Aki Uehara, 45 (left), and Oto Furukawa, 51 (right), with Malaysian actors Sharifah Amani (second from right) dan Iedil Putra at a theatre event in Japan in 2018 that involved a collaboration between Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. - Photo: Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Driven by a lack of information in Japanese and a profound fascination with Malaysia, two women from the Land of the Rising Sun embarked on an initiative nearly a decade ago to pen articles about Malaysia in their native language.
Uehara was picked as one of the translators for Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza when the legendary Malaysian singer attended the second Asean-Japan Music Festival in Tokyo on Oct 4, 2018. - Photo: BernamaAki Uehara, 45, and Oto Furukawa, 51, rose to the occasion like self-appointed ambassadors by actively writing articles about Malaysia, covering a swathe of categories such as food, culture, entertainment, movies and interesting destinations here, using the moniker of "WAU", which is a traditional Malaysian kite.
When contacted by Bernama, Aki, who speaks fluent Malay, said that they have authored over 100 articles about Malaysia, initially published in print media like newspapers and magazines before switching to an online platform in 2022, accessible at https://hatimalaysia.com/.
Recalling her journey, Aki said that upon returning to Japan after completing her Master's degree in ethnomusicology at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang in 2008, she discovered a scarcity of books or articles about Malaysia in Japanese, despite the country's rich and diverse history and culture.
"So, my friend, Oto, who is also a Malaysian food lover, and I decided to write about Malaysia. We began by publishing a concise four-sheet newspaper, followed by a magazine, both of which were issued on a quarterly basis.
"We used to distribute these newspapers and magazines in Malaysian restaurants, the Malaysian Embassy, and the Malaysian Tourism Office in Tokyo, as well as selected bookstores. But in 2022, we decided to publish all our Malaysia-related articles on the online portal," she said.
Elaborating on the approach to sourcing material for their articles, Aki, who works as an interpreter, shared that she and Oto strived to conduct extensive interviews with the main sources or subjects they wished to feature in their writing.
"We prioritise firsthand sources in our writing. At least once a year, we will travel to Malaysia to do research and conduct interviews with individuals we choose based on the theme of the article.
"Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, we still conducted online interviews through platforms like Zoom. Likewise here, whenever events are held at the Malaysian Embassy or any Malaysia-related gatherings such as the International Film Festival, I will go find material that can be written,” Aki said.
Aki said that her introduction to Malaysian culture took root during a year-long student exchange programme, where she was placed at SMK Bukit Goh in Kuantan, Pahang.
Uehara had the opportunity to meet dondang sayang legend Datuk Mohd Baharim Mohd Sharip (centre) and singer Asmidar during a visit to Melaka in August 2023. - Photo: Bernama
According to her, she lived with a foster family from a Felda settlement, where daily communication was entirely in Malay, which played a key role in her gradual and informal learning of the language.
"After completing my degree studies in Tokyo, I returned to Malaysia to enrol in an intensive Malay language course at USM because, although I spoke fluent Malay, I struggled with reading, so I wanted to master both skills.
"But my journey didn't end there, so I decided to pursue a master's degree at USM," she said.
Meanwhile, Oto said that she had lived in Malaysia for four years almost 20 years ago, and explained how the wide variety of food options captivated her and made her fall in love with the country.
"Malaysian cuisine is composed of many different types of dishes, such as satay (Malay), chicken rice (Chinese), and curry (Indian), which are deeply related to the roots of each ethnic group.
"In other words, the rich variety of cuisine is the very essence of Malaysia's multi-ethnic society. So, I decided to share Malaysian cuisine with the people of Japan as a symbol of diversity," she said. - Bernama
Some of the covers of the articles written by the duo on Malaysia. - Photo: Bernama
