Graphic Novel Natsuko - Perspectives on Israel by a Japanese Female Immigrant

I have been living in Israel for four years now. While I am getting used to life in Israel, I am still experiencing many new things as an immigrant. In the midst of daily life, there was a subtle inspiration that led to the creation of this work, Natsuko. In this essay, I would like to introduce the story behind this work.
Ever since I arrived in Israel, whenever people find out that I am from Japan, the first thing they say to me is “Japan is one of the countries I would like to visit,” “I like Japan,” or “Kon-nichiwa (in a Hebrew accent). Israelis who have been to Japan will say things like, “The Japanese are polite,” “Everything is on time in Japan,” or “Japanese cities are clean and beautiful.” I sometimes feel embarrassed because they have nothing but nice things to say about my country. They often say, “Israel and Japan are polar opposites.” Their words made me ask myself the following question: are Israel and Japan really polar opposites? I started to wonder, “What kind of story can I tell to make both Israelis and Japanese understand each other? I began to think about it, and the character Natsuko, a Japanese female immigrant, was born out of this question. What do we see when we look at the current situation and society in Israel through the eyes of a Japanese immigrant born and raised in Japan? Of course, language and cultural differences are stressful for immigrants. Not everything is seen in a positive light because they have things they can compare to their home country. Rather, when immigrants decide to put down roots in a country, they are sometimes forced to live with compromises regarding their new culture and customs in order to survive. At the same time I began to think that in the eyes of immigrants, we can find not only “differences between Japan and Israel,” but also universal human feelings that we both identify with - for example, feelings for our families, loved ones, and friends.
　Another thing is that Israel is a country of immigrants. People of diverse origins, both Jewish and non-Jewish, live here for a variety of reasons. On the other hand, thanks to the development of communication technology, we also see immigrants who remain firmly rooted in their home countries. One of them is Ola, an African immigrant who works as a cleaner at a beach house by the sea. When she has time, she video chats with her family and friends back home. But while some immigrants like her are always connected virtually to their home countries, I believe that there are others who live “here and now,” feeling the memories and experiences of their home countries in the moments of their daily lives. For example, the smell of burnt soy sauce on the street reminds me of the grilled rice balls my mother used to make for me when I was a child. For immigrants living in a distant foreign country, memories and reminiscences of their home country are something of the past, but they still hold a special connection between themselves and their home country. For Japanese immigrants, because they are away from Japan, they become more conscious of being Japanese and more sensitive to their own connection to their homeland. This phenomenon may seem odd to Japanese people living in Japan. However, I believe that the reason why Japanese immigrants to Central and South America in the past never ceased to hold festivals and traditional Japanese cultural events even in foreign lands is because immigrants who are separated from their home country are placed in a situation where they are constantly asked the question of who they are. The main character Natsuko lives in Tel Aviv, connected to the “memory of Japan” that appears in her daily life, and lives in two time-spaces between Japan and Israel. I would be happy if you could read Natsuko from this perspective.

　By the way, on a personal note, I moved to a place called Jaffa at the end of last year. The atmosphere of the city is completely different from the center of Tel Aviv where I used to live. What surprised me when I first moved here was that when I was cooking in my kitchen, I would hear the call to prayer (adhan) from the mosque, and at the same time I would hear the sound of church bells from a different direction. Then I turn one corner of my house and there is a synagogue. A city of Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis, Jews, Muslims, and Christians, Jaffa is the embodiment of the “exotic” and “multicultural. At the same time, however, it is a place where diverse people live, which could lead to conflicts.
　
Recently, Israel has been in the ceasefire agreement with Hamas and Hezbollah. While I am very happy that the ceasefire has prevented further casualties on both sides, the reality is that the ceasefire has sparked controversy in the country. Living in Israel may not be easy, but that is precisely why I would like to immerse myself in this place and create artwork.
　Finally, the sunset from Tel Aviv is very beautiful. As I watch this sunset, I think about my “Japan.
*Photos taken by the author