Dekasegi Story
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.
Stories from this series
Episode 37 We won't let Corona defeat us!
April 1, 2021 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
In 1998, when I was five years old, my parents took me to Japan. Until then, my father worked at a pharmacy and my mother worked at a supermarket. However, we were barely making ends meet, so we decided to go to Japan to earn money and live a more stable life. At first, they both worked in the same factory, but my father, who was of Japanese descent and could speak Japanese, was transferred to the main office, and …
Episode 36: Masatoshi's New Departure
Feb. 22, 2021 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Masatoshi and Rosana were childhood friends. They were always together, doing their homework and playing. However, after graduating from junior high school, Rosana went to São Paulo to work at her aunt's beauty salon. After that, they lost contact. Seven years later, Masatoshi went on to college, but was unable to pay the tuition fees, so he went to work in Japan. One day, he was eating feijoada and a huge bowl of farofa at a Brazilian restaurant. "By any …
Episode 35: Finally, Japan!
Dec. 18, 2020 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
My parents met 24 years ago. My mother, who had been living in Japan with her family since she was nine years old, had returned to Brazil to attend a relative's wedding. My father, who was a close friend of the groom, attended the ceremony in a suit that he rarely wears. Neither of them is sure if it was love at first sight. "I had a really good impression of him at first sight," my mother said bashfully, while …
Episode 34: Sudden return to Japan due to COVID-19
Sept. 4, 2020 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
We came to Japan in 1997. My sister was 26 and I was 18. Her husband, Masao, had been working at a factory in Toyohashi for six months, so we looked for jobs in the same town so we wouldn't be separated. Finally, my sister got a job at a bakery and I got a job at a store selling Brazilian products. Time passed, and in 2008, my sister and her husband returned to Brazil with their two children. At …
Episode 33 "Karen won't come back to Japan"
Aug. 30, 2019 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Toshie, a high school student, married her classmate Ivan and gave birth to twins five months later. Ivan, who was 19 at the time, gave up on going to college and changed jobs several times, including as a supermarket cashier, an auto parts store clerk, and a taxi driver. However, the family's finances were tight, so he left his family behind and went to Japan to earn money. The twins Karen and Karina are growing up and are now three …
Episode 32: Only 5 months of dekasegi life
July 15, 2019 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Mari had no children and, after her husband died early, she focused solely on work. After graduating from a vocational school, she worked as an elementary school teacher while finishing university. She met her husband at university, who shared the same aspirations as Mari: "I want many children to know the joy of studying." After the two got married, Mari taught mathematics at a junior high school in a neighboring town while helping out at the cram school her husband …
