Where We Call Home

"Little India" in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward is a community of about 4,000 Indian nationals first established about 20 years ago. However, they have little connection with Japanese locals and are seen mostly as outsiders. Puranik Yogendra, on whom this episode focuses, is working to change this by actively taking part in neighborhood association projects and teaching his fellow Indians local customs and habits. Also a ward council member, he now aims to set up a Japanese school for Indian children. We also visit a young Nepalese manager of an izakaya, a Japanese-style bar restaurant.

Neighborhood relations, childcare, PTA: in Japan, issues that involve women are plenty and part of everyday routine. But for women from abroad, they can be obstacles to adapting to life in Japan. Nina Hakkarainen, a Kyoto-based Finnish woman, founded an organization offering support to non-Japanese women. As we tag along in her work, we look at the struggles of foreign women to become active members of society. We also visit the kawaii side of Harajuku with a charismatic shop clerk from France.

Japan is the world's third largest economy yet its poverty rate is high, with one out of 7 children living below the threshold. Having witnessed this reality, Ghana-native Tony Justice founded a soup kitchen offering free meals to kids. But Japan's strict regulations and procedures are getting in the way of his project's success. Join us as we follow the daily struggles of this man driven by his motherland's altruistic culture. We also hop into the cab of an Austrian taxi driver in Tokyo.

The city of Toyota in Aichi Prefecture is home to some 18,000 foreigners, mainly Latin Americans of Japanese descent. We follow one of them: Keiko Uezu from Peru, who works as a caregiver assisting non-Japanese elderly and disabled people in their daily lives. Fluent in Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese, she's an indispensable source of support and reassurance for those struggling with the language barrier. We also visit a hard-working Polish salesclerk at an eyewear store in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Struggling with depopulation and a dwindling farming industry, Akitakata City in Hiroshima Prefecture has been encouraging foreigners to settle down in the area. Among them is Leonel David Maia from East Timor. Training under a veteran farmer, he started growing peanuts that now rank among the region's best-selling produce. We take a close look at Leo's efforts to reinvigorate local agriculture. We also meet an Italian craftsman eagerly promoting the use of traditional pizza brick ovens in Japan.

The coronavirus is shaking the world, and Japan is no exception with over 10,000 infected cases nationwide. The country is in a state of emergency - people are asked to stay home and a lot of businesses are closed. Most non-Japanese are unable to go back to their home country and many suddenly lose their jobs. On this episode of Where We Call Home, we touch base with people we followed in past episodes, look at how the lives of foreigners are affected and provide information to help them.

Like in the rest of the world, the coronavirus is disrupting life in Japan. As businesses shift to telecommuting or temporarily closed, foreigners working in Japan are also affected. Join us as we contact some of the people we previously met on Workpedia Japan! Seen through the eyes of an aspiring sake brewer from the US, a colorful French store clerk, a Tokyo-based Austrian taxi driver and the Nepalese manager of an izakaya, we get an inside look at how the pandemic impacts workplaces in Japan.

Chinese nationals make up about 30% of foreigners in Japan. Among the younger generations of Chinese living here, starting a business has become a trend in recent years. But with the coronavirus outbreak, many risk having to close up shop. We look at 2 such entrepreneurs: Xiaohan, who opened up a prep school for Chinese students wishing to enter Japanese universities, and Yuemei, the owner of an "izakaya" in Tokyo - businesswomen who won't give up on their dreams so easily!

A month after the state of emergency was lifted in Japan, we focus on 3 foreigners in the restaurant industry fighting for financial recovery. To save her Szechuan eatery, Aya Wu from China started takeout and delivery services. Ricardo Komori left his home in Portugal to learn authentic Japanese cuisine but the pandemic took away his chance at employment in a Kyoto restaurant. Running a tea shop in Tokyo, French-native Florent Weugue's business too has been impacted by the coronavirus.

The entertainment business in Japan has been dealt a heavy blow by the coronavirus pandemic. Join us as we look at the lives of 3 foreigners working in the industry fighting to survive the crisis: Fiona Graham - an Australian who's been working as a geisha under the artist name of Sayuki for 15 years, Iran-born Edi who manages a talent agency regrouping around 2,000 non-Japanese entertainers, and a dancer from the United States, Ice, who runs his own dance school for children.