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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Submit an article

Discover Nikkei

Japanese migrants and their descendants

Marta Marenco

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

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

Series this author contributes to

Yobun Shima Uncovers a Baseball Legacy

Tetsuo Okamoto Swam to Show His “Japanese Spirit”—He Was One of Three Athletes of Japanese Ethnicity Representing Three Countries That Dominated the Podium of the 1,500-meter Freestyle Swimming at the Helsinki Olympic Games

In Company with the Happy Old Age

Franci: Nisei Musician in Brazil, America, and Japan—“Music is my language”

Minidoka Pilgrimage by a Canadian Yonsei

Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column

Negotiating Place

Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest V

Life at the (Little Tokyo) Budokan

The Sound of the Japanese Diaspora: An Interview with G Yamazawa

Rediscovered Art at Heart Mountain

シアトル宮城会 高村国子さん

デカセギ・ストーリー

第三十話（前編） ジョアナの大冒険

El “japo” que encontró su hogar en España

孤独な望郷 ～ フロリダ日系移民森上助次の手紙から

第６回 猫と話し、日本の本を読む

Observando a periodistas nikkei

Alfredo Kato: En los ojos de un periodista nikkei

Nikkei Roots: Digging into Our Cultural Heritage

Get updates

Support this project

A project of the

Major support by

Minidoka Pilgrimage by a Canadian Yonsei

Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column

Negotiating Place

Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest V

Life at the (Little Tokyo) Budokan

The Sound of the Japanese Diaspora: An Interview with G Yamazawa

Rediscovered Art at Heart Mountain

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry # $200 Per Hour: "Animated Therapy..."

A Summer at the Nikkei National Museum

“Chapters” by Trevor Allred: The Power of Storytelling

Harold Taniguchi, King Co. Director Faces a New Chapter After Retirement

Brother Theophane Walsh

J-town Beat: A Bowl Of Katsudon

Julio Mizzumi Guerrero Kojima: A Jarocho Nikkei Searches for His Many Roots - Part 2

"American Sutra" To Look At World War II Camps Through Buddhist Perspective

The 150th Anniversary of Wakamatsu Colony, the First Japanese American Settlement on the North American Frontier

Part 2: Okei's California Home

Dawn I Frazier’s Hidden Place to Relax her Soul: Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden in Pasadena

Ways and Means: The Woman Behind The Moved-Outers

Rediscovering Honouliuli and preserving former camp sites

Heritage Minute about Vancouver Asahi is a lasting legacy in 60 seconds

Community Volunteer Offers Skills To Enrich Lives

CHANGING MINDS ON MENTAL HEALTH - Young Nikkei lead the way in new initiative on mental health at 341 FSN

The Art of Being Japanese Canadian

Wakako Yamauchi - Japanese American Soul

Part 6: The Final Years

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #86,400 Seconds of Futility: "Except Sunday..."

Julio Mizzumi Guerrero Kojima: A Jarocho Nikkei Searching for His Many Roots - Part 1

Suspicious Points of Contact in Pre-War Chicago - Eizo Yanagi - Part 2

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #I'm Only 60% Nerd: "Geek Culture..."

Japanese Canadian Participation in World War I and World War II

The New Canadian's poetic spirit

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #About $15, $35, $60: "A Step Up from Kiwi..."

Two Veterans On A Mission

Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV) Role in Activation of 442nd RCT

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #$2.00 for a Mars Lumograph: "Artsy Clues..."

Maneki Bartender Fu-chan Has Seen it All

Drumming for History: The Annual Minidoka Pilgrimage Day of Remembrance Taiko Fundraiser

Tule Lake Resisters: My E.O. 9066 Story

Richard Yutaka Moritsugu, Military Intelligence Service

Suspicious Points of Contact in Pre-War Chicago - Eizo Yanagi - Part 1

Marie Rose Wong, Community Chronicler Turns Her Eye to Prewar Nikkei Baseball

The 150th Anniversary of Wakamatsu Colony, the First Japanese American Settlement on the North American Frontier

Part 1: Pioneers Who Brought Their Hopes and Dreams

Graphic Novel Recalls Experiences of 442nd RCT

シアトル宮城会高村国子さん

第三十話（前編）ジョアナの大冒険

孤独な望郷～フロリダ日系移民森上助次の手紙から

第６回猫と話し、日本の本を読む