Double, Not Half

Toko Anna Okazaki-Pindur’s father used to tell her that she’s not “half,” she’s “double.” He directed her attention to many opportunities that come with her Japanese-Polish background, such as having two cultures to draw from, two places to call home, and two languages to speak and interpret the world with. Maybe thanks to her upbringing, Toko Anna comes across as someone very comfortable in her skin with a strong sense of belonging and a trove of fascinating stories, including one about taking trains guarded by Soviet minders through Siberia in the 70s and 80s to visit her relatives in Japan. 

 

We discussed: 

• Living in a Japanese home in Warsaw during the time when Poland was part of the Soviet block
• Childhood journeys to Japan that involved taking trains through Siberia and took four days each way
• Spending a year at a Japanese university 
• Working as a Polish-Japanese interpreter and translator 
• How emotions and behaviors change depending on the language we speak
• What is discrimination and where does it come from? 

 

Toko Anna’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokoanna.op/

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