I visited Oizumi, Gumma Prefecture. Large factories and plants were invited to set up in this town, and mainly Japanese Brazilians were attracted there as factory workers. According to statistics, almost 6,000 people out of this town’s population of about 41,000 are from abroad.

You can see Portuguese on the streets, on signboards, and in many places in this town, so that the Brazilians can live comfortably. Some restaurants and food courts serve Brazilian food. Some supermarkets offer commodities imported from Brazil. There are grocery stores, chemists, clothing stores, computer and electronics stores, tattoo shops, travel agencies, community centers, and churches where Portuguese is spoken. Free Portuguese newspapers, magazines, and brochures were available at the Brazilian Plaza and many other places. If you are Japanese, you will feel as if you were going abroad and walking on a foreign country’s street even if you use no passports and fly with no airlines.

It is noteworthy that those stores are all operated by Brazilians. Brazilians stand at the cash register, in the food-processing corner of the supermarket, and in the restaurant hall to serve Brazilian guests. Everything can be done by Brazilians there.

Oizumi shows us an example of a multicultural society. It is inevitable that our country will accept immigrants soon, whether we like it or not. This town will tell us how we should live together with immigrants.