Owensboro native finds family, career in Japan

Oct. 1—For 14 years, Owensboro native Justin Whittinghill has called Japan his home.

In 2010 he married his wife, Ayumi, who he met in Japan, and he has built a career as an assistant professor teaching English at Kanazawa Institute of Technology in Kanazawa, Japan.

However, Whittinghill, a 2001 Apollo High School graduate, never had plans to immerse himself into a different culture until his senior year at Kentucky Wesleyan College.

"I went there just nearly on a whim," he said. "I was at Wesleyan in 2005 looking down the barrel of graduation and had no real direction."

But it was an email he received about teaching English abroad that caught his attention.

"I decided in about five minutes that I would give it a try," he said.

After several years in Japan, Whittinghill said he realized that he "hit a ceiling" career wise, deciding to return to school at St. Michael's College in Vermont, where he received his master's degree in 2012. And soon after, he was hired for his current professor position in Kanazawa.

During his years living in Japan, Whittinghill began taking note of the cultural differences between it and the United States.

And in 2014, Whittinghill began writing a monthly column for the Messenger-Inquirer detailing the distinct cultural differences between the two countries.

"In the beginning, I had about five ideas," said Whittinghill, who's now written 102 columns. "... Every month I try to notice something interesting and something with a little bit of depth to it."

One of those cultural differences allowed the Whittinghills to return to Owensboro in late August to visit family here.

Earlier this year, the Whittinghills, both 39, had their first child, Nico, who's 7 months old.

Under Japan law, both parents can take up to one year off from their jobs to care for their baby.

Whittinghill said the first six months he receives two-thirds of his salary and the next six months 50%. And during that time off, parents are also exempt from income taxes and they don't have to make health insurance payments.

"I think the secret of it is that in Japan only 7% of the men take any of the parental leave," Whittinghill said. "So it's more in Japan — company is your family, your religion; you wouldn't dare leave. ...It's a very generous system, and I think the only reason it can exist is because almost no one takes it."

This is the Whittinghills' first trip back to Owensboro since 2019.

On Tuesday, Whittinghill gave a presentation at KWC about his transition to Japan and the culture shock that came with it.

Ayumi Whittinghill, a Japan native, said she enjoys returning to the United States, and that she, too, notices the differences.

What stands out to her is how the United States places an emphasis on individuality while the Japanese culture stresses collectivism — a practice that gives priority to a group rather than the individual.

"People here I feel are mentally freer ... and people seem to be having more fun and enjoying themselves," she said. "Japanese people do enjoy stuff, but not like here."

The Whittinghills will return to Japan on Jan. 4.

Whittinghill said he doesn't know if he and his family will ever move back to Owensboro permanently, but that living downtown has an appeal since

its revitalization.

"As a worker, I'm more marketable in Japan because I teach English and they want English teachers," he said. "And here very few people need to learn it as a second language; my wife speaks English and everyone needs an English speaker. But here, no one here needs a Japanese speaker. ...So all of that keeps me there, but it is less fun there."

Whittinghill's column appears in the Messenger-Inquirer's Lifestyle section on the last Saturday of each month.

Don Wilkins, dwilkins@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7299