The centenary of Japanese immigration to Brazil

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Japan & Brazil

The centenary of Japanese immigration to Brazil

Brazilians and Japanese are celebrating 100 years since the arrival of the first Japanese boat in Brazil. Today, 1.5 million people of Japanese origin live in Brazil, most of them in the State of São Paulo

   On June 18^th 1908 the Japanese ship “Kasato Maru” dropped anchor at the port of Santos, bringing dozens of families to work in the coffee plantations in the State of São Paulo.  That was the first group of Japanese immigrants to arrive inBrazil in search of work. In the following decades a growing number of Japanese came to Brazillooking for new opportunities. At that time Japan was going through a serious economic and social crisis. The Japanese colony in Brazil is now one of the largest in the world. There are about 1.5 million Japanese and descendents living in Brazil – 80% in the State of São Paulo, 12% in Paraná and the rest in other States.

Liberdade, a Japanese neighborhood in SP

The city of São Paulo is home to about 326,000 people of Japanese origin. The famous neighborhood of Liberdade is a good example of how Japanese culture has influenced the State capital. Whoever walks the streets of this neighborhood feels as if they were in Japan. Japanese writing covers the facades of local bars and restaurants, and even Japanese architecture is in evidence in many buildings.

The influence of Japanese culture in Brazil

   The strong influence of Japanese culture can be seen outside the State of São Paulo. Millions of Brazilians certainly know the meaning of a lot of Japanese words, such as samurai, karate, judo, kimono and “nisseis” and “sanseis” (children and grandchildren of Japanese who were born on the American continent).  Another well-known word is “geisha,” who are women who use art (dance, music or theater) to entertain customers at tea houses or other places of business. Typical dishes such as sushi (made with rice, vegetables, eggs and fish) and sashimi (made with fish) have also been successful in Brazil, as well as sake, a drink made from rice.

Japan

The land of the rising sun

Located in the Asian continent, Japan is a rich country offering its population a good quality of life

In the Japanese language, Japan means “land of the rising sun.” In this country, rice is the staple food, used in sweet and savory dishes.  Japan has a population of 127 million and is one of the richest countries in the world. The political system is parliamentarianism, the currency is the yen, and the predominant religion is Buddhism (80% of the population).  About 88 million people have Internet access and life expectancy is one of the highest in the world, at almost 82. However, nature has not been kind to the country. Earthquakes are common in many regions of Japan. Tokyo, the capital, has a population of about 8.5 million people, but the most unforgettable city for Brazilians is Yokohama, where Brazil won its fifth World Cup in 2002.

Matéria publicada na edição de junho da Revista Magananews

Foto 1 – Ituverava-SP promove festival para comemorar os 100 anos da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil – crédito “Shigow”

Foto 2 - (batata, pronta para a venda - década de 30) – crédito - Acervo do Museu Histórico da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil

Vocabulary

1 boat – aqui = navio (ship)

2 to drop anchor – ancorar

3 growing - crescente

4 writing – letreiros / luminárias

5 facade - fachada

6 customer – freguês

7 tea houses – casas de chá

8 rice – arroz

9 sake - saquê

10 rising sun – sol nascente

11 staple food – ingrediente principal

12 savory dishes – pratos salgados

13 currency – moeda

14 earthquake - terremoto

World affairs

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World affairs

Barack Obama in Brazil

The objectives of president Barack Obama’s trip toBrazil are economic, political and social

   

   Brasília – According to the White House spokesman, Jay Carney, the objectives of president Barack Obama’s trip to Brazilare economic, political and social. The president will deal with a wide variety of issues in these areas with officials, business leaders and citizens, explained Carney.  Brazil is one of the few countries the United States is currently running a trade surplus with (last year it was almost $8 billion; five years ago, in 2006, Brazil had a $10 billion trade surplus with the US). So, on one hand, the Americans are really excited about partnership and cooperation opportunities in the booming Brazilian economy (now the seventh biggest in the world). On the other hand, the Brazilians are eager to reduce imports from the US and get back to a surplus. A Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement (TECA) will be signed and it will make it easier for both sides to move ahead with their trade objectives.  Trade expansion is seen (by both sides) as the path to more jobs and growth.

         The political side of the trip is recognition of the rise of Latin America in world affairs and, especially, the leadership role of Brazil. Two days from the arrival of Obama officials from both countries are hammering out the details of between 10 and 20 agreements and memorandums that will be signed on Saturday in Brasilia. Some of them still face hard technical and legal obstacles.  The American president’s entourage will consist of around a thousand people. The president will be accompanied by his wife, Michelle, and two daughters.

        There is an undeniable symbolic aspect to the visit. America’s first Afro-American president meets Brazil’s first female president. There will definitely be a strong commitment by both governments to combating racial and gender discrimination, along with recognition of Brazil’s efforts to raise its poor out of poverty and make them participating citizens who are able to receive the benefits of citizenship (“inclusão social”).

     In Brasilia, Obama will deal with business and politics. He will meet business leaders from both countries at two different moments: a business forum (“Fórum Empresarial Brasil-Estados Unidos”) with 400 and a more intimate meeting with selected CEOs. Topics the president will discuss include renewable energy, such as ethanol (although the US will not reduce import barriers on Brazilian sugarcane-based ethanol, preferring to continue with corn-based ethanol) and investments in infrastructure in Brazil uniting the public and private sector. Among the opportunities: partnerships in the World Soccer Cup and Olympics Games that Brazil will host in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

     As he did in Berlin in 2008 and in Cairo in 2009, Obama will make a public speech in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, March 20. Without a doubt he will stress the common interests and shared values of Brazil and the United States, emphasizing the countries’ similarities: historical backgrounds, large size, diverse populations and democratic traditions. The speech will be shown on large screens with translation.

By – Renata Girardi / ABr and Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English

Pictures (Obama and family) – Marcello Casal Jr / ABr