Haruna Kamezaki Houchen hails from Yokosuka ¡ª a city in Kanagawa Prefecture famed for serving what was arguably Japan¡¯s first curry on rice, an American naval base and Momoe Yamaguchi¡¯s 1976 mega-hit ¡°Yokosuka Story.¡± Back in the late 20th century, many Tokyoites saw Yokosuka as exciting and exotic ¡ª a slice of USA they could only dream about. This is Kamezaki¡¯s hometown ¡ª a place she holds dear even as she lives in Atlanta and works toward a career in the U.S. film industry.
Kamezaki was born in the mid-1980s and grew up in a household ¡°full of American records and movies, because my parents ¡ª and especially my dad ¡ª loved American culture.¡±
¡°Combined with the whole ambience of Yokosuka, I grew up thinking America wasn¡¯t that far or unattainable,¡± Kamezaki says.
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