Hāfu Voices - Living between two worlds in Japan

Microaggressions & Mixed Identity in Japan | Interview with Aurora Tsai

45min | 05/21/2026

Description

In this episode, Yuko discusses with Aurora Thai, a JSPS Research Fellow at University of Tokyo researching race, language, and identity among mixed heritage individuals in Japan.

Together, they explore the complex and deeply personal realities of growing up between cultures. Aurora shares her journey as someone with Taiwanese and American roots, her decision to learn Japanese to reconnect with family and identity, and the emotional weight of constantly being asked to explain “where she is really from.”

Yuko and Aurora openly discuss topics many multicultural individuals quietly carry:
✨ racial imposter syndrome
✨ code-switching and language expectations
✨ navigating visibility and belonging
✨ microaggressions in Japan and abroad
✨ the pressure to fit into others’ assumptions

Aurora also shares powerful insights from her recent survey* on microaggressions experienced by mixed heritage individuals in Japan. The findings reveal how common linguistic shaming, inappropriate racial questioning, gender-based comments, and xenophobia remain, while also highlighting the emotional coping strategies many people adopt simply to get through daily life.

This conversation is honest, nuanced, emotional, and ultimately hopeful. It sheds light on the importance of representation, community, and creating spaces where people no longer feel they have to justify their existence or identity.

Whether you are mixed heritage yourself, raising multicultural children, living abroad, or simply interested in identity and belonging, this episode offers meaningful perspectives and heartfelt reflections.

Here under are some resources and links mentioned in the episode:

*Aurora's collaborators on this research include Libera Amadiwakama Mochihashi, Yuki Yamazaki, and Daisuke Kimura.
**Lawrence Yoshitaka Shimoji and Viveka Ichikawa were the ones she cited who conducted a national survey on microaggressions experienced by mixed heritage individuals

To connect with Aurora Tsai:

Her website: https://amtsai.pages.dev/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurora-tsai-22203a66/

I am Yuko, a French-Japanese Intercultural Transition Coach. Having lived abroad for over 30 years, I support people navigating between cultures and life transitions to reconnect with themselves, build harmonious relationships with others, and create a life true to who they are.

I believe that we all have different experiences and by sharing it openly, we could help other Hāfu, multicultural people and simply people who are questioning their identities.

So if you are interested in sharing your experience, please contact me at yuko@yukodeneuville.com

If you would like to connect with me:

Instagram : @yukodeneuvillecoach

Facebook : @Yuko Deneuville

LinkedIn: @Yuko Deneuville

Youtube: @Yuko Deneuville

🌐 www.yukodeneuville.com

Bloom. Anytime, anywhere 🌸

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About Hāfu Voices - Living between two worlds in Japan

This podcast is rooted in the lived reality of people known in Japan as “Hāfu”, individuals of mixed heritage whose identities are shaped by movement between cultures, languages, and social expectations.

Being “Hāfu" in Japan is a distinct experience, marked by visibility, labeling, and constant negotiation of belonging.

Although the word "Hāfu / Half" can feel reductive or painful, it remains the commonly used term in Japan, and this project chooses to engage with it honestly rather than erase it.

Led by a host who is herself half Japanese and French, the podcast becomes both a personal and collective exploration of identity.

From early childhood, identity is shown not as a choice, but as something imposed and divided. Growing up between France and Japan, the host lived under two names, Laurence outside the home, Yuko inside, embodying two identities from the very beginning. Language, too, became a site of loss and adaptation: encouraged to abandon Japanese in early childhood to “fit in,” she later returned to Japan unable to speak her mother’s language, only to be labeled foreign once again.

Physical appearance, language gaps, and cultural expectations meant never fully being seen as Japanese in Japan, nor fully French in France. This back-and-forth, wanting to belong but never fully being allowed to, defined much of childhood and adolescence.

Over time, however, identity shifted from fragmentation to ownership. Choosing to use the name Yuko everywhere became a turning point unification of self rather than a performance for others. What once felt like a burden gradually revealed itself as a gift: multilingualism, cultural fluency, emotional adaptability, and a deep capacity to understand difference.

Yet the podcast does not romanticize this journey.

Through interviews with other Hāfu individuals, Japanese and French, American, African, Korean, or otherwise, it acknowledges that for many, the struggle continues into adulthood. Some still carry pain, confusion, or rejection tied to their identity.

The podcast gives space to both realities: the challenges and the gifts.

Conducted in French, English, or Japanese depending on the guest, each conversation prioritizes comfort, authenticity, and nuance. By inviting people to speak in their own language and from their own lived truth, the project becomes a platform for reflection, healing, and connection.

Its deeper intention is to question labels, explore how identity is shaped and reshaped over time, and ultimately help listeners, especially those who feel divided or unseen, move toward self-acceptance. Through shared stories, the podcast seeks to transform the idea of being "Hāfu" into something whole.

It is an invitation to realize that wether we are Hāfu, multicultural or simply have questions around our Identity, we are all unique.