Growing up in Japan as a Foreigner with Joshua Thomson

Metropolis Japan

a day ago

Based in Japan: Japanese? British? Aussie? Kiwi? Just Joshua!
By Gendel Gento
Joshua Thomson's early life was an international odyssey. He was born in Tokyo and grew up in Saitama, but moved to the U.S. when he was three, only to come back to Japan at the age of five. While attending a Japanese elementary school, he went to English camps and events at international schools, leading what he calls a 'double English-Japanese life.' A short stint at an American school proved disappointing ('I hated it so much'), so he went back to a Japanese middle school and high school.
Around this time, Thomson began dabbling in show business by acting in commercials and TV shows. A move to London to study social science proved eye-opening ('I kind of found myself. I was able to be myself for the first time in my life by not having that foreigner label'). After returning to Japan and pursuing acting, he transitioned to YouTube, where he interviewed other international residents like himself. When he started making short Instagram videos to promote his channel, his new career really took off. He still shares his time between London and Tokyo.
Metropolis: What's your family's connection with Japan?
Joshua Thomson: My dad's parents came to Japan in the 1950s to open churches as Protestant missionaries. They met in Sapporo, got married, and stayed in Hokkaido. And then my mom's parents met in New Zealand, but they came to Japan in 1960 and also stayed in Hokkaido. If you visit Sapporo, there's a church that my grandfather built.
M: How was your experience growing up and attending school in Japan? How did it compare with those experiences while abroad?
JT: It's funny because I started my education in America. I was going to this really nice preschool in Virginia Beach. Then, we returned to Japan when I was five, and I was enrolled in preschool in Niiza, Saitama. I think that's when I realized I wasn't like others around me, I didn't look like them. They mentioned how my hair and eyes were different. So I started noticing I wasn't one of them.
Back then, I thought I was American, but in the States, my parents would sometimes speak Japanese, so I noticed the Japanese connection to my family. But I couldn't really connect the dots. Back in Japan, I began to notice the lack of diversity. There's one thing you're told to do, and you actually follow that. If you don't abide by the rules like they really pick on you. And I was such an opinionated kid.
Then I went into elementary school, and it got even worse. Initially, they had this reaction where they said I wasn't Japanese, but after a few weeks, they just got used to it. I don't remember well, I think I was bullied a little bit, but by the time I got to fifth or sixth grade, I was accepted, and I even became one of the popular kids.
At that point, I really became Japanese, but then suddenly I had to go to an American school in Tokyo, and that transition was more difficult than the reverse. My first language is Japanese. I had never studied in English, so it was really hard. It was a culture shock. I couldn't stand it, so I ended up going back. I just felt more at ease in Japanese school.
However, during high school, I started watching American TV, and I thought, 'This is actually fun.' So, I became more interested in speaking English and re-studying it. That's when I started thinking about studying abroad, and eventually went to an English school in Brighton and university in London after that. I felt like I could express myself more, rather than just writing down what the professor was saying. That was a great experience.
M: What made you pursue a career in social media and entertainment in general?
JT: I grew up watching Japanese TV, and I remember always thinking I wanted to be on TV. I knew I wanted to be in showbiz in Japan. And even in school, people would tell me that I should be on TV and that I should be a comedian.
When I was in high school, I started ringing all these foreign agencies to sign up. And then I started going to auditions and shoots. However, at one point, they began asking me to appear on TV as a commentator in the UK. The problem was, I'm not from the UK, so I can't really talk about it like an expert.
And when it came to acting, they wanted me to be the stupid, crazy foreigner in commercials. I felt that wasn't me. I thought: 'I freaking speak Japanese, let me do more!'. Also, TV is super scripted, even reality or talk shows, more than you might think. I felt nothing was authentic. That's why I started talking about my life on social media. I needed to really talk about what I was experiencing because I was going through a lot. I was having identity issues, thinking 'Who am I? What am I? Where do I fit in?'
I was also a bit fed up with Japan. I was sharing those feelings with my audience. Then I wanted to go deeper, but when things get too deep, people don't want to watch your content. So I thought about how to do it in a lighter way. I love comedy, so I thought I could mix comedy with that identity issue part of myself. I started recording myself imitating Japanese people in various situations, like my real estate agent video. That was me kind of getting back at Japan a bit (laughs). It was me showing people here what it's like to be rejected because of your looks or your passport.
M: You started vlogging in English but later transitioned into Japanese. What prompted that change, and what differences did you notice?
JT: Back then, I was trying to go big. The English-speaking population is 10 times the Japanese population. But my native language is Japanese. My Japanese is way better than my English, so it made more sense to make content in Japanese. I can just speak my own language and be true to myself, because I feel like I'm a different person when I make content in English. I rewatch it and think, 'Who is this person?'.
When I went back again to London, I thought it would be interesting to show a British-looking person moving to London, but in Japanese. That's kind of funny, right? And it felt more natural. I felt 'This is what I want to do. This is who I am.' But I knew the English-speaking audience was way bigger, so I began adding subtitles on my Instagram videos. Then, it really took off.
I didn't expect people abroad would relate and find my content funny, considering it's in Japanese, but they did. And vice versa, showing Japanese people that there is potential in Japanese comedy as a way for the world to see the real side of Japan. I've noticed people are more interested in Japan than ever. I'm really happy that people are actually finally noticing how cool things are here. I think the world wants to see more of the real side of Japan, so I think that's why people are interested in my content.
M: Your YouTube channel focuses on interviewing international residents or those with non-Japanese ancestry. What have you learned from talking to these people? How do their experiences compare to yours?
JT: I've realized that every person has a different experience. The biggest thing I noticed is that, although I'm third-generation, I've only spoken to second-generation people. Third-generation non-Japanese in Japan are very rare. All the people I've interviewed had more extreme experiences because their parents didn't speak Japanese. My parents spoke Japanese, so they fully knew what was going on. They could talk to my teachers, schoolmates and friends. I realized I had a more straightforward experience compared to my channel's guests. There's a massive difference between me and them.
M: Your Instagram is more about comedy skits. What's your creative process for coming up with characters and situations?
JT: I have a really good memory. Something that happened to me 10 or 20 years ago still lives inside my body. It's really easy for me to recreate that, to bring up that energy again. I just go back into my memory and pick and choose what setting I want to do, and then I get into the mood. I ease in, and it all comes together. For example, I did a retail worker role. I used to work at Zara, so I experienced that intense way of walking and screaming a welcome to customers. One morning, I woke up and that memory came back, and I just started doing it. I don't plan things. I don't write things down. It's all about instinct. I just let my body and energy take me to where I'm supposed to go. I do love thinking a lot. And listening and watching the world around me. I'm also good at imagining. So I just pick and choose fact and fiction, and weave it all together.
M: Where would you like to see your career take you in the future?
JT: I'm starting a project right now. If that works out, it's gonna be like a summary of what I've achieved in my life so far. I can't really talk about it too much, but I do want to create something that sums up what I've done and who I am into one tangible thing. My YouTube and Instagram stuff is more spontaneous, but I want to sit down and work on something that requires more effort and planning, with higher quality.
About life, I want to keep going back and forth between London and Tokyo, but I can say that because I'm still 29. I think there'll come a point in life where I will have to settle down. In an ideal world, I'd want to keep moving, seeing and experiencing new things. But at the same time, I like having Japan as a base to come back to. It's a place where I feel comfortable.