(Japanese) Oizumi-machi might be the one place that I feel most strongly as my hometown. At least now. I did live in Brazil until age ten, but it was too, uh, my memory is, like, the time I spent there was too short. Since Oizumi-machi is where I lived from age ten to nearly age 20, until I entered college, many of my friends live in this area. And now most of my relatives, too, they have moved here, so Oizumi-machi is the place where I feel like "that's my hometown."
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Interviewee Bio
Paulo Issamu Hirano was born in São Paulo in January, 1979. As a Sansei whose grandparents are from Kumamoto Prefecture, he grew up in the Monte Kemel region near Liberdade. In 1989, he moved to Japan as his father, who had come as a dekasegi, called on him. Ever since, he has lived in Oizumi-machi in Gunma Prefecture. At first he was having a hard time with the language, but he made more friends as he learned Japanese. Currently he supports the Brazilian community as a graphic designer with his Japanese skills. In 2009, he started his own business and runs a design studio now. He publishes free magazines that introduce Oizumi-machi. He dedicates his life to making Oizumi-machi a Brazil town. (August, 2017)