If you have not yet tuned in to the viral Youtube sensation that is Ken Tanaka, perhaps your internet is broken. For expats and Japanophiles the world over, Ken has been charming audiences with his own concoction of wide-eyed wanderer and tongue-in-cheek social commentary. His inimitable blend of the naive explorations in the mysterious land of âgaikokuâ and his witty observiations of the quirks of his homeland of Japan offer an often hilarious cross-section of postmodern Japan.
For those unfortunate, Youtube deprived waifs who have not been initiated, here is Kenâs story. Take it with a grain of salt and two aspirin. Born of caucasian parents, Ken was adopted at a young age by a Japanese family and raised in rural Shimane prefecture. He grew up as ordinarily as that situation would allow, with the cultural identitiy of a Japanese man encased in a white mans body. Only later in life has Ken made it his mission to track down his birth parents and reunite with his roots. Lucky for us, he has decided to bring us along via Youtube, so we can experience the search. Viewers cannot help getting sucked in to the compelling cast of characters Ken runs into in his misadventures at home and abroad. As he meets new friends, has embarassing cultural misunderstandings, and glorious triumphs, Kens naive charm will win you over. If not that, the humor will.
RAN magazine had a chance to catch up with Ken Tanaka and ask him a few questions about soft, furry animals, Street Fighter and his mission overseas.
RAN: In your famous sign-off, you always say âKen Tanaka loves you,â but would you say that sentiment is tatemae or honne? Is there anybody who Ken does not love?
Ken: I love you. And I love everybody who is watching my videos and also many animals and fruits, like ăăăOf course this is pure honneâŠor as they say in Costa Rica pura honne. There are some people I donât love like Adolf Hitler, and Asahara Shoko, but I donât think they are watching my videos. There is also a rottweiler dog I met once who I do not love.
RAN: What sort of culture shock have you experienced in The United States?
Ken: I have been in America for 4 years now and I still havenât seen a gun. I thought everybody would have a gun. Also, nobody has said âThis is a penâ to me even one time.
RAN: Growing up in Shimane, you must have been quite isolated from foreigners. What was your reaction the first time you saw another white person?
Ken: I lived in a very small mountain village above Matsue. When I went to Matsue for shopping in junior high, a Caucasian man came up to me in the store and started to talk to me. I didnât understand and was very embarrassed. From then I tried very hard to study English, because I realized that people will expect me to speak.
RAN: What made you decide to use Youtube as your medium of choice for broadcasting your message?
Ken: I had not heard of YouTube when I came to America. One of the first people I met and made friends with here recommended that I try it. He let me use his camera too before I had my own. He is a very nice man.
RAN: I recently realized there is a similarity between you and another âKenâ from Streetfighter â both Japanese speaking white guys with mixed identities. Do the similarities stop there or can you actually do a hadouken punch?
RAN: I have never met Ken, so I donât know if we are very similar. I am not a fighter. I prefer to spend my time petting soft animalsâŠalso sometimes rougher skin animals like a Cassowaryâs neck.
RAN: The Youtube comments section seems to be a flurry with debate about whether or not you are who you say you are. Do you care to comment on that?
Ken: I think YouTube and the internet is full of conspiracy theories. After I was on YouTube for a few months, some people said I looked like the actor David Ury. Some people thought I was David Ury. So I tracked down David Ury and went to meet him. I made this video about it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO5FSDHIleA
I am grateful that people told me about him or we would have never met. Of course, some people will never be satisfiedâŠeven if I release my long form birth certificate.
RAN: What sorts of things are on your âbucketâs listâ to do before you die?
Ken:Â ă» Find Jonathan and Linda Smith.
ă»Swim with ăžăłăă€
ă» Fly like seagull
ă» Pet large friendly labradoodle, and maybe ride him around if he is large enough.
ă» Make Music CD with my friends Polo and Takeo
ă» Space
ă» Surf 15-20 foot wave
ă» Become Dolphin (sea tortoise is also acceptable)
ă» Buy bucket
ă» Make list
ENTER KENâS NET WORLD
Website  http://kentanakalovesyou.com/
Blog  http://kentanakalovesyou.blogspot.com/
Youtube  http://www.youtube.com/user/helpmefindparents or http://www.youtube.com/user/kentanakajapan
Twitter  http://twitter.com/#!/KenTanakaLovesU
Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/people/Ken-Tanaka/100000007514474
Kenâs NEW Book  http://everybodydiesbook.com/
