Melek Ortabasi
@MOrtabasi
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Statuses
74,826
Literary scholar. Concerned dual US/Canadian citizen. Mom to 3. Unsinkable. @mortabasi .bsky.social
Burnaby, British Columbia
Joined February 2017
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Pinned Tweet
Really looking forward to moderating this fabulous event with
@yilinwriter
@isabellawangbc
and Joanne Leow.
@SFUWLL
@SFUFASS
#SFU
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@MrColionNoir
Twitter checked on the kids and verified their accounts several days ago, basically because of tools like you.
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Another awful story to tell. Single working mother on 3-year work visa left Japan during pandemic to give birth at home bc no one could come to help her here. Now she is not allowed back in with her 5-mo-old baby because the baby is a "new entry." Please RT
#japanentryban
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Y’all it happened. A Japanese person called the police on me. My children committed the crime of legally flying the drone & this woman got in their faces.Not having it. The police were good about it & why yes my Japanese was totally up to the task of making her look like an idiot
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Good news: my children's emergency visas were issued early this morning. My deepest appreciation for everyone who gave support/helped make it happen.
It's not over. I still have to get them into the country.
It's also not over because students, you still have my voice 💜
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Pro tip for the Japanese government: as long as Japanese folks are allowed to enjoy unnecessary international travel, not letting in foreigners who have good reasons to be here is going to make Japan look hypocritical and xenophobic.
#OmicronVariant
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I am happy to announce that I’m leaving academia and opening a flower shop in the Taisho era. #江戸東京たてもの園
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Hello
@JapaninCanada
@JapanCons_vanc
I have a very important message for Consul General Hatori. I would appreciate a prompt answer and swift resolution to this issue, which constitutes a human rights violation.
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@USAmbJapan
Are you aware that basically no one from the US besides you is being allowed into Japan? I hope you plan to address the
#japantravelban
and its effect on US citizens waiting to enter for family, education, or work.
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In case you needed a laugh here’s one of the miniatures we saw at
#mozu
高島屋展 Every detail is there!
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So thoughtful of them to leave this in my mailbox. They seem nice
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The NHK guy came to the door and suddenly I forgot how to speak Japanese
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Just got the annual email from the Monkasho saying it’s time to promote the MEXT scholarship with my students. No joke. They must be out of their minds.
#japantravelban
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So we had a 30 min appt at
@MofaJapan_jp
and ended up talking with the representatives for 1 1/2 hrs! Good meeting. Feel we were heard. No promises of course, but they understood what everyone is going through.
@TakashiArai_78
@rossi_davide
@Stream_and_Well
@juymmr
#japanentryban
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I would never voluntarily go camping in winter but here I am in my Japanese apartment ⛺️🥶
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I tell ya every time I read this novel it gets cringier. (I don’t read it for fun but use it as a very teachable example of Orientalism)
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I just learned from Japanese TV that American parks aren’t safe so you can’t relax in them like Japanese parks. Also Americans don’t picnic in parks like Japanese do 🤪🙄
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I am MAD & I won't stop now until you let my kids join me ASAP. Why yes I will use my privilege to raise hell. Media, please interview me so I can get all our stories out.日本語でもどうぞ.
@ACSTokyo
@CanEmbJapan
@ACSTokyo
#鎖国は破滅への道
My email to
@Japanfoundation
earlier:
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@TakashiArai_78
and I gathered over 12,000 signatures. I want to thank everyone for supporting us. Let's keep fighting until the situation changes for the better. It's a lot of moving parts.
#japanentryban
#loveisnottourism
#Educationisnottourism
#workisnottourism
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Why are Japanese websites? The colours alone give me heart palpitations
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No, Ivanka didn’t create millions of jobs while working in the White House.
Yes, Ivanka did get dozens of new Chinese trademarks while working in the White House.
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Looks like that press conference we did this afternoon had some effect 😎
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4.3 million Americans across 170 countries are eligible to vote absentee. The news below means their ballot may never get to its destination. Coincidental? I think not.
Please help me boost,
@DHStokyo
@DemWrite
@DemsAbroad
@votevets
@letamericavote
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I had an abortion when I was 18, in 1988. I had a choice. And I don’t have to justify it to anyone. The end.
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I feel a bit silly but at least my obi matches the temple
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Miss Potato says hi! Gotta support your local capybara family 💜
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Good morning to everyone except the Japanese politicians who want to continue keeping foreign students and workers out of the country 😊
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I sent Boy 2 to Daiso to get a brush for washing dishes and now there’s a toilet brush in my kitchen sink
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87 out of over 100,000 foreign students who are waiting.
#japantravelban
Japan plans to allow 87 government-sponsored foreign students into the country, making an exception to the country's current entry ban on nonresident foreigners.
