We invited Mr Ricardo Yamamoto as a guest speaker for our class on 13 Janurary, 2009. He talked us about his experience as a factory worker in Aichi, his current activity as a photographer and the concept about 'human globalization'. His experiences, words and art work definitely gave us new perspectives in understading/analysing our lives and society in the period of globalisation. Please visit his website to see more of his work!

Q1. I wondered how these 'dekasegui' people are able to save enough money to have a house or make a living back in Brazil when they owe so much to the haken gaisha and come to Japan with little money. Also, don't they injure their health in such a hard working condition?

In the beginning of the movement (early 90´s), when Brazilians were coming for the first time, as I said at the presentation most came with a debt of around 300,000 yen - plane ticket, agency´s services, borrowed money, etc. But by working hard and saving as much as one could, the debt could be paid in 4-5 months. Some agencies used to hold the worker´s passport (which is illegal) until the worker paid his/her debts. It was my case. 

   One of the problems with this system is that, specially during the Asian crisis in the late 90´s, agencies in Brazil kept promising and sendig workers to Japan (and charging for their "travel" services) even when there was no job guarantee for the newcomer. I heard many stories of people who had spent one or two years going from job hunting to job hunting, without nowing anyone and without speaking the language, until they paid their debts.   

   About the injuries, they are a present risk at any factory work, for anyone. Some illness can be detected during health check-ups provided by the factories, like lungs contamination (if you breath poluted air for too long when soldering or working with some kind of chemicals), high blood pressure (for those who work at night and don´t sleep properly for months, are too weak, etc), etc. Others, can not be detected in the check-ups - like body articulation damages, back aches, etc. In these cases, usually the worker go to a specialist, who usually warn them to work less or even quit the kind of work he/she is doing. But many don´t/can´t just quit that job, so the damages tend to get worst. Of course, accidents also happens. 

   But it´s important to remember that not every factory work is so bad/dangerous and that these working conditions generally do not depend on nationality. Japanese workers suffer just the same health problems.

Q2. I imagine how much you feel uneasy and missed Brazil because of the language barrier and unfamiliar culture but you managed to overcome it instead of going back to Brazil. What is the source of power that made you face and overcome harsh reality? Did the community play an important role for you to be positive toward living in Japan?

That´s a very good question. I think it is not power that makes humans overcome some harsh realities, but maybe the lack of power, lack of motivation to change. I think one of the real intelligence of us humans is our capacity of adaptation. We can adapt to any kind of situation, even the most unberable ones, like the nazi concentration camps (during the 2nd war), or the famine in Africa, or the people living in slums in Jacarta, or the violence in Brazil. And because of that sometmes we don´t see the situation we´re into. We became used to see war on tv, crimes on newspapers, homeless everywhere... All they become invisible when you get used to them, so I guess it´s what happens to so many people anywhere in so many levels. Adaptation as an instinct of survival. 

   The comunity did good and bad to me, because I could feel a little bit at "home". In the beginning (17 years ago) it was sooo hard to find anything (magazine, food, etc) from home, so the most precious things were the letters of friends and family (no e-mail then), which I still keep in a shoe´s box, but now the only thing we don´t have is Brazil itself. And bad because it (the community) made me dependent of it.   

 Q3. You said that Japanese-Brazilians are thought to be smart in Brazil, and he always thought to be a good student because of his ethnic background. I wonder, because of this stereotype, is there any bullying towards Japanese Brazilians?

Bullying towards Japanese Brazilians specifically, I think no. Many people in Brazil give names and make jokes about Japanese-Brazilian. But they also give names and make jokes to Portuguese, black people, indians, people from certain regions of Brazil... It´s general, it´s a national habit. But maybe this "smart and good mannered person" stereotype towards Japanese-Brazilians are vanishing now. We, sanseis, are taking care of that, hahaha...  I sure did my share in school...

Q4. In your short movie, I was shocked by the questions he posted, 'How much is lost?' and 'How much is gained?' Those questions are simple, but very apt. I wonder the balance of loss and gain is fair or not. How are Dekasegui people feeling about it?

