a schtick and being fat is hers, if she went and lost all that weight, the Japanese audience might not give her the attention she would need to stay afloat, so even if she wants to lose weight at this point, career-wise, it just wouldn’t be a good thing, this is kind of the ugly site to the Japanese business, optics is everything. She says that she is proud of herself as to who she is, and I believe that, but there is so much pressure on you when you’re a talent in Japan and you have to beat me up to conduct yourself a certain way and when people see or know you to be in a certain image form, you have to kind of stay with it because that is how they associate you and differentiate you from others, you’re pretty much pigeonholed.
Pukey2
I'm glad that someone with no connection to America was allowed to enter. Can't say the same about Japan.
Chico3
Fashion icon? I wouldn't classify as anything fashionable. Since when?
Chico3
That's one long sentence. Well, she definitely stands out.
3RENSHO
How many remember when she first started out, doing commercials for Kyotei Boat Race, wearing a mask and costume which obscured all except her generous figure...?
kyushubill
OK, so 6 months ago she set off to NYC in the midst of a pandemic to as she said, "Bring Japanese sensibilities to film, fashion, and culture." And the J-media just gushed about how brave she is.
Now those 6 months are gone and her work so far is taking Ubers, eating chocolate bars, being scared of nonexistent racists hiding behind every corner, and buying natto.
WOW easy work if you can get it.
She just may get around to the "Bring Japanese sensibilities to film, fashion, and culture." at some point, but please do not rush and get too stressed.
Kyakusenbi_Arimasu
The blind can only touch fat skin and cellulite, so it is all irrelevant.
What is wrong with America praising obesity, overweight and unhealthy life styles. Come home naomi and become a real Japanese again. Thin, sexy, woman and kind.
bass4funk
You are generalizing, most Americans don't praise it, many just accept it. Some people were born heavier and later became obese, some have difficulties losing weight, there are many reasons and not all the same, some people are proud to be who they are and accept themselves, I don't think it's a bad thing. America is not the only society that has larger people, the UK, Canada, Germany, and Australia as well have their share of large people, and what are the reasons? They all vary.
If she did, she would still stay the same, large and she is proud of that, but also, she wants to keep her career.
Strangerland
I get comments like the ones she mentioned around the world regularly. And I'm not Japanese, nor are they working for me.
Anime and sushi have made massive inroads into western culture in the past couple decades, and peoples' image of Japan is very positive around the world.
Goyt
This girl is a fashion icon? Not in the US. Regardless, Americans for the most part find Japan and the Japanese merely amusing. Kind of similar to how the Japanese view most Westerners.
Tom San
I've never found her to be funny.
Plus size or not.