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 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 …
Episode 24: The Diary of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Japanese - Part 4
July 1, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Read Part 3 >> March 4, 2011 Bachan's sister is in the hospital, so he's in Campo Grande. So I'm staying with my Auntie Niall for a while. I have three cousins, and the youngest one, Noah, is so cute. He's 2 years old. Compared to when I was in Japan, it's so much more lively and fun now! In Japan, I went to school from 7:30 in the morning to 6 in the evening. There were only eight students …
Episode 24: The Diary of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Japanese - Part 3
May 6, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Read Part 2 >> May 7, 2010 "Festa do Dia das Mães 1 " was held at school today. When I was in Japan, there was no such event at Brazilian schools because the mothers had to work in factories. The students just made pictures and cards and gave them to their mothers at home. But Brazilian schools are amazing! Two days before Friday, instead of classes, the students put on a special performance of songs, dances, and plays for …
Episode 24: The diary of a girl who wanted to be Japanese - Part 2
March 4, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Read Part 1 >> February 17, 2010 I saw the Brazilian Carnival for the first time on TV. Today, Wednesday, is the last day. It is called "Ash Wednesday". When I asked Bachan what it meant, he explained to me that "The festival that everyone has been waiting for for a year ends today, and from tomorrow everyone will work hard for next year." But I didn't really understand why it was called "ash." I thought Brazil was a different …
Episode 24: The diary of a girl who wanted to be Japanese - Part 1
Jan. 28, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
January 26, 2009 Why? Why do you have to go back to Brazil? Hey, is it true? I asked Mommy, but she was busy cleaning up in the kitchen. Unusually, she didn't say, "Jessica, help out too." I really don't want to go back! Mommy told me, "You'll be a junior high school student next year, so you should study English more." Mommy taught English at the Brazilian school I went to. But she suddenly decided to go back to …
