"Luck Resource Stories" in Japanese Immigrant Society

Abstract

So-called "Luck Resource Stories", which convey messages such as "luck is decreasing" and "the amount of luck is fixed", are widespread in Japan today, appearing in every region and every generation. In this study, we conducted interviews with 24 Nikkei and Japanese people living in four countries in South America to investigate whether the "Luck Resource Stories" brought by Japanese immigrants in the past are still being told in their destinations. The survey period was from 2013 to 2018. We identified 10 people who had heard or seen versions of these “Luck Resource Stories" from others, and the contents of the stories were similar to stories told in Japan about situations such as lotteries and human relationships. However, from the frequency and circumstances of the stories, we inferred that, unlike the case in Japan today, there was no tendency for "Luck Resource Stories" to be told in the Nikkei community. The reasons for this are discussed in terms of the frequency of Japanese language use in daily life.