Bittersweet Butter Mochi: Between Hawaii and Japan
Asian/American Transits #3—TOKYO x LINDSAY ARAKAWA
Spring is here! 🌸 I’m excited to share the third profile in this series and bring us back across the Pacific for continued musings on transnational Asian American journeys and identities. Don’t miss my last feature on filmmaker John Zhao and his vignettes of New York life; and congratulations to my first interviewee Juli Min for her recent book deal!
Lindsay Arakawa is a Tokyo-based artist and vlogger. A yonsei (fourth-generation) Japanese American born in Hawaii, she worked in online media in New York before moving to Japan. She has collaborated with the Japanese stationery brand Midori, the sustainable phone accessory maker Casetify, and the apparel company Bits Bodywear, among others. Lindsay’s art was featured at a solo show at Ace Hotel Kyoto in 2021.
1. Where did you grow up? How did this environment affect your sense of cultural identity?
I grew up on Oahu in Hawaii, but more specifically in Aiea, Pearl City, and Moanalua—all a ten to twenty minute drive away from one another. My parents got divorced when my brother Lee and I were still pretty young, which explains the multiple locations. My mom was in Aiea, dad in Pearl City, and grandparents in Moanalua.
I think more than anything else, being born and raised in Hawaii continues to be the biggest influence on who I am and is deeply integrated into so much of my cultural identity. My Asian American experience is so unique in the sense that I was brought up in a place where the majority of the people around me were not only Asian American, but also fourth or fifth generation. Our families all came from similar beginnings in Hawaii.
2. Can you describe how you came to your current creative practice? Who or what have been your biggest inspirations or influences?
I spent some time in New York in my mid-twenties, and it was such a life-changing experience for me. Before moving to New York, I guess I would say that I had been a creative person, but never really found my stride. I took a bunch of art, music, and hula dance classes when I was young, which all felt good as ways to creatively express myself, but nothing ever stuck.
It wasn’t until I moved to New York in 2015, where I was constantly surrounded by new experiences, people, and places, that I started to really feel inspired and pursued a creative path that I stuck with. Living in New York meant that there was always a new exhibit or a live show to go to, which provided plenty of creative stimulation. Some of my favorite museums were the Whitney, the New Museum, MoMA PS1, and the Guggenheim.
3. When did you move to Japan? Has the experience of living here shaped your creative, personal, or social sensibilities?
I moved to Japan at the end of 2018, just about a year or so before COVID. During the pandemic, as we endured shifts and lockdowns of various kinds, I actually started to feel the opposite of creative and put a lot of my normal routines and habits on pause. Now that the borders are opened back up and traveling is less of a hassle, I’m looking forward to figuring out more about what life in Japan means to me.
When I first got to Japan, I thought it would become another place that could offer me a strong sense of belonging, but I actually found myself feeling the exact opposite. It was a weird thing that I struggled with internally (and still do) because I’ve identified as Japanese my entire life, but have come to realize that what I thought of as “Japanese” is actually specific to the Japanese American experience in Hawaii. For example, I’ve learned that a lot of the Japanese foods that I grew up with are actually the localized Hawaii version of Japanese dishes. So something like butter mochi doesn’t really exist in Japan, haha. This discovery of just how American I am has been a little bittersweet because I’ve almost been forced to relearn who I am in my thirties.
4. Do you have any favorite places in Tokyo?
I love Yoyogi Park so much; I think of it as a little oasis I can escape to when feeling overwhelmed by the city. The park is massive, so there are a bunch of little pockets that I’ve found over the years where I like to chill with my dog, it’s the best. The park is also so central in the city and just a twenty-minute walk from our apartment. My husband and I live pretty close to Shibuya Scramble (not on purpose), and sometimes the amount of foot traffic in the area can be overwhelming, so it’s nice to know that we have the park nearby.
5. What significance do you see in finding, making, and/or nurturing community connections between Asia and America, broadly speaking?
America and Asia can sometimes feel like they’re worlds apart, but I think that there’s so much that we can learn from one another through meaningful conversation and dialogue. At times, Japan can be made to feel like you’re living in a bubble, but from what I can see on Instagram and TikTok (lol), it seems like the younger generation is eager to move past some of the more traditional ways of thinking that have been cemented as societal norms by older generations. I’ve also appreciated more online conversations around social activism, body positivity, and mental health on bilingual English/Japanese platforms like @blossomtheproject.
You can find Lindsay’s latest soothing visuals and meditative video narratives on Instagram and YouTube, or check out some of her colorful goodies on Casetify. Head over to her personal website for a deep dive into the archives and more info on her other projects. 🍃