Tomomi is 19 years old and has a Japanese father and a Japanese-Brazilian mother.
Tomomi's mother, who came to Japan as a dekasegi (a laborer), first worked at a bakery in Nagoya. Then, the owner of a nearby bicycle repair shop invited her to quit the bakery and work at the bicycle repair shop. Soon after, the two fell in love and started living together. Then, Tomomi was born and their life became fulfilling and stable.
Four years ago, Tomomi's father sadly passed away from lung cancer. Her life changed completely. Since her parents were not officially married, her father's brother and his wife took over the bicycle repair shop. Tomomi and her mother lost their home and were forced to return to Brazil.
When her mother returned to Brazil, she was subjected to harsh criticism from her family, with comments such as, "What kind of idiot would go to Japan on their own and have a husband who is 20 years older than her?", "She's been punished," and "I feel sorry for your daughter."
Her childhood friend provided her mother with a place to live and introduced her to a job.
Meanwhile, Tomomi could only speak broken Portuguese at the time, and felt ashamed and frustrated by this. After some research, she started attending a Portuguese language class that supported children of dekasegi workers. She studied hard, and a year later, she was able to go on to high school in Brazil.
At school, her classmates began asking her about manga, anime, cosplay, J-POP, and K-POP. Although she didn't know much about popular songs, she researched them and was able to talk to them well. Thanks to this, she was able to have a very enjoyable school life.
One day, Tomomi, who had loved drawing since she was a child, visited a school that taught manga, where the teacher was a young Brazilian.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Naruto," he said in Japanese.
"Is that your real name? I can't believe it!" I replied in Japanese.
The teacher smiled and continued speaking in Portuguese.
"I wish my name was really 'Naruto'. My real name is Luis Afonso. I'm so into ninjas that I watch all kinds of ninja-related things, including ninja manga, movies and TV shows. That's why everyone calls me 'Naruto'."
Naruto is a graduate of the Japanese Literature Department at the University of Sao Paulo, and his dream was to live in Japan, where he wanted to not only work but also learn more about Japanese culture, interact with the local community, and contribute to both countries.
Tomomi's art improved rapidly under the guidance of Naruto-sensei, and she decided that she wanted to become a manga artist in the future. After graduating from high school, she went on to college to study graphic design.
During the summer vacation from university, Tomomi decided to spend two months in Japan doing part-time work at a glass factory in Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama.
"Tomomi! How are you?"
When I went outside during break, Naruto was standing there.
"Naruto-sensei! Why are you here?"
"No, I'm not a teacher here. I'm currently an international student. Winter break is here, so I'm thinking of getting a part-time job and then going skiing. When did you arrive, Tomomi?" he asked, looking at Tomomi with his usual smile.
When the break was over, we both returned to work, both in high spirits.
I have a feeling that this story will blossom into something wonderful.
Notes 1. Husband
© 2023 Laura Honda-Hasegawa
