HONOLULU (HI Now) - With a local mother and a hapa-Japanese father, Nohealani “Nohea” Shozen’s life has always been a blend of two worlds. She spent her formative years on the coastal side of Chiba, Japan—close to where the surf Olympics took place—living a truly authentic Japanese childhood. From serving classmates lunch as part of the kyushokutoban to scrubbing floors for sojikakari, Shozen was fully immersed in the culture, yet as the only “gaijin” in school, she always felt a little different.
That feeling of being an outsider took a funny turn when she moved back to Hawaii for her middle school years. Shozen never forgot a cashier in Makaha telling her, “You look local, but you different!” She was right—Shozen was a local girl who couldn’t yet wrap her head around Pidgin and whose English was still catching up to her peers. Despite the “multilingual dilemma” many of us in the islands know all too well, Shozen pushed through to become a proud Punahou graduate.
Today, she’s turned that “different” perspective into her greatest strength. Shozen is incredibly blessed to serve as a bridge between my two homes through HI Now Japan, sharing the stories that connect our islands to the heart of Japan.
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