My (not at all) exciting life in Japan
I think I should start introducing myself, if anyone of you reading this will ever wonder (or read my profile, that is) who the heck is the crazy dude writing here.
So, let me start the あいさつ (“aisatsu”). My name is Felipe Massahiro, I’m a writer (sorry, gonna correct that) used to be a writer. I’m brazilian and if you’re wondering why I’m writing this in english and not portuguese is… well, gotta practice or I’ll end forgetting… actually, I’ll end forgetting how to speak whatsoever, more of that later, or in another time. Anyway, I’m bachelor’s in mass media communication and journalism, that’s one and single course, yes, and I’ve been in computer engineering, computer science and games design… never graduated on those courses, but some I’ve been quite to the end.
By now I think you can have a good idea that I have something of Japanese in me, and that would be my parents, both of them are Japanese. Since Brazil’s economy is pretty much fucked up, and I couldn’t find any job (aside working in press office), and because the small things in Brazilian daily life was bugging me. Most of people have no respect, violence is crazy (actually lost a few friends because of it) and finding a job that actually pay well enough to live on your own is… well scarce. So I decided to come to Japan.
Motives to come to Japan:
- Love their culture;
- Love their literature; (really, read Yasunari Kawabata, Miyuki Miyabe or Haruki Murakami… those are only a few of the dozen I’ve read before comming here)
- I have a decently well enough paid job;
- It’s crazy safe… and I mean it’s ridiculous how safe this country is. I’ve met a guy from Netherlands and he said that even there he didn’t feel as safe as here in Japan… for a Brazilian, this level of safety is… just… plain… impossible;
- Japanese are world renowned educated people.
Ok, the last one is not 100% accurate, did found some rude japanese, but they’re exceptions, which is pretty ok.
Don’t gonna lie, for anyone planning to live in Japan, this country seems magical.
But… after a little bit more than 2 years living here I realized something… this country is magical, to visit, not so much to live. As that old saying goes “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” that’s true.
Actually, I’ve met an old brazilian that said the same thing “Japan is a wonderful country to visit, but not to live” Thought it was just an old timer craziness… but guess I was naive back then… still am somehow. (What can I say, I’m romantic like an idiot).
If you wonder why is that… I think throughout my postings it’ll be self explanatory.
Truth be told, I intended to start writing about my life here in Japan since I arrived, but I never actually had that strong will. Lately, as I’m quitting my job now and looking for a new one, I guess it’s a good time to start telling my so messed up tale that… may be better then some, may be worst for many. Still, sharing experiences (and reading some good books… yeah, definitely reading some books) helps facing loneliness and depression.
Then…
I came to Japan in 2017 arrived here in february 22nd or so my passport says. Unemployed in Brazil, I thought of going to Canada since I know english fairly decent as anyone of you reading can notice, also some friends lives there. The problem was that in 2016 Canada changed some set of rules for immigration and that made everything more difficult. So, for plan B, (actually that sounds a little of depreciation to my *ahem* beloved *ahem* Japan. So let’s go for…) for plan A2 (meh, not much better either, o well…) it was Japan, since my folks are japanese and I’m 三世 (“sansei” 3rd generation of immigrants from Japan) from my father’s side, I could go without a problem.
Ok, lemme put a little brackets here, because I gotta tell how usually japanese descendants get to Japan without special skills visa.
Japanese call us 日系(“nikkei”) japanese born outside Japan, or as daily life and mortals words… japanese descendants. Up to 3rh generation has the fortunate privilege to come to Japan under a long term residence visa, which give us 3 years renewable indefinitely with almost the same benefits as a Japanese citizen… almost. Basically, Brazil being a poor country, Japan became — a lot more lately — a safe land for poor japanese families.
If you are from Europe or North America, I think you know how it goes when someone want to marry you for the visa goes. Not a new story, most of’em… end pretty bad. That’s somehow the case for “nikkei(s)” (I’m putting a “s” in brackets because there’s no plural in japanese). Usually non descendants marry descendants for their visa and a chance to move to Japan, nor permanently, only to raise money and make their dreams come true.
Actually, fun fact… I daresay, at least that’s the case for nearly all brazilians I’ve met, 98% of them come to Japan intending to make money and leave, some of them stay tough…
Where was I…? Oh, right. So, most of “Nikkei(s)” come to japan to work in factory. Mostly because they have no university graduation and don’t speak a word of japanese. Yeah, most of japanese descendants don’t know japanese at all…
Anyways… we come through travel agencies, some that deal also with tourism travelling packages, and others just to work. Most of them, only work with Japan. Those agencies take care of the documentation and the job. They offer some factories and their location, we chose, wait to see if the factory accepts us, and if yeah, the documentations take procedure. It’s somehow really expensive and nearly everyone have to cover for the expenses working here for 5 or 6 months, surviving, sometimes, on scraps. Not easy, but better then have nothing at all back in Brazil.
Of course there’re a lot of scammers, not only in Brazil, but also in Japan… with actual japanese people working on those scams. There’re also some abusive agencies that try to take advantage of the employees, knowing that they know little to nothing about the procedures. But I guess that would make this text just to long. Maybe another time, homeopathic doses so it doesn’t hurt that much… not for needles tough…
That’s the easiest way to get in Japan, and since my planning, then, was making a life here, I wasn’t in a rush. Work in a factory instead of a office job (worked as a publicity writer and digital marketing planner, actually I also worked as a front end programmer) shouldn’t be impossible. Hard and demanding, of course, but surely not impossible. And meanwhile I would study japanese and take the JLPT test (Japanese Language Proficiency Test)… later look for some white collar job (although I’ve gotta admit… I hate using a suit. I guess that’s why I kept working in publicity agencies, no one cared much if the creative team worked in underwear… ok, maybe not underwear, but it was casual at least).
Plans, as always, didn’t go THAT well… still, somehow as everything in life the universe, god, gods, goddesses, life, destiny, fate, or whatever… punch you in the stomach so you fall down crying like a baby asking it to stop… But it doesn’t.. it start kicking and hitting you with a 3x4… wait… that’s actually not helping at all. Still, the punching and hitting is good and all, and since I’m not a masochist (yet), it makes you remind of why you’re doing what you’re doing.
And after some lately events, it made me remember it. Does it make me feel better? No. Does it make me strong? Definitely not. Does it help? Of course… not. Does it bring enlightenment? Only when I stop drinking painkillers.
But it does make you remember the why. Maybe not the how. But all those kick’n and beat’n… push you a little bit forward. But a little is better then nothing, right?
Arriving at Haneda airport
No friends. No family. No one. Everybody had someone waiting for them. If not, they came for adventure. I was there for work and to life. An alien country that spoke an alien language, that had an alien culture. All the way on the other side of the globe… alone. My will is all that I had… and I thought it was enough… didn’t knew I was so wrong.
You spend the life studying, reading, passing chances to go out and having fun. Meeting people. Just because it was too dangerous to go outside… and it took a way painful strength and bother to move… You get intelligent… but still and idiot. That was me. Planning, seeing all possibilities of things going wrong and creating mental countermeasures to it… and I forgot the basic thing (ain’t it always the basics, the simplest things that make us fall?)… something I wasn’t expecting because I really never cared much about it.
What awaited for me on that cold and gray day, sizzling shards of ice?
What kind of (not at all) exciting life awaited me?
What kind of (definitely not an) adventures awaited me?
Didn’t knew that. Just that I arrived at Japan with fear and excitement.
… and no one to share with.
