Kasumi Abe is a Japanese journalist who has lived in New York for almost two decades. In 2018, she published “Tabi no Hint Book Brooklyn,” a book that explores the people, places and history of her borough. When COVID-19 arrived in the Spring of 2020, she was in New York, reporting on the city and its people. And now she watches as the streets once again swell with life — set to the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
1. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture.
2. When and why did you move to New York City? The very first time I came to New York was in 1990. It was for a homestay, and it was my first time traveling overseas. At the time, I wanted to be an artist, so I chose New York to see what was going on here. And I wanted to see an art school, which was the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. The next time was during the ’90s again, and I came here to report on the Broadway comedy show, “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding.” Then I came in 2002, almost 19 years ago. I came here to go to English school. I was planning to spend only two years, but I really liked it and found a job.