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That’s me wearing a yukata a casual summer kimono in winter.

I was just a little Asian girl.

I wasn't cool I didn't speak any English.

I live in Shiroishi to the south of Sendai.

Nobody talked to me.

But one day everything changed.

There was a festival at my school.

I put on a kimono I had brought from Japan.

I gathered all my courage to perform a dance piece I learned as a child.

Just one piece.

The next day all my classmates wanted to talk to me.

So you're from Japan. What’s your country like?

Don’t all Japanese wear kimonos and carry swords?

Why are you wearing jeans?

The children you saw earlier are my students from Shiroishi.

How high is Mt. Fuji? Tell me about the Emperor.

Can you do karate?

They were very curious.

There was no cell phone or Internet at that time.

I tried to answer their questions

using the few dictionaries and books I had with me.

And I made many friends.

At first I didn't understand why I suddenly became so popular.

Then I figured it out.

My classmates realized that my country was important to me

They come to my Japanese dance class offered for free twice a month.

and that I valued my country's traditions.

That's why they respected me.

Respect may be too strong.

Perhaps they were just surprised or impressed by my dance.

But still when you respect someone you don’t want to fight with that person.

You want to be friends with that person.

That's what I realized.

After graduating from university and working for international firms

eventually in 1997

I started working at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee

The piece is an excerpt from Fujimusume

as a liaison between IOC and Japan

for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

That’s Mr. Samaranch the IOC president at the time.

At the IOC headquarters in Lausanne Switzerland

I had the chance to meet and talk with many people

including the the IOC committee members.

There are only about 100 of them in the world.

Many of them are from aristocratic or royal families.

They would casually ask me

Nahomi could you show us a tea ceremony sometime?

a very famous Nagauta song composed about 200 years ago.

Could you buy a book on bonsai for me the next time you go to Japan?

Imagine. Bonsai!

You spend 100 years growing a miniature pine tree.

It’s such a niche hobby today even in Japan.

I was surprised again.

Until then I had been focusing on my work

and was too busy to practice traditional activities at the time.

Once again I became aware of my Japanese identity.

After that I found time to cook Japanese food for my colleagues

and teach them origami.

It is also a popular dance piece.

They appreciated my lessons very much.

I made many friends through such activities.

In 2002 I went back to my hometown after an illness.

It was very natural for me to re-enter the world of Japanese culture.

Currently I teach children Japanese culture through dance

and promote international understanding through Japanese culture.

The city of Shiroishi has a Noh theater.

This is a theater with a stage specifically designed for Noh

the oldest performing art of Japan.

In my city all fourth graders both boys and girls

A lot of people think Japanese dance is very hard.

come to the theater to take my class.

First I share my experience in the U.S. with them

and explain why they came to the theater.

Then the kids put on white tabi socks and go on stage.

They learn how to bow properly and the basics of Japanese dance.

By the end of the lesson they learn an entire piece.

They whine about how difficult the lesson is.

But it is a relief to hear them say That was fun! at the end.

Japanese kids today live their lives just like Western kids.

Japanese culture is foreign to them.