Traveling the World While Working #2 Brazil
Since our founding in 1999, we have been committed to enabling each and every one of our employees to reach their full potential without being restricted by location, time, or living environment.
Together with our employees, we have realized a variety of work styles, including full-flexibility, full-remote work, support for balancing work with childcare and nursing care, and, in recent years, nomadic work both in Japan and overseas. By enabling employees to fulfill both their work and personal lives, we are able to influence each other positively and contribute to improving the productivity and quality of work of the entire organization.
In this series of articles, we will share on how our employees are exploring and implementing their own unique ways of working.
Introduction
Hello! My name is Sakamoto, a global consultant with the Singapore office.
I started my long-desired nomadic work last year, and I am currently visiting two to three countries a month to experience life and work in those places.
In this blog, I will write a series of articles on how to balance work and personal life, the cultures of the countries I visit, and my interactions with the local people through my nomadic work experience abroad.
In this second installment, I will share my nomadic work experience in the Federative Republic of Brazil, where I stayed until the end of April.
About Federative Republic of Brazil
Following my previous visit to Kazakhstan, this time I visited the Federal Republic of Brazil, located in South America. Brazil is 22.5 times the size of Japan and has a population of approximately 215.31 million as of 2022.
This time I went to Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in the country, located in southeastern Brazil. This city hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics and is known for the world-famous Rio Carnival and the Christ the Redeemer statue of Corcovado, which was selected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Corcovado was built between 1922 and 1931 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Brazilian independence in 1922. It is 39.6 meters high (including 9.5 meters on the base) and 30 meters on each side. Inside it is a chapel that can accommodate approximately 150 people.

View from Corcovado Hill
Nomadic Worker Travel Planning and Flexible Working Style
As a nomadic worker, I try to travel to countries with large time differences (12 hours) when my clients and team members are on vacation. Therefore, this time, I planned to visit Brazil and Argentina, which I have wanted to do for a long time, during Japan's Golden Week holiday period (I will introduce Argentina in my next blog). (I will introduce Argentina in my next blog). Another reason for selecting Brazil and Argentina was the fact that there is almost no time difference between the U.S. and Brazil, and my meetings with U.S. companies are concentrated during those weeks.
In nomadic work, it is important to make travel plans in anticipation of work flow. I arranged time with my team members in Japan in advance for meetings and communication.
The benefit of full-flexible work allows us to work on holidays and weekends while taking time off to travel with family and friends or when there are special events in the country. I feel that the freedom to work in this way is only possible with well-planned scheduling and proper communication.
Moving from Kazakhstan to Brazil
After a 24-hour flight via London, I arrived in Brazil from Kazakhstan. While I did some work on the plane, I basically tried to sleep as much as possible to recover my energy. For nomadic workers, sleep is an important factor during long flights.
In London, I made the most of the 14 hours of layover time before my connecting flight, spending 8 hours on business and the rest of the time enjoying the attractions of the city, such as seeing Big Ben and tasting the famous fish and chips. I also incorporated the two hours needed for boarding procedures and screening into my plans to manage my time efficiently.

Big Ben, the largest clock tower in the U.K., symbolizes London

The Laughing Halibut, a famous specialty fish and chips restaurant
Arrive in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Due to a good night's sleep on the plane and work in transit, I was able to enjoy eating and sightseeing immediately after arriving in Brazil. Although the temperature in Brazil is hot, around 20-30℃, Rio's unique cityscape is full of fresh stimulation with an atmosphere not found in other cities, and I felt a sense of fulfillment just walking around.
An enchanting samba experience
Samba, one of Brazil's most popular music genres, traces its roots back to the African slaves of Rio de Janeiro. Popularized in the 1930s, it is now widely loved as the national music. To enjoy this fascinating rhythm, I visited a local samba club where I also danced with the locals.
At the samba club, I hit it off with a local man who spoke a little English, and he taught me about Brazilian culture, food recommendations, and much more. After the samba club, I also enjoyed dinner with him and his friends.
Social Aspects: Favela Visits
In Brazil, where economic disparities are severe, slums called favelas are scattered around major cities. They are densely populated with houses built illegally and without basic infrastructure. Police access is difficult and local gangs practically control the area, so a local guide is essential for a safe visit.
I hired a local resident as my guide and had the opportunity to visit a favela and enjoy a home-cooked meal in a house there. Amazingly, I was also able to talk with a local gang. They were very friendly, unlike their outward appearance, but they carry large guns like AK47s and it is very dangerous to enter a favela without a permit. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to be accompanied by a reliable guide when visiting these areas.
Little Africa Historical Background
Brazil has brought many slaves from Africa in the past to support its sugar industry. It was the largest slave trade in the New World, representing more than one-third of the total number of slaves leaving Africa. Slavery was abolished in 1888, the last time it was abolished in the Americas. I visited Little Africa, the market where such slave trading took place.

Mural paintings in a variety of colors and geometric patterns. They symbolize the cultural diversity and history of Brazil.
The area known as Little Africa is today an important place of African-Brazilian culture and history. Visiting here, one can feel not only the history of their hardships, but also the rich cultural heritage they have created.
Legacy of the Portuguese Empire
Brazil became a Portuguese sphere of influence at the end of the 15th century and was ruled as a colony from the 16th century, and although it gained independence in 1822, the Portuguese influence still remains strong in a wide range of areas, including language, food culture, and architecture. In Brazil, the only country in South America where Portuguese is the official language, its legacy permeates every corner of daily life.
While walking around the city, I encountered a variety of Portuguese-style architecture. Taking into consideration the security situation in Brazil, while I enjoyed touring the historical buildings, I also had to pay special attention to the management of my valuables.

Royal Portuguese Literary Museum in Rio de Janeiro
Brazilian Food Culture: Feijoada
One of the great pleasures of travel is to experience the local food culture. I enjoyed a variety of cuisines this time as well, but I especially liked feijoada, which is considered Brazil's national dish.
This is a traditional dish made by simmering various parts of pork or beef with beans for hours. I was impressed by the combination of flavors and tastes of the meat with the combination of beans and rice.
Since the number of cows in Brazil exceeds its population, most dinners are meat-based. Therefore, in order to maintain balance, I actively included vegetables in my breakfast.

Enjoying a meal with friends made in the area

Traditional feijoada: Brazilian national soul food, a perfect combination of pork, beef, and beans.
Brazil Business Insights
Brazil has one of the largest populations of Nikkei in the world, with an estimated 2 million (in 2022, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Because of this, a strong pro-Japanese sentiment has taken root among the Brazilian people, and trust in Japanese brands and products is high. However, it seems that there are not enough low-priced Japanese products in the market, so I feel that there are business opportunities here.
I also heard that although Brazilians are very friendly, they tend to avoid direct refusal and the word "can't" in business situations. I also heard that this cultural trait can cause miscommunication with foreign companies. I will keep this in mind when communicating with Brazilians in the future.
The next country is Argentina!
The experience of balancing work and life while interacting with an energetic national population is invaluable to me. I arrived at the airport six hours before departure and used the time waiting for my flight to Argentina to get on with my work.
I can't wait to tell you about Argentina, and I will share more about my nomadic work there in my next blog. I will continue to talk about my experiences in my new environment and the balance between work and personal life, so please look forward to it!
eLife Global Consultant Sakamoto, Singapore Office