Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2024/4/18/10047/

Episode 47 (Part 1) "I want to go home, but I can't"

Eiji, the eldest son of two older sisters, was told by his parents to become a doctor in the future. His older sisters were made to do housework and help out at the supermarket run by his parents, but Eiji was always told to focus on his studies instead of helping out.

When I was in my third year of high school, my daily routine was to go to a cram school immediately after school, study at home in the evening, and also go to the cram school on weekends to study for tests.

One Saturday, Eiji was invited by his three cousins ​​who were visiting him, so he skipped cram school and went to the Oriental district of Liberdade. It was as if he had entered a magical world. Everything he saw and heard was new to him. That night, Eiji did his best to draw. He wanted to keep a record of the Oriental district he had seen that day.

When he graduated from high school, he applied to medical school but failed. The following year, he went to a cram school and studied hard, but he still couldn't get in. Eiji felt that he didn't have the ability to go into medicine. But his father encouraged him, telling him not to give up.

With his third medical school entrance exam looming, Eiji heads to Repubblica Square for some relaxation. He wants to experience things, people, and sounds different from his own world, just like he did in Oriental Town when he was in high school.

At the Plaza de la Repubblica, I happened to see my art teacher, Ms. Julieta, a fairly well-known artist whose trademark was a black tunic with a colorful necklace and ponytails.

"You're Teacher Julietta, right? I'm Eiji, and I was your student in middle school. Do you remember me?"

"Eiji! Of course I remember you! There aren't many students as diligent and promising as Eiji."

Eiji did well in school, but he also loved drawing from a young age. In junior high school, he was good at drawing portraits of his classmates and teachers, and because he was good at illustrations and manga, he remembered his teachers well.

The two had a pleasant conversation. Julietta-sensei invited me to come and see her studio after I finished my entrance exams.

While waiting for the results, Eiji visits his teacher, Julieta's house. It is a spacious house surrounded by greenery on the outskirts of São Paulo, where she has a studio where she teaches painting, and a boarding house where she welcomes new artists.

Shortly after failing the exam for the third time, Eiji began to visit his teacher's studio. Wanting to immerse himself in painting, he gradually began to stay overnight at his teacher's studio.

When his family found out about this, they were worried about Eiji, who was living with strangers at the teacher's house. They all came up with a solution to bring Eiji back.

"Hey, why don't you send her to Japan? If she earns enough money, she can set up her own studio and paint as many pictures as she likes without having to live in someone else's house," said Emi, the eldest sister, strongly urging her to go to Japan.

However, his mother was worried, saying, "Aiji has never worked before, so letting him go alone to faraway Japan..."

"That's it! I think we should get Eiji to find a good wife and go to Japan together," his father said.

The second elder sister, Erika, said, "Then there's a really nice girl from my high school days named Hana who I think would be a good match for Eiji!"

The whole family was in favor, and Erika quickly introduced Hana to Eiji. The two got along well and quickly began dating. Just a few months later, they were married.

Following their family's suggestion, Eiji and Hana started a new life in Japan, and two years later, their first daughter, Rina, was born.

Eiji and Hana were very happy, but then something unexpected happened to them.

Hana developed high blood pressure as a result of her pregnancy, while Eiji found himself getting tired more easily and losing motivation due to raising his child and looking after Hana.

To help them make ends meet, Eiji's mother-in-law came all the way from faraway Brazil to help out. However, Eiji's fatigue never subsided, and he became increasingly irritable and made more mistakes at the factory. In the end, Eiji was diagnosed with stress syndrome. Hana wanted Eiji to stay in Japan and receive treatment, but Eiji thought that Hana's recovery was his top priority. Also, not wanting to cause trouble for his mother-in-law, who was taking care of his wife and newborn baby, he decided to leave his wife and child in Japan and receive treatment alone in Brazil. Eiji returned to Brazil alone, intending to get better as soon as possible and return to Japan.

Continued >>

 

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Brazil dekasegi families fiction foreign workers Japan Nikkei in Japan
About this series

In 1988, I read a news article about dekasegi and had an idea: "This might be a good subject for a novel." But I never imagined that I would end up becoming the author of this novel...

In 1990, I finished my first novel, and in the final scene, the protagonist Kimiko goes to Japan to work as a dekasegi worker. 11 years later, when I was asked to write a short story, I again chose the theme of dekasegi. Then, in 2008, I had my own dekasegi experience, and it left me with a lot of questions. "What is dekasegi?" "Where do dekasegi workers belong?"

I realized that the world of dekasegi is very complicated.

Through this series, I hope to think about these questions together.

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About the Author

Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1947. Worked in the field of education until 2009. Since then, she has dedicated herself exclusively to literature, writing essays, short stories and novels, all from a Nikkei point of view.

She grew up listening to Japanese children's stories told by her mother. As a teenager, she read the monthly issue of Shojo Kurabu, a youth magazine for girls imported from Japan. She watched almost all of Ozu's films, developing a great admiration for Japanese culture all her life.


Updated May 2023

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