Iraci Megumi Nagoshi

Iraci Megumi Nagoshi was born in São Paulo in 1952. She is the youngest daughter of Masaru and Miyoko Fujisaka. Although her father died while she was still a baby—1 year and 8 months old—she had a very happy childhood and adolescence. In addition to her brother Luiz, she has two sisters, Amália and Noemia, and many Oni-chans and One-chans—i.e., Dona Miyoko’s boarders.

Updated September 2017

community en ja es pt

Nikkei Chronicles #8 — Nikkei Heroes: Trailblazers, Role Models, and Inspirations

Miyoko Fujisaka, 95 years old – Our Heroine

  • By Iraci Megumi Nagoshi
  • 16 Sep 2019

Miyoko Fujisaka was born in Osaka on September 24, 1924. The third daughter of Sadakichi and Kuri Kawauchi, she came with her family to Brazil, aboard the ship La Plata Maru, arriving at the port of Santos on January 9, 1933.

The family was then sent to work on a farm in the northwestern region of the state of São Paulo, where they planted and harvested coffee and cotton.

While her parents and two brothers worked in the fields, the girl Miyoko stayed at home, taking care of her little sister and doing the housework.

In 1941, following the ...

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food en ja es pt

Nikkei Chronicles #6 — Itadakimasu 2!: Another Taste of Nikkei Culture

It All Began at Mrs. Miyoko's Boarding House

  • By Iraci Megumi Nagoshi
  • 27 Sep 2017

Dona Miyoko is my mother, who is currently 93 years old. She was only 29 when my father passed away, leaving her with four small children to raise. At that time, my grandmother encouraged her to open a boarding house, offering bed and board to youths from Japanese families who lived in the interior of São Paulo State and came to the capital to study.

She started out by receiving eight boarders who had come to attend college, providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner—or take-outs for those who stayed out all day.

The boarding house was located in a ...

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