Laura Honda-Hasegawa
@laurahhBorn in São Paulo, Brazil in 1947. Worked in the field of education until 2009. Since then, she has dedicated herself exclusively to literature, writing essays, short stories and novels, all from a Nikkei point of view.
She grew up listening to Japanese children's stories told by her mother. As a teenager, she read the monthly issue of Shojo Kurabu, a youth magazine for girls imported from Japan. She watched almost all of Ozu's films, developing a great admiration for Japanese culture all her life.
Updated May 2023
Stories from This Author
Chapter 2: Japanese Is Difficult!
July 27, 2011 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
1. “Is your mom there?” “She went to the byouin (hospital).” “Is something wrong?” “Yeah, her head.” “Oh…” “She’s going to change her hairstyle.” “Oh I see, she went to the biyouin (salon).” 2. “How’s the new job?” “It was no good.” “What?” “I didn’t make it in time for the interview.” “Why?” “I confused yokka (4th) with youka (8th).” 3. After a fight with his wife, the man stormed out of the house as he said, “I want jiyuu …
Chapter 1: Your face speaks of your roots
July 20, 2011 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
“New teacher for Portuguese class is Japanese!” The information spread like lightning. The third year students at the vocational school all poked their heads out of the windows in anticipation. There I was, walking in front of them—a newbie teacher headed to class 3-A. The hallway seemed neverending. I was very nervous. My first job at a school, my very first class—looking back, it was such a stressful moment that it almost makes me want to tell myself, “Good job. …
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