Taiyo Reimers is a second year student at Keio University in Japan. Taiyo’s father was a Navy officer who retired after 26 years, and Taiyo graduated in 2022 from Nile C. Kinnick High School at United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.
Taiyo reached out to Bloom to share his passion project, a documentative video that crafted the story of the demolition of Negishi Heights, a base community in Japan. Taiyo highlighted the many lives that were impacted by living at Negishi Heights, and we interviewed him to showcase not only his unique perspective surrounding the creation of his project, but of also being a military teen.*
If you haven't read part one, including the intriguing process of the creation of Taiyo's documentative video and his community involvement, click here! This post is a continuation of the Bloom Spotlight.
What’s next for you personally? Any particular goals or exciting plans?
I honestly don’t know. Wfith By Fair Winds (a story of Negishi Heights) released as of November 2023 and The Negishi Project concluded as of 31 December 2023, I’ve been trying to avoid other projects and, for lack of a better phrase, get my priorities straight. That’s proven much harder than it sounds, though, because I’m drawn to new projects and usually take on more than I can handle.
I will probably continue looking into the topic of demilitarized landscapes, because the Negishi project solidified that interest for me. However, I also want to try being satisfied with what I have, not worrying too much, and finding peace.
What’s something that you wish others understood about military life?
There is so much more to it than just: the military. The institutional façade of the military can block a lot of what makes the military community relatable and human. Military members are regular people; they have regular joys, with regular problems and fears, with regular hope. They come from all over the U.S. and its territories, to foreign places, for a variety of reasons as plentiful as the number of service members.
My video and its emphasis on “home” has elicited responses from both the military and civilian community. It is, I believe, evidence of the fact that military members and civilians do, in fact, have much in common.
Nonetheless, I firmly believe that what sets the military community apart from other ways of life is that there is a certain understanding, a higher purpose, that we all understand – a commitment to something beyond the self. This is shared among U.S. military communities all over the world, rather than isolated to one town or place.
What words of wisdom do you have for other current or future military teens?
I don’t have things figured out. But while my high school days are long gone, and my military teen days too are ending soon as I near my 20th birthday, upon looking back, all I can think to recommend is to understand your priorities - what’s right and wrong, and get your values straight.
Japan, to me, wasn’t a 2-year tour, it was a 12-year upbringing. I can only comment on what it’s like to stay, watching my peers leave, and go begin their adult lives in the U.S. It seemed like they had become adults, and I had simply stayed behind. But in the end, all the concepts of home, I find they don’t really matter. Value the relationships you have, appreciate the place you’re at now.
Every person on CFAY (and other installations) contributes in some way to some aspect of that installation. Not all ways that people contribute needs to or will be recognized. Most important are those that pick-up trash, toil to figure out how to repair machinery, and figure out how to make systems work better without hoping to be recognized - people who do it because they care, because it’s right. Remember what you value, what matters, and care about what’s going on around you.
And on those tired days that I stare out at the train and see only my reflection. On those days when I sit alone at the dinner table surrounded by books and papers and watch the mountains in the distance, the train below, and the single cloud in the sky. On those days when I’m overwhelmed and under pressure, I need to remind myself, most importantly, to have hope.
All in all, understand your priorities and your values. Appreciate where you are now, but don’t forget to have hope.
Where can our readers follow you or get involved with your work?
I always welcome and appreciate reviews/feedback on my video! Feel free to reach out to me at: taiyo.reimers@yahoo.com.
Watch "By Fair Winds (a story of Negishi Heights)" here:
*Some responses have been edited for clarity while still trying to remain parallel to the original message.
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