Public eye #19

Erisa Ban, Café employee

That Hawaiian shirt really suits you!
EB: Thank you. Hawaiian shirts are really comfortable to wear!

It has gotten a lot warmer, hasn’t it? Are you going to keep wearing a Hawaiian shirt everyday in summer?
EB: Yeah! I’ve got over 10 of them. Although my favourite one isn’t this one with the pineapples on it, it’s a blue one I’ve got with a pattern of guys surfing all over it. Not many people in Japan wear them, so it stands out and sometimes I used to feel a bit embarrassed wearing them, but now I’m proud to!

Are you from Hawaii?
EB: No. I’m Japanese, live in Futako-Tamagawa and work at Maui Coffee Roasters. But when I’m at work, a lot of people ask me ‘Are you from Hawaii?’ [Laughs]

Have you ever been to Hawaii?
EB: After I graduated from High School, I worked part-time jobs for about a year, but last year, after a friend invited me I spent three months in Maui.

What did you do during those three months?
EB: I had as much fun as I could! I went swimming, had barbecues, went cycling… That’s when I heard about Maui Coffee Roasters. After that, because I really liked Maui, I did six months of language study there.

Did it make you able to speak English well?
EB: It didn’t really help my English [Laughs], but going to Maui really changed my sense of values. Before I went, little things really bothered me – like what other people thought about me – and I was quite negative. But in Maui, I met so many different people, and when I saw people who were living without caring about how other people saw them, and just being themselves, I thought it was really cool. So I thought I’d live without worrying about what other people are thinking about me too. I’m having a lot of fun now!

That’s wonderful! Your job looks really fun too.
EB: Work is fun. With the Hawaiian music and Hawaiian food, it feels like time is passing in a really relaxed way. I recommend our loco moco, and the Eggs Benedict. The pancakes served during the café time are also really good.

More from Erisa:

‘All of my friends in Japan call me “Ban”. In Maui too, when I introduced myself, I asked people to call me “Ban”. It’s the same all over the world.’

‘I ride a 250cc motorbike and at the moment; it’s what I really enjoy doing. Recently, I went all the way to Sakuragi-cho – it was amazing. I got quite lost though!’

‘I want to get married to someone from another country. [Laughs] I’d like someone who I get along with really well.’