Hāfu Voices - Living between two worlds in Japan

Minami, habiter l’entre-deux sans choisir : identité, création et amour de soi

41min | 10/08/2026

Description

Dans cet épisode de Hāfu Voices, je reçois Minami, actrice et artiste franco-japonaise, et aussi une amie d’enfance.

Née à Tokyo d’une mère japonaise et d’un père français, Minami a grandi entre plusieurs cultures, plusieurs langues et plusieurs façons de voir le monde. Elle a débuté sa carrière d’actrice très jeune, avant de travailler entre le Japon, la France et les États-Unis.

Mais derrière ce parcours artistique se cache aussi une profonde quête identitaire.

Minami raconte comment elle a longtemps cherché à devenir « complètement japonaise », allant jusqu’à mettre de côté sa part française pour mieux s’intégrer. Puis, au fil de ses expériences, elle a cessé de chercher où était sa place pour apprendre à se reconnecter à elle-même.

Nous parlons d’identité, du sentiment d’être « entre deux », du regard des autres, de comparaison, de création, du concept japonais de 間（ma）, de maternité, d’enfant intérieur et d’amour de soi.

Une conversation profonde et spontanée autour d’une question essentielle :

Et si trouver son identité ne consistait pas à choisir entre plusieurs cultures, mais simplement à apprendre à être pleinement soi ?

🎧 Un épisode sur l’identité, la création, le lâcher-prise et la richesse des expériences qui façonnent une vie.

Pour suivre le travail de Minami ou vous connecter avec elle, voici:

Son Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minamimanim?stkn=eTdyMWMxZXd0MHA3

Son website: https://minami-imanim.com/

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 🌸

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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.