The Role of Leisure in the Assimilation of Brazilian Immigrants into Japanese Society: Acculturation and Structural Assimilation through Judo Participation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how a leisure activity (i.e., judo) affected the assimilation of Brazilian immigrants in Japan. Researchers hypothesized that judo participation would affect the processes of assimilation, particularly acculturation and structural assimilation. Based on the results of observations, informal interviews, and questionnaires conducted with Brazilian judo participants and their parents as well as the results of formal interviews held with the judo instructors, the hypothesis was confirmed. This result suggests that there are multiple ways in which leisure organizations can work with immigrants to help them adjust to a new society. This study contributes to the growing, yet still understudied, area of immigrant leisure research, and it provides a unique perspective by examining the experiences of Brazilian immigrants living in Japan.