Japan-Palau Alumni Series: Vol. 24- Mr. Yokichi Mori

Mr. Yokichi Mori, now 60 years old, studied in Japan under the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship. Mr. Mori studied at the Bunka Institute of Language for six months then went to Kogakuin College of Tecnhology for two years to study electronics. He says that his family especially his uncle, encouraged him to study in Japan.
 
Mr. Mori went to Japan in 1983, after graduating from Emmaus High School. Mr. Mori tells us that his father had hoped for him to graduate from Emmaus High School as it was the school that he attended when he was younger.
 
The scholarship money was enough for Mr. Mori to rent an apartment in Nerima-ku, Tokyo, purchase his train pass, and even to do fun activities with his friends. He shares with us that he enjoyed going out and sightseeing, sometimes by himself or with his friends. Mr. Mori remembers visiting Harajuku, a famous hang out spot with street music and food that was very close to Meiji Shrine. He visited many places, but his favorite place was Kamakura where he visited Kotoku-in (temple) and was able to see the “daibutsu” (Great Buddha Statue). He was able to learn conversational Japanese so quickly because it was the only common language that he shared with his friends. While it was easy for him to conversate in Japanese, memorizing kanji and being able to read though his textbooks was very different and quite difficult. So he spent a lot of time learning and memorizing kanji so that he could better understand his studies.
 
After graduating in 1986, Mr. Mori has applied his Japanese language skills in various jobs, including teaching Japanese for the Palau Community College Upward Bound Program, engaging in a car dealership business with his friend from Sendai, at times shipping cars from Japan to Palau, and working in his current roles as a freelance translator. In his current position, Mr. Mori often assists Japanese ship captains and crew members with their entry documents, and assisting with other needs that arise during their stay in Palau. Mr. Mori also worked for the Olbiil Era Kelulau or Palau’s national congress for most of his career, as a staff member for the house of delegates. He told us that while working for the OEK, he was able to meet and shake hands with the former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, when the former prime minister and his delegation visited Palau.
 
Mr. Yokichi Mori is a third generation Palauan-Japanese. He was named after his grandfather, Mr. Yokichi Mori. He says that his Japanese friends would jokingly tell him, “Yokichi is the name of an old person,” since the name was no longer commonly used in Japan. His father’s relatives are from Hagi in Yamaguchi according to his father’s sister. Mr. Mori likes Japanese songs and enjoyed karaoke in Japan.
 
We asked Mr. Mori what he learned during his time in Japan that helped shape who he is today. He shared, “the importance of time management and loyalty.” He believes these values played a key role in shaping his character and guiding him to become the person he is now.
 
Mr. Mori wants the Japan and Palau friendship to become stronger. Japan and Palau have so many similarities such as language, food, and music. As the older generations who have a deeper understanding of our shared history begin to pass away, it is now up to our generation, especially Japan alumni, to do our part in continuing and strengthening the relationship between Palau and Japan. Mr. Mori especially hopes to see the return of direct flights between Japan and Palau in the near future.