MINAMI ANDO

NYSU: You look beautiful [wearing your Yukata]. How do you feel? 

Minami: It feels – I don’t know –  it's really nice and I feel calm. 

Oh really? Why does it feel relaxing? 

I moved here five years ago and haven't gone back to Japan for a while, so it just reminds me of home. It's been five years since I started living [in New York] and of course, Japan is still my home country. But at the same time, I’m building my career here. I'm making new friends and meeting new people so this is becoming my home too. Sometimes I think, “What's my country for me? What's Japan for me?” My family's there and [I’m not] home at this moment but of course, I miss my family and my culture. 

We love that you get to be a part of this Roots & Radiance [photoshoot], too, and that you get to represent your home, your [Japanese] culture and heritage. Are you fully Japanese?

So my family ethnicity is Korean, actually. My great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents came from Korea to Japan. Both sides [of my family] have the same story – my mom’s and my dad’s. We’re all Korean but my ancestors' family moved to Japan and built a family there. Ethnicity wise, we are Korean, but we grew up in Japanese culture. We don't speak Korean. When I was little – I have a photo of this – we did [traditional] Korean things, like a traditional wedding. We use to eat kimchi and did those [kinds of] things. 

But living in Japan, [I learned] it's not diverse there. My family tried not to be open about [being] Korean because [that made it] easier [to live in Japan], such as for paperwork and other stuff. My parents were bullied because [as Koreans], they weren't as fluent in Japanese. I found out [I’m Korean] when I was three or five years old. I was just looking around and found my first passport, [but] it wasn't Japanese — it was in different letters. Even [though] I was little, I knew it wasn't Japanese so asked my mom why [it was in] Korean. My mom said, “Oh, that’s because our ethnicity is Korean but we decided to [move to Japan] so that our lives would be easier.” Then, my mom told me not to tell anyone. 

[Despite having learned this], I still grew up in Japan believing that I’m Japanese [and not Korean]. But ever since I moved [to New York], I’ve been meeting so many people — mixed people, or sometimes, people who don't have families and have different story backgrounds. So I thought, ‘Okay, I should appreciate where my family came from.’ Now, I certainly say, ‘Yes, I'm Japanese, but also, my ethnicity is Korean.

I'm glad that coming [to New York] has allowed you to create your own path. How do you feel like you represent a little bit of both – honoring your Korean ethnicity and your Japanese home?

I’m still trying to figure it out because I don't know much about [my family’s] background story yet. That's why when I go back to Japan [in December], I'm thinking about asking my grandparents what it was like living [in Japan] since moving [from Korea] — or what their life was actually like. I moved to [New York], a completely different country, and I’m trying to make a life here. But one day, I'm going to have a family too, and my kids are going to be mixed or something. I'm trying [to understand the duality] of my ethnicity as a Korean [and] my nationality as a Japanese. I want to appreciate where my family is from and be grateful about where I came from. 

I can figure it out [now] because I'm here [in New York]. If I was still in Japan, I don't think I would talk about this. That’s because people [in New York] are more open about sharing their family’s backgrounds. Everyone's different and that's okay. But in Japan, everyone has to be the same. That's how we were taught. 

So you thought you were Japanese your entire life. Now that you’ve learned there's a whole other culture that you’ve never really known about, how are you learning more about your Korean ethnicity? 

I think now it's really just the beginning [of learning about my Korean culture]. When I go back to Japan  – it's been maybe two years since I’ve seen my family – I want to actually ask them. Before, [my family] wasn’t sure if they wanted to talk about it or not. But now, I know I want to hear my story — my family's story.

So going forward, you're kind of setting a precedent for other generations – what do you hope to learn about yourself, especially when you go back to Japan? And what do you hope to inspire other people who are asking themselves, “What is home versus where am I from?” 

I am hoping that the idea of living in Japan will be better because right now, I really love New York City and I always say, “I can’t be myself in Japan because they judge me.” They are really judgemental. But of course, I don't want to hate my home country. Even though New York City is becoming home [now], it doesn't mean I don't like my country anymore. That's what I'm kind of trying to find out. I want to be stronger, [more] creative, and mentally more ready so that wherever I go – maybe Europe – people can judge me or make me feel different, but I’d [still be] strong enough.  If I know what I believe, it doesn't matter where I am from. That's what I really have to learn. I don’t want to have to keep saying, “I don't like Japan anymore.” I don't like saying that. Instead, I've been saying that I love Japanese food, I love Japanese technology. It’s a lot of pressure because I always [tell myself], “I moved here because I didn't fit in [in Japan].” But that’s because I was feeling insecure. [I think] if you're confident enough, you don't really care what others are going to see. Maybe they won’t really judge you, but it’s because that’s what’s in your mind. 

Maybe this trip will help you redefine your relationship with Japan? 

Yeah, I hope so. 

That's a huge undertaking – navigating and learning about your Korean ethnicity, but also redefining your relationship with Japan. There’s a bit of an identity crisis, but that's also so courageous.

I moved [to New York] five years ago. But for the first four years, I was always in ballet school from Monday through Saturday — sometimes even Sunday. I really didn't feel like I was physically  experiencing New York. Now that I’ve graduated from ballet school and joined a company, I started modeling. I’ve been meeting creative people. That's new [for me] now that I am actually living in New York. That's another thing – I want to explore more about myself [in New York]. What's the connection with me and in New York City? Five years [of living here] is long, but this is actually the first year of me living in New York City as an artist.

Well, thank you so much for being a part of this. It’s been so great learning about you and learning about your Korean and Japanese backgrounds. I think that's so beautiful and I'm so glad you got to just represent both.