(Japanese) It had a big impact on Oizumi-machi. The collapse of Lehman Brothers especially had a big one, with many people losing jobs and Brazilian stores losing sales.
But there was a positive side, too. As I mentioned earlier, there were more people who wanted to study Japanese and Brazilian businesses in need to get more Japanese customers, so personally I saw a chance there. As I decided to do graphic design in a place where there were few people fluent in Japanese, I asked myself what my strength was. Becoming a graphic designer with Japanese skills was the only thing that came to mind, so it might have been the perfect timing.
I started my business in June, 2009, and it was just around the time when Brazilian business owners were struggling, with an increasing demand for Japanese menus and guides, so using my strength, or what I was good at, I was able to start my work right away. It wasn’t always easy, but it was good that such circumstances triggered a move and made a big change eventually.
Date: October 18, 2016
Location: Gunma, Japan
Interviewer: Shigeru Kojima
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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