Tokyo Kareem
Qire Snowden (West Babylon High School)
My Godfather Kareem used to live in Japan for a few years. He taught English at a Junior High
School and said it was one of the best experiences of his life. Once a week he would also teach at an
elementary school. I asked him what he taught the students, and he shared most of his lessons with me. I
knew it would be a blessing to adapt to the Japanese language and wondered if I could learn those same
words. Knowing it would take some time to remember most of the language, Kareem would spend hours
with me teaching me about Japanese. He would not only teach me the language but also tell me a lot about
the culture of Japan and what it was like living there. He told me that Japan culture was diverse from other
places and was widely known for its traditional arts. Along with teaching, Kareem also loved the music he
had discovered while staying in Japan. Kareem lived in Chiba-ken, which is like the New Jersey of Tokyo,
but he would hang out in Tokyo often. This is where Kareem got his nickname “Tokyo Kareem”. He would
go to Hip Hop and R&B clubs and make friends with the Japanese people that also enjoyed Hip Hop and
R&B music. Kareem went on to meet one of his greatest friends today, Masayuki. He met Masayuki at a
Hip Hop club named “Harlem” which is ironic because Kareem’s birth place was Harlem, New York. It
made me wonder how Kareem and Masayuki had become friends. He told me that they had a common
interest in music. I was introduced to Masayuki at Kareem’s wedding where he would later on share with
me some of his experiences in Japan. I had no idea that Japanese people listened to the same music as I like
to listen to. This is when I realized that Japanese arts & culture are often represented in Urban/Black arts &
culture and vice versa. Masayuki happened to be a producer who also enjoyed listening to Hip Hop and
R&B. Using music as their common denominator, Masayuki and Kareem used the song lyrics to teach each
other English and Japan respectively. Kareem said that he was amazed and inspired by Masayuki’s
dedication and commitment to learning the meanings and that motivated him to study Japanese harder. My
Godfather Kareem told me that he incorporated the Japanese work ethic and dedication to his studies.

When he returned to New York, he continued to study Japanese and started his first business coordinating
tours and translations. Masayuki and several of his Japanese friends came to New York to visit as tourist
and when people would see Kareem speaking Japanese to them, they simply called him “Tokyo Kareem”.

Then, he realized that people were asking his friends from Japan about their clothing because they
appreciated their style. The Japanese brands like Evisu, A Bathing Ape and UNIQLO became just as
popular in Urban/Black culture as the Urban/Black music is over in Japan. There appears to be traces of
Japanese culture in many elements of Urban/Black arts, from fashion to music. Kareem inspired me by
showing me that you could learn more than one language and how important it is to understand other
cultures. 91