Twenty-four in 2024 is a series on the lives, hopes and fears of 24-year-olds around the world in a year of election uncertainty, conflict and climate change.
Where do you live?
I live in a not-so urban area of Tokyo, Japan, with my father and my little sister. My house is not that spacious, but I love the view out of the windows.
What do you do?
Part-time student and full-time apprentice witch. Yes, it has always been my dream to be a witch ever since I was a little. For me, being a witch is not about curses or witchcraft. It’s more about having an attitude to fight against social injustice. I want to be a witch who can take action to change this world to a better place. In my definition, a witch means a person who is not just sad or angry about the injustices, but to look for solutions. So, being an apprentice witch means I am in a period to find what I can do to achieve my goal. Now I’m finding a way to smash the patriarchy. I will definitely be a pretty little old witch in the future.
What apps do you use?
Spotify, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter … No, I will never call it X.
What do you listen to?
I have been into Thai pop and rock for these two or three years. I had never thought Thai music was this good. I’ve got my artist message from Tilly Birds, the best alternative rock band in Thailand, for my Spotify wrapped 2023. Besides that, I love listening to pop hits. And my latest jam is Yes, And? by Ariana Grande. Gosh the queen is back, finally.
What do you eat?
I try my best to eat foods that are in season. These days, I enjoy eating hot pot of winter vegetables. I also like to try new cuisine. I went to a Burmese restaurant with my sister and Burmese friend the other day. We ate some traditional tea leaf salad and many more things there. I think it’s great to learn about different cultures through foods.
How do you socialise?
I think there are so many ways to socialise, but for me, I have tried two things in particular. One is talking with people face to face. Basically, I am a talkative person. I love chatting with my friends and catching up on each other’s lives. My friend circle is very small, but I prioritise quality over quantity. I think it’s all about how much you care about them.
The other thing is to know that everyone has different perspectives. I think you don’t have to be going outside and interacting with people directly to learn those things. I’ve learnt them from books, movies, TV dramas and so on. Luckily, I was born in an era when social media can help me to gain some new information easily. I can educate myself by using those tools. I think the most important thing is to keep motivating yourself to broaden your perspective.
What do you wear?
I wear anything that I want. I don’t care much about fashion trends or what others are saying. I prioritise my feeling and intuitiveness. My father is always like, “Why are you wearing these? Are there any typical reasons to show off your tummy?” and I always answer, “Cause I like it?” It may sound like I am a fashionista, but trust me, I am a very bad dresser.
Tell us about your Saturday
Sleeeeep! I love to sleep. I sleep as much as I can. Other than that, I just enjoy chilling, like watching movies, texting my friends, reading books and so on. Sometimes, I go for a walk to organise my messy thoughts. Walking gives me some good vibes to clear up my mind and energy that keeps me going.
How do you relax?
Talking with my sister always gives me great comfort. I am the kind of person who easily gets hyped, but she always knows how to calm me down. We chat frequently and enjoy a long conversation especially when things got deadlocked. We let out our pent-up feelings and cheer up ourselves until we feel completely alright.
What do you want?
That’s a tough question. Right now, in Japan, I want marriage equality and a different surname system for married couples. It’s not about whether I want to get married or not. It’s not about whether I’m part of the LGBTQ community or not. I just want equal rights for everyone, and for everybody to be able to speak out against injustice, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. I strongly believe that everybody should be treated equally.
And clear skin. Because who doesn’t want that?
What do you fear?
The reasons I can’t die becomes the reasons I want to die, and hornets. I am scared of hornets so much.
What do you want to tell us?
I really recommend every one of you to write a letter to your loved ones. My mother always told me to save letters from loved ones, especially from those I would never see again. But the funny thing is, she passed away without leaving a single letter for me to read. Well, technically speaking, I’ve got some, but all of them are written by Santa Claus, AKA my mom. I think that is sweet but bitter at the same time. Imagine you crying over reading “Have you been a good girl so far?” It’s almost funny, but still, even those letters give me some emotional comfort. I read them especially when I feel down. Her handwriting is something so special for me. So, I believe letters have a power to heal your sadness and depression. Also, you don’t know how important it is to have some physical letters until you accidentally delete all the messages from your dearest ones. (Yes, I did delete them, and I cried while cursing my own stupidity.) Anyways, all you need is a piece of paper and a pen. So why not?
What’s next?
I have no clue, but that makes me really excited. I love jumping into something new and unknown. I will be working full time from this April. So, it’s time to say goodbye to my lovely student era and say hi to my employee era. I don’t know how things are going to turn out, but I will enjoy it.
What does the world in 2024 look like to you?
To be honest, it has been horrible. We had a massive earthquake in Ishikawa prefecture on the first day and the aircraft accident on the second day of 2024. But those things just make me realise that the world has been in the worst situation for the longest time. Maybe I was too naive to notice that. There’s always a war going on somewhere, people are losing their homes and are killed for no reason. What I can do now is not to look away from these tragic scenes and find something I can do to make this world better.
