DUBAI: Two Japanese kids, Ali and Noah, who once called Jordan home now live in Japan, carrying with them tales of adventure, friendships and a unique blend of cultures.
For these youngsters, the journey began when their parents met in Jordan. Their mother, Fatima, who is half filipino and half Jordanian, met her husband, who is Japanese, in Amman.
After marrying and finding that the economic situation in Jordan was not ideal, the couple decided to seek better opportunities back in Japan.
Fatima’s journey, along with Ali and Noah, was not easy, as they were more adept at speaking Arabic than speaking Japanese.
“I have zero language skills in Japanese, but I am very aware of the Japanese culture,” she explained. “I always watched anime and Japanese TV shows and followed Japanese pop culture. My mother-in-law also made me more aware of the Japanese culture, in terms of food,” she said.
But with time on her hands, and two children full of energy, Fatima took to social media to document her new life in Japan.
“When I first arrived in Japan, I had the idea to start a YouTube channel, I was still unsure about what content to publish but the idea was there,” she told Arab News Japan. “Then I noticed that most of the content that introduces Japan and speaks about the Japanese culture was in English. So, I thought it would be interesting to do something similar, but in Arabic.”
As the following on her social platforms grew bigger, Fatima found that her audience was very interested in learning more about Japan, as well as the fact that her children knew how to speak Arabic.
“I used to speak to my kids in English in Jordan, but when I came to Japan it was difficult to continue speaking in English with them, otherwise, they would forget the Arabic language,” she said. “Arabic is their mother language. They’ve been hearing it since they were kids and my family is big so they would always speak in Arabic with them.”
Ali and Noah keep in touch with their family and friends back in Jordan though, and tell them all about their life in Japan in Arabic.
Fatima told Arab News Japan that their audience is a great mix of all nationalities. They even started translating their content to English to reach a larger audience.
“On YouTube, we have followers from all over, like Sweden, the US, Indonesia, Malaysia but our followers are mainly Arab,” she said. “On Facebook, followers are mostly from Jordan, Palestine and Algeria.”
Meanwhile, on Instagram, she added that it was a larger mix of people. “Our content is also great for people still learning Arabic,” Fatima explained. “They watch our content, to listen to how my kids speak Arabic, so they can learn faster.”
Content on their platform is based on current affairs and events happening in Japan and the Arab world.