feat. Daiki Yanagawa

 By: Daniel Kwak, Writer

Living in Japan, Daiki Yanagawa was told by his mother to hide the Korean part of his identity due to the discrimination that Koreans face there. His private life, which included aspects of both Japanese and Korean culture, was kept separate from his public life. He constantly had to present himself as only Japanese in public and switched parts of his identity based on the situations he was in. As a result, he is especially sensitive to cultural differences.

When he first came to America, he felt pressure yet again to switch parts of his identity. He joined the Japanese community on campus, which consists of members from diverse backgrounds, although many of them grew up in America. His ex-girlfriend, who is Japanese American, made comments towards him regarding the way he dressed that made him more sensitive to his clothing choices. He was previously on the executive board for the Asian American Student Union (AASU), but he had conflicting feelings towards being a board member, since he wasn't sure if he could represent the Asian American community as an international student. Looking back at these instances, he said he unconsciously felt the need to present himself - at least on the outside - as an Asian American.

It was during this time that he actively tried to learn about and embrace the unique facets of Asian American culture. He found that many Asian American men tried to present themselves as more masculine through their fashion, a discovery that was particularly interesting to him. He also observed that the fashion in Madison is a lot more conservative than in Tokyo, which is a large, diverse city with people from all different backgrounds and styles. In America, he felt the need to change his style to fit in. Yet when he returned to Tokyo for the summer, his friends commented that the way he dressed was too American!

He never meant to throw away the Japanese part of his identity... instead, he came to embrace a   culture to which he was not indigenous. Ultimately, Daiki no longer feels the need to transform into something he’s not, and is trying to find a balance between American, Japanese, and Korean culture in his lifestyle.