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Japan Foundation fellows stranded outside of Japan (and those already here): please send me your contact info. It’s time to organize 🤗
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Boys have just deplaned at Narita! According to Boy 2, things are fine, Boy 3 is "dumb as usual" and Boy 1 is "looking confused and fumbling with forms." So far so good LOL
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This will probably only happen once this year, so please clap and hope that my inexpertly tied obi doesn’t come unraveled while we’re out 😅
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We told you we were planning something together. More information coming soon! 😉
#japantravelban
#educationisnottourism
@rossi_davide
@HtooZawHtat
@juymmr
@Stream_and_Well
@TakashiArai_78
@xodrkanamuse
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@cbcnewsbc
@LienYeung
The treatment Ms. Wang received is unacceptable. Good for her for speaking out.
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Y'all I just did an interview with a Japanese TV show for the 1st time ever. Nerve-wracking. (Nobody can say that I don't challenge myself!) My story will be featured on ビートたけしのTVタックル on Sunday the 26th. Let's hope Beat Takeshi doesn't make fun of me😳
@TakashiArai_78
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Y’all can’t imagine how many messages I’ve been getting from students telling me about the horrible things they’re going through because of the
#japantravelban
. Would be nice if the Japanese government actually cared enough to help.
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Hi
@NHKWORLD_News
appreciate this coverage but it’s interesting that you name only the men in the group. By which I mean it’s sexist
Group urges review of Japan's entry restrictions | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
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@joelpollak
A) you are lying
B) shame on you for trying to rationalize this cruelty, which is squarely on the heads of the
@GOP
C) check yourself and your lack of real values. For shame.
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Kishida announced that everyone who is not a tourist can come in from March 1 and that the daily cap of people entering will go up to 5000. Quarantine rules loosened too. Nothing we didn’t know.
The devil is in the details, which are forthcoming from the ministries.
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There should be more support for everyone affected by
#japantravelban
. More people *with power* both inside & outside Japan need to act. You can’t put it all on the shoulders of a handful of people. We’re doing what we can, but I’m looking at you, embassies & universities 👀👀👀
Thank you all so much for reaching out to me for the documentary project! I’m a bit overwhelmed by hundreds of DMs. My apology for the delay but but I’ll reply to each of you in a few days 🙏
#JapanTravelBan
#japanentryban
#入国制限 #入国拒否
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👇👇
Dear journalists: following our submission of the
#petition
signatures to Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on the afternoon of January 6, there will be an online press conference at 5 p.m. If you would like to participate, please contact press.jp
@change
.org.
#japanentryban
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Feeling particularly bummed but, FWIW, this is me putting a brave face on. I’m 52 today. Photos of cute things are appreciated 💜
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We plan to continue fighting together with everyone affected ✊✊✊
#japanentryban
@lq0iud
政府には留学生についての詳細な（意味のある）情報を、一刻も早く発表してほしいですね。入国制限の被害者は留学生、国際家族、未婚カップル、労働者、日系人、元日本人などさまざまですが、各グループが団結して闘う必要があると思います。この種の闘争では当事者同士の分断が一番の障害になります。
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Boy 3 forgot the word for colander so he just called it a “holey bowley” 😂
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Ok the lines are too long to get in but we look cute at least 💜
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@oliviastowell
I like to think this one looks slightly sophisticated but I could just be fooling myself
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My
#Pledgeofliberation
: to fight against the normalization of corruption -- consistently, strategically, and for as long as it takes.
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Boy 1 & Boy 3 have a message for
@MofaJapan_en
@MofaJapan_jp
. Boy 2 couldn't be there because he was at kendo practice.
They also think you should sign my petition saying that they should be reunited with me.
＃家族分離 ＃入国禁止
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Look the only woman in Tokyo baring her arms. What an oddity
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That’s right,
@MofaJapan_jp
. See you on the 6th.
#japanentryban
@Stream_and_Well
@rossi_davide
@TakashiArai_78
@juymmr
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Things *might* be happening for me and my kids. But I don't want to say any more right now for fear of jinxing it. Send good vibes please.
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Young people following me, please understand:
1) Very few ppl have the power 2 change history overnight
2) If many ppl band together & do the work, there is a *chance* we can bend the arc of history in the right direction
3) Be 1 of those ppl & we'll all have a better chance💜
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Guess who interviewed me today for the documentary he’s making about the
#japantravelban
! Yes it’s
@TakashiArai_78
😊
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OK. I'm in a mood. So I will declare the following. Please hold me to it if we're all still here.
By the end of 2023, I will:
-be properly divorced.
-have hired a professional to make sure I won't be broke after I retire (whenever the heck that is)
-most importantly, have a cat.
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Even if you’re *in* Japan you apparently require a passport, a resident card, a health insurance card, a credit card, and a certificate of residency to buy a fucking 700 yen a month basic SIM card plan for your kid’s cell phone
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@politico
That’s not what your article says. It says troops are afraid to use it because of possible retaliation because, you know, men. Stop misleading readers for clicks.
