Marta Marenco

Marta Marenco was born the youngest of eight children in 1945 to Tatsuzo and Esther Tomihisa. Her father died when she was about to turn nine years old. Her mother was a descendant of the Genoese. They lived in northern Argentina, eventually emigrating to Buenos Aires with her brothers and sisters to find jobs and raise families. Her husband is Argentine, a veterinarian. They have two children living in Mexico and are now enjoying retirement.

Updated September 2015

culture en ja es pt

Jesus and Buddha

  • By Marta Marenco
  • 15 Jan 2016

I was the youngest of a large family. When I was born, my parents were already old enough to be grandparents. So I grew up with the advantages of having two calm and wise people on hand who had learned from their life experiences. My brothers and sisters were somewhat older than me, so they acted like my parents. I was surrounded by numerous adults who took care of me and guided me through life with unending patience. Moreover, in the 1950s people looked older than we do at the same age. That was the modest and simple style of ...

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identity en ja es pt

Nikkei Chronicles #4 — Nikkei Family: Memories, Traditions, and Values

Father’s Adventures

  • By Marta Marenco
  • 15 Sep 2015

Every afternoon my father, Tatsuzo Tomihisa, sat on the sidewalk in the doorway of our house. He observed the street in silence, but the kids from the neighborhood came to see him right away, as if they’d been waiting for him. He greeted them with a smile, since he loved children and he patiently shared all his stories with us.

Because the land of his birth was so far away, we all wanted to know how he had crossed that enormous ocean. He generously shared the exciting anecdotes stored in his memory.

We listened quietly, waiting for his memories ...

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identity es

Nikkei Chronicles #7 — Nikkei Roots: Digging into Our Cultural Heritage

Comida china

  • By Marta Marenco
  • 2 Jul 2018

Mi padre llegó desde Oriente a Argentina, en la primera década del siglo XX.

En esos tiempos, Japón no se destacaba como la potencia mundial que es ahora. Él era un inmigrante pobre, huyendo de un país en guerra permanente, expansionista, dominado por los señores feudales que ignoraban a las clases bajas. Será por eso que se enamoró tan espontáneamente de nuestro país, tan generoso y, aún en esas épocas, tan abierto a la inmigración. 

Cuando mi padre se casó con mi madre, descendiente de italianos, ambos aportaron a nuestras comidas cotidianas ...

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identity es

El tazón del arroz

  • By Marta Marenco
  • 8 Jun 2016

A los diez años, el mundo giraba dentro de mi hogar…

Siempre imaginé que todo lo que acontecía en mi vida, era lo que ocurría en todas las casas del planeta. Estaba convencida de que la gente reía en iguales ocasiones, le agradaba la misma música, se entristecía en similares circunstancias y hasta consumía alimentos idénticos a los que había en nuestra mesa…

Aún considerando lo singular de mi hogar, vivíamos en un pueblo de Argentina, mi papá era un japonés budista y mi madre una occidental cat ...

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