Today Japanese- born Yuko Furuya, a former art historian, librarian and translator talks to us about her life on a varied expat trail and the benefits of slow-paced tourism.

What was it like studying at a traditional girls’ boarding school in England?

It was quite a culture change for me at 13 and very different from Milan where we´d been living. Fortunately, the community spirit found in the boarding school “house” system provided a soft landing. I remember lots of strict rules and particularly the determination with which most people tried to break them! Plus endless hockey/lacrosse matches in the rain. Overall, it made me more independent and resilient. 

What did you most enjoy about your job as a curator in the museums of Tokyo?

In the mid 1990’s there were very few bilingual speakers with a degree in art history so there were lots of opportunities. We had to work very long hours but the fun we had as a team organising all those exhibitions and meeting the artists more than made up for it.

Pumpkin Festival in Indiana

What insights does culture give us on life in general?

I think culture forms an important part of your identity whether you decide to embrace it or rebel against it. It helps you understand why things are a certain way in one place and how it might differ elsewhere. I feel that the key is always trying to find a balance.

You´ve worked as a freelance translator from Japanese to English after having your daughter, what are the challenges of translating from two languages that are so semantically different?

Translating from Japanese to English can be challenging since the first-person pronoun is often omitted; singular and plural nouns are not distinguished; and there is a tendency to avoid expressing yourself directly so the conclusion can often be nuanced and appear unclear to say the least.

Street Art in Rio

What´s the strangest document you have ever had to translate?

Documents containing a lot of regularly used “Japanglish” words can sound funny to English speakers if they are not translated properly. Some examples include salaryman (works in an office), one room mansion (studio apartment), two shot (taking a photo together) and one chan[chance] maybe.

Both you and your husband are third culture children, as well as your daughter, how has that impacted on your upbringing and how have you managed to retain your Japanese identity?

We were both a rarity as Japanese expat children and it was hard fitting in when we returned to Japan.

However, I’ve consciously learned to develop my Japanese identity and it feels like I’m continuously adding new layers. For my daughter, it’s been easier to maintain a connection due to technology and I can also enrich her heritage with my own experiences.  

Sakura season in Tokyo

As a family you are keen explorers of different cities on foot without a fixed itinerary, what benefits have you enjoyed from this type of spontaneous tourism and discovery?

I think that the best discoveries are often found just wandering around and getting a feel of a neighbourhood. Sometimes it’s not the famous site that you remember the most, instead it can be a glimpse of a beautifully maintained inner courtyard in an old apartment building.

Kinkakuji in Kyoto

What is your secret Madrid?

When I first joined INC, a member introduced me to the Fundacion Juan March. That experience inspired me to explore other cultural foundations in Madrid and I’m always amazed at the high-quality art exhibitions, concerts, lectures available. And often they’re free! My main impetus for studying Spanish is so that I can better enjoy the Madrid cultural scene. 

How did you stay connected to the Japanese community in Rio?

Brazil has the largest population of Japanese descent outside of Japan but most of the Japanese-Brazilian community is located in Sao Paolo. There is a Japantown in Sao Paolo called Liberdade and we used to drive there (about five hours from Rio) every couple of months to stock up on Japanese food.  

Panoramic views of Rio

Has anything surprised you about Spain and its people?

I find the Spanish attitude towards drinking a pleasant surprise. The streets in Madrid are often crowded with people drinking in bars but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of binge-drinking or people getting extremely drunk. It appears to be very social and multi-generational.  

Canoeing in Indiana

How did you find life in the US after your brief stint in Mexico?

We lived in Carmel, a suburb in Indiana for four years. Until then, I’d only ever visited New York city as a tourist so the Midwest was a new experience for me. There was just miles and miles of open green space and farmland which seemed to continue forever. I once had the idea of walking to the nearest supermarket (seemed a short distance when driving) with my then one year old daughter in a stroller and it took 50 minutes!

In Japan there are some professions that don´t exist elsewhere, which is the most original one you can think of and what does it entail?

Resignation agencies in Japan offer a service whereby an employee can quit their job by hiring an agency to communicate their resignation to the employer and also carry out any necessary administrative tasks on their behalf. The market has been expanding since 2017 and is mainly used by young workers who want to avoid stressful situations related to the process of resigning or to escape from toxic work environments.

Name a book that has inspired you

It’s not a book but I found Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2017 Nobel Prize lecture inspiring

What´s the best advice you were given?

Time doesn’t stop for you.