Manga Artist Living in Bali for 14 Years Shares Insights on Indonesians' Easygoing Nature

Manga artist Amattoru Kina moved to Bali, Indonesia while on leave from university to study Balinese dance. She ended up withdrawing from university and has now lived on the island for over 14 years, far longer than the one to two years she originally planned.

She currently returns to Japan once a year for about three weeks to help with rice farming at her family's farm during the busy season. As her father approaches 80, she plans to increase her visits to twice a year starting this year, with the eventual goal of splitting her time between Japan during rice-planting season and Bali the rest of the year.

In the interview, Kina noted that one of the biggest differences she observes between Japanese and Indonesian people is that Indonesians tend not to take things too seriously in a positive sense. While they do feel sad or discouraged during hard times, she says many Indonesians are quick to shift their mindset, often thinking 'it'll work out somehow' or 'we'll figure it out when the time comes.' She observed that even during disasters like floods, people often continue with daily life as much as possible and joke around to lighten the mood—behavior that might be seen as insensitive in Japan, where laughing or playing during difficult times can carry social stigma. In Bali, she says, that kind of judgment is largely absent.