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https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1555/

More government supports in the city of Oizumi for Japanese Brazilians (Portuguese)

(Portuguese)

The change that ... It's [going on] today, especially in the city of Oizumi. They're so, so ... focused on foreigners, know what I mean? When we arrived here ... there was nothing of the kind. It was a beginning – the beginning – so ... At first, it was sure difficult for everyone, ya know, but in time the city, the government, everything, it was like ... Seeing this [new approach] that, well, [believes] the Brazilians deserve this opportunity to have everything at hand. Like today, in the city hall – you go to the city hall and it's ... everything is written in Portuguese. They’ve got a translator, at least in Oizumi [and] in other states [sic, prefectures], like [in the city of] Hamamatsu [in the Shizuoka Prefecture]. Other states, ya know. So I believe that them [sic] Brazilians don’t feel no [sic] difficulty here these days because they’ve got everything at hand. You see a sign, and it’s ... Everything is in Portuguese or in English. So, I mean, I think it's changed a lot. It's getting better for sure.


Gunma Prefecture Japan Japanese Brazilians Japanese Brazilians in Japan Oizumi

Date: October 19, 2016

Location: Gunma, Japan

Interviewer: Shigeru Kojima

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Antonio Shinkiti Shikota was born on September 12, 1962, in the city of Campinas, São Paulo state, Brazil. His parents were born in Japan. Wanting to start his own business, he followed a friend’s advice and went to Japan. Initially, he worked as a factory worker and ended up liking it so he stayed in the country. Today, he lives in the city of Oizumi and he is the owner of an itinerant Brazilian products store in Japan. The itinerant store is a truck that offers a variety of Brazilian products directed mainly at the Nikkei public. Antonio is very fond of living in Japan and the city of Oizumi. (February 2018) 

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