A while ago – sometime in late 2022 or early 2023 – I decided to try a MyHeritage DNA test. It wasn’t something I did casually. Growing up, I always knew that my background was quite mixed, but I was curious to see what a DNA test might reveal.
I was fortunate enough to meet three out of my four grandparents. On my mother’s side, the stories were quite clear. My maternal grandparents came from Javanese and Bugis backgrounds, both cultures rooted in the Indonesian archipelago. From my father’s side, my grandmother was Telugu Indian. These parts of my heritage were always known within the family.
The person who remained something of an enigma was my Japanese grandfather.
He was someone I never met, and for most of my life he existed more as a fragment of family history than as a real person I could ask questions about. Because of that, I was particularly curious to see whether the DNA test would show anything connected to that part of my background.
When the results came back, I saw that about 28% of my DNA was identified as Japanese, with a specific reference to Japan (Okinawa).
I have to admit that my first reaction was skepticism. DNA tests can estimate regions, but pinpointing something as specific as Okinawa seemed surprisingly precise. I wasn’t sure how much weight to give that detail. And how did my Telegu grandmother became a Bengali?
But curiosity got the better of me.
After doing some research – and with the help of a few kind people who were willing to assist me in looking into historical records – I eventually discovered something remarkable: my grandfather was indeed from one of the islands in Okinawa.
That realization honestly blew my mind.
It made me look back at the DNA result differently. What I initially dismissed as a vague or overly specific guess turned out to align with reality. Seeing that connection reflected both in historical information and in a genetic estimate was a strange and powerful feeling.
Interestingly, it also made me wonder about the science behind these tests. The Okinawa reference appeared only under the Japanese ancestry portion of my results. It seems that in some populations—like Japan—genetic patterns are distinct enough that tests can sometimes identify more specific regional links.
Of course, DNA percentages don’t tell the whole story of identity. Culture, language, and lived experiences shape us far more deeply than numbers on a chart ever could.
But still, seeing that 28% Japanese – and learning that it likely traces back to Okinawa – felt like discovering a small piece of a puzzle I had been carrying for years. I wish my father is still around so I can tell him all the new information I found.
For someone who grew up with a grandfather who felt almost mythical, it was a reminder that even the quietest parts of family history can leave very real traces behind.