"Did I gain? Did I loose?"  I´m sure most people in the planet think about their past decisions and think about "What if I had taken the other path?". Did I loose 15 years of my life working in factories while others were learning and having enriching experiences and having some good time? Well, I thought about it a lot, but realize soon that there is no use to think about the past. When it comes to life choices, we´ll never know the answer for sure and maybe that´s why these questions are so powerful. I don´t know what other people think, I´ve never asked them. But I guess that as long as you have managed to keep your body, mind and soul´s integrity, it´s always better to think ahead, to the future. About the past, I think mine was very good too because it took me to where I am now, and I am optimistic about what is coming for me.  

Q5. As you commented, there are very few people who can get out of the community working in the 3K situation, and you are one of them that finally made it. What do you think is/was the difference between you and the people who still struggle for better lives?

When I didn´t know what I wanted to do and what I wanted to become, I didn´t like working in a factory but didn´t know where else to go. After I decided that photography was what I wanted to do, I still didn´t like working in a factory, but I knew where to go then and planned my "escape": Learn more and move to a place where I could get closer to what was my ideal. I´m still in that plan, in the beginning of it. But the first part is over at least. If my plans were to open a Brazilian supermarket for Brazilians, I´d probably remain in Hamamatsu.  

Q6. What kind of culture shock did you receive when you came to Japan? What was the most shocking?

Culture shock 1: Salty food was too sweet. Sweet food was too salty. 2. People where I went to knew nothing about Brazil (I thought, because it´s a big coutry in size and because Japanese education was so advanced, people would know lots abut it). Some asked if we had refrigerator in our homes, some asked how were we feeling wearing t-shirt and jeans (maybe they thought we wore banana leaves back home?), the ones who made bigger efforts asked if there were Coca-cola and McDonnald´s in Brazil. Japanese general knowledge about other places (exept the U.S.) was disappooointing. 3. At first I didn´t care for Japanese women´s looks, but now I think they´re great. Instinct of survival? Haha... no, just kidding. 4: The most shocking thing - How clean and how safe Japan was and is. 

Q7. How do you feel being called a 'Nikkei'? Do you think it is foolish to actually seclude people by their ethnicity or nationality?

Nobody likes to be discriminated, but I always thought that if I was in their (Japanese locals invaded by 'wild' third-world dweelers) shoes, I´d probably behave not so differently.

   I don´t bother being a nikkei, but I don´t have any special pride of it. It´s just my heritage, everybody without exeption has one at some point. As I said, my real conscience of being a nikkei - a Brazilian who is not exactly Brazilian and a Japanese who is not Japanese as I understand here - began when I set my foot in Japan. Personally, I don´t feel less Brazilian than any other Brazilian because Brazilian nikkeis ARE Brazilians, and Brazilians are made of many races who, in some cases/areas, keep their original culture. I know that some nikkeis lived in nikkei communities in Brazil with a strong nikkei identity, and some nikkei families prevent their doughters from marring "Brazilian" Brazilians to keep it "pure". But as far as I know it was not my family´s case.

   Here I "belong" to the cathegory or section or definition "nikkei-burajirujin", I is what I am. Nevertheless, this term has an image here that was forged by midia and politicians who were trying, many times, to defend their own best interests. They used the term to exhaustion, nikkei-burajirujin themselves also used the term to exhaustion. And the term and definition "nikei-burajirujin" in my opinion has become too heavy, too associated with things are heavy to carry on one´s shoulders. So, I feel a bit heavy.

   To seclude people by their ethnicity or nationality is foolish or not? I don´t know. Many times, people from some ethnicity and nationality end up secluding  themselves so that they won´t dissapear. Maybe one good thing in all this is to learn how to live well in diversity. The rest should be like a walk in the park.   

Thank you all  for the interest and for the good questions that made me think. Please feel free to contact and stay in touch. Special thanks to Iijima sensei who made me feel at home.

Matta ne

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