The True Meaning of the Tattoo on His Shoulder…Johnny’s Sexual Assault Accuser Cowan Okamoto’s Love of Music from “Tears of Admiration for Kazumasa Oda”.
Confessions of Cowan Okamoto [Part 1
The man has a tattoo in English on his right shoulder.
Out of my way.
Your fate. I’m going through. That’s a quote from former professional basketball player Michael Jordan. This saying sums up the life of a man.
“Nice to meet you today.”
The man appeared alone at the interview site. Cowan Okamoto (27). He is a man who has revealed the dark side of a major entertainment company, having accused the late Mr. Janney Kitagawa of sexual assault, and has spoken about his own experiences at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan and at hearings held by the National Diet. He wears a white sweatshirt and checked pants, but he cannot hide his unique aura.
His hometown is a Brazilian estate.
I don’t depend on the agency now, and I basically do all the work arrangements and meetings by myself.
That’s how Cowan describes her life. Although his accusations of sexual assault brought him to the attention of the public, his path to where he is today has not been easy. Here is his life story, in his own words, as he continues to overcome adversity.
My hometown is the Brazilian Estates.
Kauan was born on May 24, 1996, in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture. His parents are third-generation Brazilians of Japanese descent. He spent his childhood in “Brasil Danchi,” where many Brazilian workers at a nearby factory lived.
His father worked part-time on a farm in addition to his factory work, because the wages were so low. Your mother also had a domestic job in food processing.
The official language at home is Portuguese. My parents did not improve my Japanese very much because all my friends were Brazilian. I had been exposed to Japanese since I was a kindergartener, and I even used to interpret for my mother when she was shopping at the supermarket.”
Kauan attended elementary school in Japan, but was troubled by the differences in culture and communication methods and did not fit in.
Brazilians have a lot of skinship, such as hugging and kissing on the cheeks out of the blue. Japanese people, on the other hand, value distance and politeness with others. I was puzzled by the gap between the lifestyle at home and at school. At home, we used spices with Brazilian ingredients and ate our mother country’s cuisine, so I was sometimes verbally abused, saying, ‘Gaijin, you stink. I often had fights with Japanese children who were mean to me.
Music saved Kauan from his rough times. When he was in his early elementary school years, he happened to hear a TV commercial for Kazumasa Oda’s “Words Can’t Do It,” and it shook him to the core. I felt the love of Japan.
It was about getting married, having a growing family, and battling illness with his children, but Mr. Oda’s song struck a chord with me. The age difference between Ms. Oda and I is about 50 years, but I could relate to her without exaggeration. It was as if he was encouraging me, saying, ‘It’s going to be okay,’ and tears flowed. ……
Justin Bieber” is his dream.
Struck by the power of music, Cowan began listening to many artists, both domestic and international. He was particularly impressed by Justin Bieber.
Justin has roots in Germany, England, Ireland, and France, and his mother had him in his teens. He’s a good-natured guy, but he struggled from an early age, and his circumstances were similar to mine.
Here’s what his documentary film claims. America’s favorite 17-year-old! The World’s Most Seasoned 17-Year-Old. I saw a link between Justin, who is only two years older than me but is active on the world stage, and the way I live my life. Music became what I wanted to do most in life. My dream for the future is to become Justin Bieber and make my parents comfortable.
Inspired by Justin’s way of life, Cowan became interested in learning about the lives of different people. Among them was Michael Jordan. One of the sayings left behind by Jordan, who carved out a life for himself despite discrimination as a black man in the United States, is the one Cowan has engraved on his right shoulder, as mentioned at the beginning of this article.
I was interested in Jordan because I had played basketball since elementary school, and these words really got to me. As a Japanese-Brazilian, I am often discriminated against in Japan, but these words inspired me.
Japan and Brazil ……. Let’s transcend the barriers between the two and open up our lives like Justin and Jordan. Let’s venture out into the world of entertainment as a singer. That’s what I decided before I graduated from junior high school.
What changed Cowan’s life was a direct phone call from Mr. Janney. While leading a glamorous life as a Johnny’s Jr. idol, Kauan’s days struggling in the tough entertainment world will be detailed in “Part 2: Working at a convenience store after singing at the Tokyo Dome,” scheduled for delivery on October 24 at 7:00 a.m.
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PHOTO: Shinya Nishizaki, courtesy of Cowan