Cultures clash in 'I Am Nipponjin'
By Chris Betros
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Christina Morimoto
TOKYO — The first thing you notice when you meet Christina Morimoto is how bubbly she is. Itfs almost infectious. Despite a long day of interviews that the 20-year-old Japanese-American is giving for her film debut, gI Am Nipponjin,h she remains enthusiastic. gIfm extremely passionate, maybe a bit too much,h she says with a laugh.
Directed by Takashi Tsukinoki, gI Am Nipponjinh tells the story of Amy, a feisty Japanese-American who comes to Japan to live with her fatherfs relatives during a semester as an exchange student. Itfs her first exposure to Japan and almost immediately she suffers a culture clash, wanting to question everything with her aggressive American instincts. But over time, Amy learns about gwabisabih (the Japanese aesthetic), kendo and other aspects of Japanese culture, opening up a new world for her.
gWhen I saw the role, I thought it was basically my life story. It was only my second audition and I was in a big room with about 15 people at a table. I was so nervous and messed up my lines, but I got the part,h says Morimoto who is currently studying international business and economics at Sophia University.
Born on Yokota Air Force base, Morimoto and her family went back to the U.S. when she was five months old. They spent time in Atlanta, Texas, Vancouver and Seattle before settling in Olympia where her American father works as a propulsion engineer for Boeing, and her Japanese mother is an accountant. After finishing high school two years ago, she made the big decision to come to Japan to live, just as Amy does in the movie.
gMy Japanese grandfather passed away before I could speak to him in his own language. That was really sad and made me realize I am half Japanese and need to learn about that half of me,h she explains. gWhen I got here, my Japanese was awful. I was living with my aunt, grandmother and cousins and I couldnft understand them. I was a bit critical at first. It was like eWhy do you guys do this? It doesnft make any sense.f I got an occasional slap on the wrist.h
In between her studies, Morimoto has been doing modeling work for magazines, as well as TV commercials and variety show appearances. gIfve been modeling since I was 12. My TV appearances started this year as my Japanese got better,h she recalls. gEarly on in my career, my parents were very strict with me. They encouraged me to have part-time jobs, which I did at Blockbuster Video and Outback Steakhouse, among others.h
Morimoto says she would like to pursue acting, citing Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves as three whom she admires. gMaking this movie was a real challenge, but I got so much out of it. However, I am definitely going to get my university degree because you need something to fall back on.h
Meanwhile, she does her best to balance study, work and fun. gAll my friends are party animals, while Ifm doing homework. I often have to get up early, sometimes to start a fashion shoot at 6 a.m. Even when I have a day off, I canft sleep past 8,h she says. The 164-cm-tall Morimoto has played soccer since she was 8, done gymnastics since she was 7 and was a cheerleader all through high school. gRight now, itfs hard to play sports because if I have an injury, it affects work, so I bought a puppy dog and we go jogging most days.h
Morimotofs major has heightened her interest in the news which she gleans from CNN daily. gThe war in Iraq concerns me. Itfs time for a new way of thinking about it in America,h she says. gAn issue in Japan I think should be looked at are NEETs — people who are 30 and have never had a job. They just live off their parents and thatfs ridiculous.h As for the U.S.-Japan relationship, Morimoto feels it is a bit troubled. gAmericans need to have a lot more respect for the Japanese culture,h she says. gThere is so much we can learn from each other.h
http://iam-nipponjin.com/
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