My name is Mitsuno, I'm an 11 year old girl. My dad is Japanese Peruvian and my mom is Japanese Brazilian. I was born in Japan and my mom gave me the name "Mitsuno" from my beloved grandmother.
When Mama was 21, she left her 2-year-old sister Monica in the care of her grandmother Mitsuno in Brazil and came to Japan with her sister's father Ricardo. However, Ricardo was unable to get used to life in Japan and returned to Brazil within six months.
After working at the bakery for about a year, Mom returned to Brazil and talked to Ricardo about their relationship, but they eventually got divorced.
After that, Mommy started living with Monica at her grandmother Mitsuno's house, where Monica had been staying. However, she had a hard time finding work in Brazil, so she decided to come to Japan again. This time, she had no choice but to try her best, taking Monica, who was four years old at the time.
Mommy is great! I left Monica at the nursery from 8am to 5pm, worked at the bakery where I used to work during the day, and cooked Brazilian food called Marmitta 1 at home in the evening and delivered it to the dorms where there were a lot of Brazilians. I think I was very busy.
When Monica entered junior high school, Mama started a new job at a Japanese restaurant. As the number of foreign customers, mainly Brazilians and Peruvians, increased, the owner wanted to serve them flavors from their hometowns, so he invited Mama to help out.
Mom had always seen her grandmother making and selling millet2 and coxinha3 to help with the family finances, so she took on the job, thinking, "I can do it too!" And as soon as she put "Grandma's millet and coxinha" on the menu, the customers were very happy.
One Sunday, Mama served the Peruvian specialty "Ceviche" for the first time. Then, she was told, "A customer is calling," so she went to the customer's table.
"Thank you! The ceviche is amazing!" said a male customer. The three men and one woman who were with him complimented him. The two boys next to him were eating the coxinha with gusto.
The man was a Japanese-Peruvian named Takashi Takeuchi. His wife had become seriously ill, so he was working in Japan to pay for her medical expenses. Unfortunately, she passed away, so Takashi brought his two children over to Japan. That day, there was a gathering to welcome his children.
Since then, Takashi has come to the restaurant often with his children, 8-year-old Aufonso and 6-year-old Alberto, who seem to be gradually becoming accustomed to life in Japan.
And in the spring of 2009, Mama and Takashi got married. I was born in 2010, and my younger brother was born in 2013. His name is Kiyohiko, the same as my dad's father. Both Mama and Dad are grateful to our Japanese ancestors. Otherwise, we would never have had the chance to meet in Japan.
Now, Mónica lives in Brazil. She is trying to become an architect. However, her father, Ricardo, has been infected with the coronavirus, so Mónica is studying hard while taking care of her father.
Aufonso graduated from a technical school and is working in Osaka. Alberto is in his third year of high school and wants to work at the same car factory as his dad after he graduates. Kiyohiko is an elementary school student who loves soccer, and I dream of becoming a manga artist or a writer.
Her parents work very hard. In her free time, she practices karaoke, hoping that one day she will be able to appear on the NHK Nodo Jiman show.
This is my favorite family!
Notes:
1. Brazilian-style bento
2. Arab meatballs
3. Brazilian Croquettes
© 2021 Laura Honda-Hasegawa
