秋分の日 Shūbun no Hi. This Japanese public holiday was established in 1948 as a day on which to honor one's ancestors and remember the dead. Before 1948, the autumnal equinox was an imperial ancestor worship festival called Shūki kōreisai (秋季皇霊祭). Let’s celebrate by reading a non-fiction book about Japan.
Underground in Japan - Ray Ventura
This 1992 memoir offers a unique perspective on the expatriate experience in Japan, focusing on workers from countries like Iran, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Philippines, rather than the more common narratives from North American and Western European language teachers and Zen seekers.
Ray Ventura, a Filipino university student active in politics during Corazon Aquino’s rise to power, decided to study labor realities by moving to Japan on a student visa. After his visa expired, he went underground, working in harsh conditions in Yokohama’s labor center, Kotobuki. Ventura vividly describes the difficult lives of Filipino laborers, who live in poor conditions and work grueling jobs while constantly fearing police and immigration officials.
Despite the hardships, Ventura highlights how these workers find freedom from familial obligations and build community through shared social values like hiya (shame), amor-proprio (self-respect), utang na loob (reciprocity), and pakikisama (camaraderie). He also discusses the motivations behind Filipinos moving to Japan, challenging stereotypes about their economic backgrounds.
Ventura notes that Filipino underground in Japan carry family and religious images for emotional support and to elicit sympathy if stopped by authorities. Religion plays a significant role in their identity, despite their engagement in activities like drinking and gambling.
Ventura’s sequel, Into the Country of Standing Men,
published in 2007, received the Global Filipino Literary Award for Non-Fiction
in 2008.
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