Arubaito, or Short-Term Working Abroad in Japan: a case study of Brazilian university students of Japanese descent

International migration between Japan and Brazil dates back to 1908, when the first group of Japanese migrated to Brazil. However, in the 1980s, a reverse flow occurred, as thousands of Brazilians of Japanese descent traveled to Japan to work in manufacturing and construction factories (dekasegi workers). Japanese Brazilians up until the third generation were permitted to enter. Many recruiting companies turned to university students who could work the factory jobs during their three-month summer vacation (arubaito workers). This article draws upon a larger ethnographic case study that the author conducted in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Aichi, Japan in 2009 and 2010. The results of the study indicate that not only economic, but cultural underpinnings contribute to the motivations by Japanese-Brazilian university students to work in Japan. Different forms of non-traditional student mobility are explored that can shape a student's experience abroad.