Kansai Window

"Kansai Daisuki!" (I Love Kansai!) is a web page where foreigners living in Kansai talks about the charm of Kansai.

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The 10th
Ms. Kathy Correia working for the Radio Station FM CO.CO.LO
Ms. Kathy Correia



		Our interviewee for this edition of "Kansai Daisuki" (I Love Kansai) is Ms. Kathy Correia who is working for the radio station FM CO.CO.LO. FM CO.CO.LO is the first multilingual FM radio station to broadcast in Kansai and provides various programs in fifteen languages including English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai etc. Kathy works on the English language news at the station.

June, 2003

Kathy Correia is originally from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and first came to Japan when she was a senior high school student. She spent three months in Osaka on a home-stay visit as part of an exchange student program initiated by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. It was thanks to this memorable experience that she took advantage of an opportunity to later come back to Japan to work in Kansai.

"The first time I was here I only had a short three months in Japan and studying the language was not part of the program. However, I did make friends with two girls who were about the same age as me and we grew very close. We wrote to one another for over 15 years until I came back to Japan. That was in 1995 and, when we finally reunited after all those years, we were amazed at how much we had changed. They were grown up, married and had children of their own."

Having had an overseas experience while young, and having later majored in journalism at university, Kathy clearly acquired the skills early on that she would need to understand worldwide events from a broader and more open-minded perspective.
After university in the US, Kathy went to Paris for a couple of years where she thrived in the world of broadcasting as well as corporate communications for large companies. It was after this period that she returned to Japan, set on the idea that she might even try a new line of work. While her lifestyle had now become truly cosmopolitan, this is perhaps less surprising when other aspects of her background are considered.
"My father is Portuguese, my mother French and the name 'Correia' is actually a Portuguese name. Here in Japan I can see many areas of similarity between Japan and Portugal. Did you know that 'Tempura', famous as typically Japanese cooking, is originally from Portugal, as are Japan's much-loved 'Castella' ? And, unusually for people in the West, the Portuguese love to eat 'Tako' (Octopus) just as the Japanese do."

Indeed, Kathy is very keen on Japanese food and almost always opts to eat at a Japanese restaurant when dining out. "I really love sushi as well as 'okonomi-yaki' [a little similar to pizza] and 'tako-yaki' [octopus dumplings]. Okonomi-yaki is excellent although a little heavy for me personally."
"My mother also loves Japanese food - perhaps too much! When she last visited Japan, I took her out to a Sushi restaurant but couldn't get her to leave. She enjoyed the taste so much that it took ages to eat each single piece of 'nigiri'."

As well as the food, Kathy seems very settled and content with life in Japan. She was asked what other aspects of life in Japan she enjoys the most.
"I have lived in different parts of Osaka and each have their own good points. When I first arrived, I spent a few years in 'Taisho-ku' living in a 'danchi' (block of flats). Now I live in 'Kyobashi' where I have a 'manshion' (private apartment). People in Taisho-ku were very friendly and quite comfortable interacting with a foreign neighbor. In the case of Kyobashi, the location is the best feature. My place faces out to the park along the Yodo River and Kyobashi also has easy access to other cities being linked to a really convenient transportation system. It also has its own unique characteristics and many interesting shops. However, when I lived in the 'danchi', I did socialize with the neighbors a lot more. The people were very quick to help each other out and I do miss that sense of community."

Asked about the attractions of Kansai, Kathy explained about her disciplined approach to exploring the region. "At weekends I often take short, single-night stay, trips away and always stay within the Kansai area. There are many wonderful places even within such a small area, for example, Ise, Nagahama and Ohmihachiman. Plus, there is a lot to do in each place whether it's the eating out, shopping, appreciating something or doing something outdoors. I actually keep files for each area and there's one for Nara, one for Kyoto etc. I have information about what to do, what to see and what to eat for each place so each weekend I simply reach for a folder and decide where I want to go."
"I would say that traveling is my number one hobby and what I do so I can enjoy Japan's changing seasons all over again - the cherry blossom in spring and maple leaves in autumn - is to go and see them in a different place each time."

Kathy clearly enjoys living in this part of Japan and 'Kansai Daisuki' asked her what aspects of the region she would like to let people in other countries know about.
"I'd like to emphasize the mixture, the combination of the old and the new. People outside Japan have an image that Japan is so ancient and that the people still wear 'kimono' and 'geta' (traditional wooden shoes) just as they did in the old days. Of course there are still many places in Kansai, such as Gion in Kyoto, where the old traditions still exist and these remain highly attractive features in themselves. However, other attractive features can also be found in the modern aspects of Japan such as the easy access, comforts and conveniences of daily living. You can see this in the convenience stores and advanced transportation systems. The real attraction of Japan lies in this coexistence of the modern and ancient within the social framework."

When asked whether Osaka had become more international in recent years, Kathy brought up some other ways in which Osaka is relatively easy to live in.
"I remember going to one country where I encountered difficulties at their immigration offices. The officers were not at all friendly or welcoming, whereas I have never had such problems in Japan. People here do make the effort to try and understand the foreign visitor, even if the visitor speaks little or no Japanese. You find that that level of courtesy everywhere, not only at the airport."
"However, it doesn't mean that Japan has become more international. I sometimes feel that Osaka is a very insular city, something I'm reminded of every time someone stares at me just because I am a foreigner. In other countries I never experienced being such a center of attention, whether it was in a good way or bad way."

Obviously, working in the non-discriminating, multi-national environment that FM CO.CO.LO makes possible is bound to accentuate that perception when moving around a typical city.
"That's right. In our workplace we don't treat each other as anything special and we have a really professional atmosphere. Actually, we are more like a family. You might think we are always quizzing one another about where we are from etc., but - apart from helping each other out with, say, pronouncing a difficult name that cropped up in a news story - we generally don't."

Asked what advice she would give the overseas visitor wanting to come to Japan she told Kansai Daisuki: "What is important is to learn something about the customs of Japan, that is, be sensitive to the people's mannerisms including the Japanese way of thinking and to accept it. It is important for the visitor to set aside the 'gaijin' (foreigner) mentality. For those wanting to come here to work, I advise them to establish their own set of standards and a system for self-evaluation. In Japan the employee rarely receives feedback or guidance from colleagues or managers so you have to work to a benchmarking system all of your own to know if you are making progress in the right direction".

Kathy also had some advice for Japanese people going overseas.
"This applies, not only to those traveling overseas, but also those trying to communicate with foreigners in Japan. I'm talking about the excessive value people in Japan seem to place on speaking English. While English is certainly an international language, it is only a tool to express something just as any other language. But Japanese people still put far too much emphasis on English and focus only on trying to master the language by itslelf. Just as I mentioned before about the importance of understanding and accepting the customs of other countries, if the speaker can only see other countries from a Japanese perspective then mastering English makes little sense. Of course, it works the other way around. The ability to speak Japanese is useless if the non-Japanese speaker tries speak the language without understanding the Japanese point of view."

The interview with Kathy therefore concluded with this reminder that true international exchange only exists when there is a mutual sensitivity for the different lifestyles and ways of thinking between different countries. Undoubtedly such awareness helped her when she was communicating with her 'danchi' neighbors in Osaka, even at a time when she spoke little Japanese, and continues to help her now with her work in the international environment of a multi-lingual FM radio station.