Laura Honda-Hasegawa
@laurahhBorn 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
Stories from This Author
Episode 27 (Part 2) A Gift from Heaven
Dec. 26, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Read the first part >> To Hirari-chan Hello. I'm Ryoko Tokunaga. I'm a grandmother. I'm sure you were surprised by this sudden message. I'm really sorry for not replying at all. I have read all of Hirari-chan's letters (22 in total). I have carefully stored the photos and Christmas cards. They are my grandmother's treasures. You may be wondering why he never responded to you until now. I'm sorry. A lot has happened. Firstly, after your father Leo died in …
Episode 27 (Part 1) A Gift from Heaven
Nov. 17, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
My name is Hirari. Is it a nice and unusual name? Everyone says so. Why Hirari? My mother chose it for me. My Japanese-Brazilian mother went to Japan to work right after graduating from high school. She really wanted to go to college, so she planned to work in Japan for about two years to earn money for college and then go to college in Brazil. For Mom, who was born and raised in a rural town in Brazil, life …
Episode 26 (Part 2) "Don't come back! Do your best in Japan!"
Oct. 27, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Read the first part >> After finishing overtime work, Kei returned home. When he opened his mailbox, it was full of flyers. "I wish I could read Japanese," he thought as he looked through them one by one, and then he found a letter. I hurried into the house, turned on the light, and saw the sender - it was from my mother! "What?! A letter from my mother? That's unusual!" I thought, and immediately opened it. There was only …
I want some Japanese fabric too!
Oct. 7, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
I was deeply moved when I read the story of Mia Nakaji Monier, which was published in Discover Nikkei on September 21. As soon as I read that Mia had found a Japanese fabric store, attended sewing classes there with her mother, and made various things together, I felt a connection to my mother's life. I looked back fondly and thought, "Oh, there was a time like that for us, too." My mother was born and raised on a farm …
Episode 26 (Part 1) "Don't come back! Do your best in Japan!"
Sept. 22, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
When the alarm clock rang, Yurika woke up immediately. Every morning, she was already awake before the alarm went off. And for the past month, whenever she woke up, she thought, "Today is the day I'm going to write a letter." However, she still hasn't been able to write a letter. Looking at the bed next to me, I saw my granddaughter Eliza sleeping soundly. "I'm so glad I didn't have a seizure today!" When I opened the curtains, it …
Episode 25 (Part 2) Toshiaki's First CARNAVAL
March 23, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Read the first part >> "I've decided to go to Japan!" Toshiaki announced as he returned from running some errands in a nearby town. Everyone was surprised by the sudden news. "If you were so keen, why didn't you come with me? That was the time when things were going at their best!" said his younger brother Satoshi in an exasperated tone. My sister-in-law was the first to offer support, saying, "It's okay. You're still in your 40s and you're …
Episode 25 (Part 1) Toshiaki's First CARNAVAL
Feb. 3, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Toshiaki was a shy child. He would not join in with the kids in the neighborhood who were flying kites or playing with balls in the fields. Instead, he would stay at home and help his grandfather make bamboo crafts. When he was in the third year of junior high school, his father died of illness, and Toshiaki, the eldest son, decided to help out at the greengrocer's, a family business that had been passed down since his grandfather's generation. …
Longing for Japan on New Year’s
Dec. 31, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
As the end of the year approaches, the East Asian quarter of São Paolo is lively. Signs in the shop windows of Japanese food supply stores say, “Now taking reservations for mochi and offerings.” Even for Nikkei who do not usually follow Japanese customs, one cannot do without mochi during New Year’s. I think it is common to grill the mochi and have it with soy sauce and sugar. Another way is ozoni. My first New Year’s spent in Japan …
Episode 24: The Diary of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Japanese - Part 6
Dec. 23, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
November 12 , 2011 Dear Dialho, Nice to meet you. I'm Marina. This diary written by Jessica was very interesting, so I read the whole thing. And while I was reading it, I realized that this is what Brazil is like. Jessica and I were always together at the Brazilian school in Japan and it was a lot of fun. But my dad changed jobs and I had to move. So I transferred to a Japanese school. My mom and …
Episode 24: The Diary of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Japanese - Part 5
Sept. 17, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Read Part 4 >> July 30, 2011 My dear Diario. I'm back! I had a lot of fun during the winter vacation I spent in Sao Paulo, but two days before I returned here, I found out about Marina-chan and I was really worried. She was with me at a Brazilian school in Japan until three years ago, but she came back to Brazil this year and hasn't gotten used to life here and isn't going to school. Why? I …
