We spoke with a young American photographer, Bryan and one of the rare foreign Instagram influencers in Kyushu, Elaine and her family to dig deep into how foreign residents live their lives in Sasebo.
日本語の記事 ｢佐世保の魅力を外国人目線で発信する2組に注目!!｣は「月刊ならでわ！」さんのWebサイトへ。
American Instagram Influencer, Elaine and Her Family!
The First is Elaine from Washington, D.C. She posts sightseeing spots not just in Sasebo, but also in Kyushu on her Instagram. At first, she was just posting where she went in order to share her memories with her friends and family. But when she started getting many comments asking “Where is it?” or “How can we get there?” She then decided to start posting sightseeing information more seriously.
All of Elaine’s family members help to create her posts. Her husband Roger, who can speak Japanese, does research and arranges their trips. Her children enjoy being her models and sometimes bring up their own ideas for the posts. Both Elaine and Roger love Sasebo very much, saying “People here are very friendly. And the landscape where mountains and ocean are close each other are unique and beautiful.”
They created the following reel because they wanted foreign people who only can think of Japan as Tokyo or Kyoto to know the beauty of Kyushu. The reel has since received approximately 750,000 views!
The next reel surprised us the most because all the filming locations were in the Haiki area of Sasebo, but they made us think, “Oh, where is this lovely countryside?” It also received nearly 40, 000 views!
To check her posts, visit her Instagram @iamelazer
Brian, a young photographer who captures everyday life of Sasebo.
Bryan is from California and enjoys taking pictures of Sasebo and sharing them on his Instagram while working full-time as a boatswain mate on the USS Green Bay. He developed a deep love for photography at 14 and would practice photographing with his friend. He is always curious about finding beautiful things out of the places that people usually tend to overlook, such as wild flowers. In Sasebo. He would rather take pictures of everyday sceneries in Sasebo, than the usual sightseeing spots. “Sasebo has a lot of unique scenery that can’t be seen in America. So, I want to show the pictures to everyone in my home country,” said Bryan.
His most favorite photo so far is the one with the Miura Catholic Church. He is a Christian, so churches in Nagasaki remind him of his hometown. Especially, Miura Catholic Church is so beautiful that he’s already taken many of it.
The next photo is the one in front of Ikkyu, a popular kaitenyaki (a Japanese-style pancake) shop in Sasebo. The scenery intrigued him since it brought out the old but comforting atmosphere that it’s developed over a long time.
In all of her posts, you can tell that all her family members are having a lot of fun! Without a doubt, they are the foreign family who enjoys life in Sasebo the most among all the foreign residents in Japan!
To check her posts, visit his Instagram @cincoboro.
【Related Articles|関連記事】
This article was created in collaboration with the local free magazine “Monthly Naradewa!” Each month, we interview residents living in Sasebo on the theme of “Intercultural Experiences using English in Sasebo”. Here are some past featured articles listed below.この記事は、佐世保のフリーペーパー｢月刊ならでわ！｣と共同で制作しています。毎月、｢英語で交わるまちSASEBO｣をテーマに、佐世保に住む外国人にインタビュー。過去の注目記事はこちら↓↓
