Charmed by Malaysia: Aki (left) and Oto have been writing about Malaysia in their mother tongue since over a decade ago. — 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 the country in their native language.
Aki Uehara, 45, and Oto Furukawa, 51, have actively written articles about Malaysia, covering an array of categories like food, culture, entertainment, movies and interesting destinations here, using the moniker of “WAU”, the traditional Malaysian kite.
Aki, who speaks fluent Bahasa Malaysia, said 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 told Bernama.
Elaborating on the approach to sourcing materials for their articles, Aki, who works as an interpreter, said she and Oto conduct extensive interviews with the main sources or subjects they wish to feature in their writing.
“We prioritise first-hand 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 find materials that can be written,” Aki said.Aki explained 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.
She said 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 Bahasa Malaysia language course at USM because although I spoke fluent it, 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 multiethnic society. So, I decided to share Malaysian cuisine with the people of Japan as a symbol of diversity,” she added.
