“Yes, my mother is Japanese. But…”: Notes on a hyphenated and colon-ized identity

Myneighbor was having a stoop sale this morning, and although I have been living next to this woman, her son and husband for the past two years, today was the first day that I reached out and talked with her. She is Japanese, from Japan. Her husband is from Japan. Her son was likely born in the United States but goes back every summer to Japan. I am half-Japanese and, like an imposter, feel both attracted to and intimidated by Japanese Japanese people when I encounter them. Maybe this is why I haven’t reached out to this neighbor before? <a href="https://medium.com/@saramomii/yes-my-mother-is-japanese-but-notes-on-a-hyphenated-and-colon-ized-identity-c3d28e68831c">Website</a>