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
Episode 26 (Part 1) "Don't come back! Do your best in Japan!"
Sept. 22, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
When the alarm clock rang, Yurika woke up immediately. Every morning, she was already awake before the alarm went off. And for the past month, whenever she woke up, she thought, "Today is the day I'm going to write a letter." However, she still hasn't been able to write a letter. Looking at the bed next to me, I saw my granddaughter Eliza sleeping soundly. "I'm so glad I didn't have a seizure today!" When I opened the curtains, it …
Episode 25 (Part 2) Toshiaki's First CARNAVAL
March 23, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Read the first part >> "I've decided to go to Japan!" Toshiaki announced as he returned from running some errands in a nearby town. Everyone was surprised by the sudden news. "If you were so keen, why didn't you come with me? That was the time when things were going at their best!" said his younger brother Satoshi in an exasperated tone. My sister-in-law was the first to offer support, saying, "It's okay. You're still in your 40s and you're …
Episode 25 (Part 1) Toshiaki's First CARNAVAL
Feb. 3, 2016 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
Toshiaki was a shy child. He would not join in with the kids in the neighborhood who were flying kites or playing with balls in the fields. Instead, he would stay at home and help his grandfather make bamboo crafts. When he was in the third year of junior high school, his father died of illness, and Toshiaki, the eldest son, decided to help out at the greengrocer's, a family business that had been passed down since his grandfather's generation. …
Longing for Japan on New Year’s
Dec. 31, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
As the end of the year approaches, the East Asian quarter of São Paolo is lively. Signs in the shop windows of Japanese food supply stores say, “Now taking reservations for mochi and offerings.” Even for Nikkei who do not usually follow Japanese customs, one cannot do without mochi during New Year’s. I think it is common to grill the mochi and have it with soy sauce and sugar. Another way is ozoni. My first New Year’s spent in Japan …
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 …
Exploring the meaning of "JAPA"
April 8, 2015 • Laura Honda-Hasegawa
I believe words are living things. When people's way of thinking and living changes, words also change. About 60 years ago, when I was a child, there were very few Japanese people living in the city of São Paulo, so "Japanese" people stood out in many ways. I still remember that at that time, most Brazilians had a unique image of Japanese people, such as "They don't understand Portuguese," "The food is different," and "They have strange customs." Since I …
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 …
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