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As a professor, I feel most compelled to speak on behalf of students stranded out of Japan by the
#japantravelban
. That does not mean I don’t care about family members and workers. It means that I am committing my limited time and energy to where it makes the most sense for me.
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Boy 3, who currently identifies as he/they ("mostly guy but not quite"), asked me yesterday with some concern whether girls would want to marry a "they." I told him that he has a huge advantage over "regular" guys and that lots of girls would prefer a "they." Me included 🥹😭
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I know I'm not really supposed to wear shorts/shorter skirts in these parts as a woman my age because my legs aren't sufficiently cute anymore but you know what? It's hot and I DON'T CARE and if men get to do it so will I
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We are presenting our signatures and the petition to
@MofaJapan_en
on Thursday the 6th. I am reunited with my family, but many are not. Let's get one more boost!
@TakashiArai_78
@rossi_davide
@Stream_and_Well
#japantravelban
via
@CdnChange
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@jduffyrice
I understand the marriage arrangement. I *don't* understand why she never collected the pension.
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One thing I don’t think people without kids really understand is just how exhausting weekends are. And I don’t even have toddlers anymore
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この記事で私のストーリーが紹介されています！シェアしてください。
My story is featured in this article. Thank you
@MoKusakabe
オミクロン株流入で強まる規制 国籍別の入国制限は妥当なのか | 毎日新聞
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Hello
@ACSTokyo
@USAmbJapan
I sent an email inviting you to attend our press conference on Thursday about the
#japantravelban
. We would be grateful if someone would attend. US citizens are suffering. I await your reply.
@rossi_davide
@HtooZawHtat
@TakashiArai_78
@juymmr
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What do you do in your last evening in Japan? You go to the local onsen, you get a massage, and then you eat some sushi. That’s what
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The reason to let in family, exchange students & workers is NOT bc
#OmicronVariant
is “mild.” (& I will not listen to any ableist arguments about this). It is bc there is no legitimate public health reason to keep them out, given that Japanese travellers come & go as they want.
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よろしくお願いします😳
外国人の入国停止のため、家族離散が起きています💔カナダ人の日本文学研究者でシングルマザーのメレクさん
@MOrtabasi
は、現在研究のため日本に滞在中。しかし来日直前だった3人の子の入国を突然拒否され、再会の目処もつきません。あなたのアクションが必要です👉
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Hey kids! I'm completely unqualified to give relationship advice given the disastrous end of my marriage, but I can tell you 1 thing: keep finances separate. No matter how in love you think you are.
Because having anxiety about dying not just heartbroken but destitute is real
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I managed to get a decent photo of us. Happy whatever to everyone 😊
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Yup I'm that obasan who talks with random people I meet here in Japan and tells them all about how the Japanese government is separating me from my kids as a result of the
#japantravelban
and I'm telling you most people have NO idea.
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Some humor for the timeline: this is the incredibly healthy care package I’m sending to the quarantine hotel for Boys 1, 2, and 3 assuming all goes well at the airport tomorrow 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
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In 1998 I did a homestay with a lovely family in Hiroshima for a few days. We had a blast and I remember it fondly. Haven't stayed in touch though.
The
#TV
タックル staff just contacted me to say the mom reached out to them because she recognized me on TV last week 😳🤩💜
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Tonight on Japanese TV: cute young women badly making chocolate cakes and being judged by male celebrities. In preparation for Valentines Day ofc
Hey is it 1993 or something
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Lost Boy 3’s health card when I took him to get his vaccine 2 wks ago & thought, OK. B4 I go to the town hall to deal w getting another one, gonna see if Japan does its thing.
Got a letter yesterday saying someone had handed it in & I can go pick it up at the police station 😭🙏
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Please continue to support my petition. This isn't over!
@rossi_davide
@StrandedOutJPN
via
@CdnChange
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I’m not a fan of paperwork but having to sign an affidavit that I’m not a member of the yakuza in order for my apartment rental to be approved is def a bureaucratic highlight for me
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The sympathetic
@MofaJapan_jp
official we spoke to some weeks ago was not really aware how much this costs students and scholars, just financially speaking. And we’ll be talking about this at the press conference this Thursday.
#japantravelban
@rossi_davide
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It's official: I have abandoned the DK part of my 1DK except when absolutely necessary and am hiding in the 1, where the heater is
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A librarian colleague just got breakthrough
#COVID19
. She says maskless patrons have yelled at her when she requests them to mask and she is not allowed to have them removed. This makes me so angry. Giving people the choice to
#mask
&
#vaccinate
is bullshit. Mandate and enforce.
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My mom reports: in SLV there are no ICU beds available, and the radiology department at the hospital in Alamosa is closed because there were a bunch of nurses who would rather be unemployed than protect patients like her. Thanks for nothing
@RepBoebert
#co3
#copolitics
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