Do Brazilians Exist as “Invisible Residents”? Analysis of Daily Activities of Brazilians in Japan since 2000

Abstract

This study is a micro-level analysis of the daily-life activities of the Brazilian population residing in Japan based on the “activity diaries” of 84 Brazilians. A significant difference was evident in the amount of time male and female Brazilians residing in Japan spent on daily-life activities. Limited time was spent with compatriots and friends, or within social networks related to fellow countrymen, such as ethnic businesses or religious networks. It was clarified that their lives are relatively unsocial within the personal network of family within the host society. Most consumption activities of Brazilians residing in Japan occur at large commercial facilities, rather than through participation in leisure activities within the home. Through the process of this type of “active assimilation,” Brazilians residing in Japan, who have traditionally been invisible residents, have increased opportunities for contact with residents of the host society from the aspect of daily activity reproduction. However, these opportunities for contact also create the potential for friction and prejudice, as this type of contact lacks the “possibility for thorough mutual understanding.”