Katsuo Higuchi
@katsuohiguchiA Nisei native of Tupã, São Paulo State, he holds a Law degree, specializing in Labor Relations. Over the course of 50 years, he worked as an executive and entrepreneur in the Human Resources field. A Business Consultant, he’s also a columnist for the newspaper Nippo Brasil.
Updated June 2017
Stories from This Author
The decasséguis are returning. Japan thanks you.
March 27, 2019 • Katsuo Higuchi
“Mr. Higuchi, I read the news that Japan will need more than 300,000 foreign workers in the next five years. Do you think it’s worth working in Japan?” asked me a senior Nikkei who seemed to know me, while I was waiting for the lecture “The Brazilian Community in Japan”, by emeritus professor at the University of Shizuoka – Shigehiro Ikegami – to begin. at Japan House in São Paulo, on February 20th. The question asked so informally and abruptly …
UMÊ-SHÛ by AIKO, the incomparable Brazilian plum liqueur
Feb. 1, 2019 • Katsuo Higuchi
An apprentice philosopher says that “old age, among other qualities, brings knowledge and wisdom!” Perhaps this is the big reason why UMÊ-SHU by AIKO be so successful among us, poor mortals who don't even enjoy a beer. But the liqueur is so delicious that, when we taste it, we reserve the best glass in the house to sip the precious drink. It is usually accompanied by ice cubes, which further enhances its smooth aroma, slightly sweet taste and pleasant …
SHINDO RENMEI, a Dark Chapter in the History of Japanese Immigration in Brazil
Nov. 7, 2018 • Katsuo Higuchi
History With the arrival of the steamer Kasato Maru at the Port of Santos in 1908, the cycle of Japanese immigration began in Brazil, which up until the 1940s brought in nearly 200,000 Japanese immigrants. Most immigrants left Japan, at that time devastated by a severe economic and social crisis, for Brazil, a new and promising country that offered the possibility of employment and the opportunity to earn a fortune in a short time. Most of them intended to save money and, years …
JAPAN AND SWITZERLAND: Similar in their differences
Sept. 26, 2018 • Katsuo Higuchi
The poet Mário Quintana once said: “ traveling is changing the clothes of the soul! “ Traveling is great, it’s good for the soul and the heart! When we travel, we broaden our horizons, we expand our borders. We return in a different way, rejuvenated, with a new state of mind and a different way of thinking and acting. You even become a better person, I dare say. Imagine taking a plane, crossing the ocean and, after a few hours, …
Women Entrepreneurs
May 7, 2018 • Katsuo Higuchi
A very common expression today, especially among experienced professionals, is “entrepreneurship” which, in a nutshell, means “willingness to take on new businesses or projects, identifying opportunities and transforming them into their own business activity”. It presupposes a creative, innovative, bold spirit. Thinking about starting your own business is one of those dreams that almost everyone has but that rarely comes true for a simple but crucial reason: the fear of failure. In fact, fear is part of business, just as …
Hotaru no Hikari and the awakening of reality
March 2, 2018 • Katsuo Higuchi
Whenever I hear the chords of Hotaru no Hikari I feel my heart sinking and the feeling of nostalgia that follows triggers nostalgic memories of other times already lived and overshadowed by the mists of time. That's what happened the other day, when I received a video on You Tube about the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants, on the Kasato Maru, and the song in the background was Hotaru no Hikari. Why do we feel this way when …
An Angel Named Washington
Jan. 29, 2018 • Katsuo Higuchi
Aging is a natural, gradual and continuous process and, depending on the culture, the elderly are seen from different perspectives. In some countries, mainly Eastern countries, there is a view of respect and consideration for the elderly, a concept that is not repeated, as a rule, in other societies, which are even considered a hindrance. What cannot be hidden is the observation of the considerable increase in the number of elderly people in almost all countries, particularly in the most …
OSHOGATSU Brazilian style
Jan. 1, 2018 • Katsuo Higuchi
Oshogatsu (New Year) is the most important celebration in the Japanese calendar. Even here in Brazil, with its eminently Christian culture, the date is celebrated by the Nikkei community – not with the same intensity and importance as Christmas, but always in a respectful and festive manner. I’ve noticed that among the Nikkei families that have settled here the date is celebrated in different ways, depending on the greater or lesser assimilation of the Japanese culture within that social group …
Enokizono family, example of struggle and determination
Dec. 19, 2017 • Katsuo Higuchi
Faced with the insidious crisis that has been plaguing Brazil in recent years, more acutely in the last 6 years when the unemployment rate reached over 13%, something around 14 million inactive people, the situation was not more serious due to the excellent performance of the agricultural sector which, this year, will grow by more than 10%. Praise to the sector for its spectacular performance, but we cannot forget that there is a very strong dependence on “agribusiness”, involving large …
The charm of “free markets”
Nov. 1, 2017 • Katsuo Higuchi
One of the pleasant habits that I have cultivated since I was young is attending “ free markets” or “ doing the fair” as they say in São Paulo, the city where I have lived for many years. The “free market” is a tradition of local culture, as is Carnival, the football game on Sundays, pizza on Saturdays, draft beer on Fridays and the ineffable coffee with milk and bread and butter at the bakery on the corner. Experts say …
