Kanikei was born in 1997 in Sulukta, located in the Batken region.
“I work in a medical institution in Tokyo. In 2018, I graduated from the ISITO medical college in Bishkek, receiving a diploma in midwifery. Representatives from Japanese clinics came to our college to recruit staff. I successfully passed the selection process and was invited to work in Japan. After that, I had to learn Japanese for six months, and on June 6, 2018, I arrived in this country for the first time,” she shares.
Kanikei's family life was not easy—her parents divorced when she was only 9 years old. Her mother raised three children on her own: Kanikei, her older brother, and her younger sister. “Mom worked until night to provide for us. I remember how she would come home with swollen legs from exhaustion. We took out a large loan to build a house, and this became a real burden for her. She suffered from worries about how to pay off the debts. At that time, my brother and sister had already started their own families, and I was the only one who could see what my mom was going through. I always wanted to help her get rid of the debts. Fortunately, in Japan, I was able to pay off the loan, and this brought her peace,” she shares.
Kanikei has been working at the clinic for seven years, providing patients with a full range of medical services: from dispensing medications to maintaining medical records. “The Japanese are very polite and disciplined,” she notes.
“If you accidentally bump into a Japanese person, they will apologize first. Many of them don’t even know about the existence of Kyrgyzstan, and some say that I look like Japanese women. They are responsive and always ready to help if you ask them something,” Kanikei adds.
Japan surprised her with its climate and nature. “Here, summers are hot and winters are mild. In Tokyo, it snows very rarely—only twice during the winter,” she shares.
She is also impressed by the organization of the Japanese: “They patiently stand in line and carefully sort their trash. Even after consuming milk, they rinse the containers before throwing them away.”
“Tokyo is a huge and clean metropolis, completely unlike Kyrgyzstan. There is no dust, the roads are in perfect condition, and you can even drive to the forest. There are many interesting places to visit, although Kyrgyzstan has its own beauty,” Kanikei concludes.
She dreams of creating a film about her life in Japan, starting from her first days to the present. “Since I’ve been here, I feel lonely, as there are no fellow countrywomen nearby, and my mom is very worried about me,” she says.
“Working with the Japanese, I have seen both the good and the bad, the consequences of poverty and wealth. The feeling of hardship becomes sharper when you are far from home among unfamiliar people. These years have changed my perception of life and taught me a lot. If possible, I will tell my story in a film,” she adds.
Kanikei dreams of bringing her mother to Japan to show her Tokyo, treat her to Japanese cuisine, give her the opportunity to wear a kimono, and see Mount Fuji, to create unforgettable memories.
