I am writing 'vicarious experiences,' not empathy — Thoughts after reading an article by 'Saru. Oaxaca no Hito'

The poop person.
The butt-related person.

If you only look at my recent notes, that seems to be the image people have of me, so I'll say it clearly just in case.
I am also a former overseas resident (for a little over 10 years), and I used to write quite seriously!? about overseas topics. Haha.

This time, I would like to write about my thoughts after reading an article by 'Saru. Oaxaca no Hito,' while also incorporating my own interpretation.

I also get told, 'That was interesting,' when I write articles about living abroad.
But, I am surprisingly rarely told, 'Oh, I get it,' or 'I really empathized with that,' by people living in Japan.
Well, that makes sense.

When it comes to living abroad or living in Mexico, people usually start with 'Huh, I see' before they can even empathize.

After reading the article by 'Saru. Oaxaca no Hito,' it really resonated with me, and I have been thinking about the reason for that for a long time.
—

'Is it hard for essays about living abroad to gain empathy?'

I certainly think that is true.

Daily life topics in Japan are strong. Too strong.

Cosmetics, work, mental health, hobbies, the internet.
Since these are continuous with the readers' own lives, it is easy for them to think, 'Oh, I get it,' and for that to lead directly to a 'Like'.
On the other hand, articles about daily life and living abroad are a bit different.
I think what comes first is 'Huh, I see' rather than empathy.

Cultural differences.

Differences in values.
Scenery you don't see in Japan.

Readers first come to peek into a world they don't know.
That is why, for overseas articles, the value of a 'vicarious experience' might be stronger than 'empathy'.
It is not a horizontal expansion of 'Yeah, we're all the same,' but a vertical digging down of 'Oh, there's that way of thinking,' or 'So that's how you feel when you live in a world like that.'

It is a fact that the denominator for empathy for articles by people who have lived abroad for a long time is indeed small.

But at the same time, that is also their strength.

Because we can verbalize the 'gaps' and 'discomforts' that we see by straddling two cultures that most people don't know.
I think I am probably writing about that unconsciously as well.

I also lived in the US and Mexico for a little over 10 years, and I learned the feeling of looking at Japan from the outside.

Conversely, now that I am back in Japan, there are many times when I feel strangely unable to fit into the atmosphere of Japan and feel a sense of discomfort.
It is not about which one is correct, but a feeling of not being able to return to either side completely because I have come to know both.
I once organized that feeling with the term 'Third Culture'.

Even though I am Japanese, I cannot live completely with only Japanese sensibilities.
But I cannot become a local person either.

Standing between two cultures—Japan and the country I am currently in—I feel a slight gap with both.
I also feel that it might exist as a third culture.

I feel that many people who have lived abroad for a long time have that kind of feeling.
Therefore, articles by people living abroad might not just be introductions to foreign countries, but a process of verbalizing the 'discomfort seen between two cultures'.
It feels more like raw, lived-in overseas articles rather than the typical sparkly overseas articles.

That is precisely why I think articles by people with experience living abroad, including myself, are aimed at a slightly different vector than the generally popular 'relatable content'.

Of course, I want 'Likes' too. Haha.
But, while writing such articles with a different vector, if a reader gets so absorbed in the text that they 'forget to press Like,' I don't feel that is bad as a writer.

I often end up writing long articles.
Long articles have a very slow reaction speed.
But I think the feeling that remains after reading them carefully has a different weight than short posts.

—

And from here on, it is completely my own theory.

This might apply to social media in general, but I think 'Likes' on Note are not just pure 'empathy,' but also have a slightly 'mutual aid' atmosphere.
The same temperature.
The same values.
The same community.

There are certainly 'Likes' pressed within that sense of security.
That itself is not a bad thing, and I think it is a very Japanese culture.
But once foreign cultures and values enter your body, your perspective changes just a little bit.

Rather than feeling relieved that 'everyone is the same,' I want to deliver to the reader those individual hooks like 'What is that feeling?' or 'That discomfort is actually kind of interesting.'

Those who get it, get it.
Those who don't, don't.

Even if they don't get it, I am happy if it just hooks the reader a little bit as one individual's thought.
I think that is probably what I want to write.
Of course, there are times when I feel envious when I see articles with high numbers. Haha.

But I don't think it is a matter of someone's style being the correct answer and someone else's being wrong.

Writing that gathers empathy is strong.
Writing that goes deep to pierce someone, like mine, is also not bad at all.

It is just that the vector they are aimed at is different.

Therefore, without being swayed more than necessary by the number of views or 'Likes,' I believe in my own strength, and I think I will continue to write Note at my own pace.

…or so I wrote in an analytical way. Haha.
I actually just like the articles by 'Saru. Oaxaca no Hito'.

Mexico (Oaxaca) that I didn't know.
Scenery I hadn't seen.

I once wrote an article saying something like, 'I am being shown the other half of Mexico,' and reading this article reminded me of that feeling a little bit again.
I have the feeling that I am always being allowed to vicariously experience that 'other half'.
That is why it is interesting.
I look forward to it as a reader.