Interview Questions
- What first brought you to Samoa?
- What do you find most appealing about Samoa?
- What is a memorable experience you will never forget in Samoa?
- What places in Samoa would you recommend visitors see?
- Do you have a message for those visiting the Lumanai Samoa website?
Hiroyuki Urasaki
Representative
Director, Urasaki Dental Clinic
Answers to the Questions
1. I was dispatched to Samoa as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV).
2. The people, the culture, and the natural environment.
3. When my family came to visit me during my time in Samoa, my Samoan friends and their families gave us such a warm and heartfelt welcome.
4. Savai‘i Island.
5. If you are interested in something about Samoa or our activities, please feel free to get in touch!
Hidetoshi Ujihara
Board Member
Answers to the Questions
1. From 2014 to 2016, I worked as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), teaching science at Sagaga College.
2. It is just as you would imagine a tropical island nation to be, yet at the same time, it somehow feels familiar and nostalgic to us.
3. Something that deeply moved me: The sunsets seen from the coast were beautiful in a way that felt different from sunsets in Japan.
Something that shocked me: One evening, the piglet I had grown very fond of was served for dinner.
4. Samoan buses are very different from those in Japan—they are colorful and always filled with cheerful music. Traveling by bus is an experience in itself and great fun.
5. If words like “southern islands,” “beautiful ocean,” “Samoa,” “international cooperation,” “volunteering,” “medical care,” “education,” or “trying something new” catch your attention in any way, please feel free to get in touch with us!
Daiji Furuse
Board Member
Director, Tsubasa Dental Clinic / Certified Specialist, Japanese Society of Periodontology
Answers to the Questions
1. I was invited by Dr. Urasaki, who said, “Why don’t you come to Samoa? The ocean is incredibly beautiful.”
2. The blue sky! The white clouds! The endlessly clear ocean! And above all, the smiles of the Samoan people!!!
3. When I first arrived on Savai‘i Island and was walking around a village, many people approached me and asked, “Where are you from? Would you like to come in for some tea?” They warmly invited me and treated me to tea. I was deeply moved by Samoan hospitality—the way they welcomed a complete stranger from far away, an Asian visitor they had never met before, with such trust and kindness.
4. Savai‘i Island. You can truly experience Samoa’s original, unspoiled landscapes there.
5. Thank you very much for visiting the Lumanai Samoa website. When I first visited Samoa, I was deeply touched by the kindness of the Samoan people. Wanting to give something back and be of help in any way I could, I decided to join this initiative. I sincerely appreciate your support.
Visit the Tsubasa Dental Clinic website here
Akiho Itagaki
Board Member
Answers to the Questions
1. In 2010, I was dispatched as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer, working as a mathematics and science teacher.
2. The openness and generosity with which people accept others, no matter who they are.
3. Walking with my Samoan colleagues to bathe in the village pond each evening, I would look up at the night sky filled with countless stars—it was truly breathtaking and left me speechless every time.
4. The Falease‘ela River Walk. Exploring the pristine jungle with a local Samoan guide is an unforgettable experience.
5. We look forward to welcoming you in Samoa! We would love to share all the many charms of Samoa with you.
Visit Itagaki’s blog “Samoaki Blog” here
Wakako Tajima
Auditor
Answers to the Questions
1. At a briefing session for the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, one of the speakers was a former volunteer in Samoa. They shared a story about how, when buses are full in Samoa, new passengers sometimes sit on the laps of those already seated. I was so shocked—thinking, “What an unbelievable country!”—that I immediately wanted to go and see it for myself.
2. I love the seaside moments after toonai, the feast eaten after church on Sundays. Once everyone has finished eating and lies down for an afternoon nap, the village—usually lively with music and traffic—falls completely silent, leaving only the gentle sound of the waves and the wind.
3. I lived in a village called Fagamalo on Savai‘i Island, where you can see the sun set into the ocean. Completely cloudless sunsets are actually quite rare there, and whenever I watched the sunset, there were always clouds around the sun. However, just a few days before I returned to Japan at the end of my assignment, I was finally able to see a truly cloudless, breathtaking sunset. In that moment, I felt as though Samoa itself was showing me its love.
4. There are many wonderful places, but I especially recommend O Le Pupu-Pu‘e National Park. You can truly feel the vastness of the ocean and the unique volcanic landscapes that are so characteristic of Samoa.
5. Samoa may be a very small country, but it is filled with unique culture and rich natural beauty. I hope you will come and experience it for yourself!
Hiroaki Negishi
Member
Answers to the Questions
1. I was dispatched as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (now known as the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers).
2. I am drawn to the relaxed, open atmosphere created by the Samoan people, as well as a way of life that exists in harmony with nature.
3. Learning how to climb trees from my friends and harvesting coconuts together. Drinking coconut water after picking the fruit myself—peeling it, opening it, and tasting it fresh—was absolutely amazing!
4. Staying at a beach fale. These are open-sided, stilted huts located just a few meters from the shoreline. Spending time there, relaxing while gazing out at the ocean, feels like the ultimate luxury.
5. Thank you very much for visiting. I hope this will be the start of a wonderful connection. Please feel free to reach out anytime!
