Kiyomi Nakanishi Yamada

In Brazil, mochi – little cakes made with a glutinous Japanese rice known as mochigome – are easily found in supermarkets, street markets, and specialized grocery stores in areas with a large concentration of Japanese immigrants and their descendants.

Most of those who see this product stocked on supermarket shelves are unaware of its origins and meaning in Japanese culture.

In the past, the mochitsuki – pounding mochi – was a more laborious process as the cakes were made in artisanal fashion to celebrate special occasions like weddings and, of course, New Year celebrations – for the Japanese, the oshogatsu.

The mochigome was soaked in ...

We belong to a generation of children, youths, adults, and seniors who are descendants of Japanese immigrants who came to Brazil in the years before World War II. Some are children, others are grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren of these immigrants. 

After leaving Japan, our ancestors gradually began to absorb Western culture, although the influence of Japanese culture has been preserved in many families, especially when the younger generations come in contact with older people who pass on to the younger ones the values, the customs, the cuisine, and the Japanese language. 

In Brazil, the largest Japanese colony is found in ...

In this life we are the protagonists of a number of stories, but in many instances the actors remain unknown because their recollections have not been recorded.

My maternal and paternal grandparents were born and lived in Osaka and Tokyo until the 1930s, when they came to Brazil to work in the coffee plantations.

Sizuyo, my mother, currently at the age of 89, is the only “living memory” of her family as well as my father’s. When she turned 70, she expressed the desire to record her recollections about their migration to Brazil and the hard times they experienced ...

Os imigrantes japoneses vieram para o Brasil no século passado para trabalhar nas lavouras de café com o sonho de enriquecer e depois voltar para o Japão. Diante das dificuldades encontradas e, percebendo que não seria possível concretizar este sonho, iniciaram o processo de integração com os brasileiros (gaijin).

Aos poucos foram se adaptando aos costumes, culinária, crenças religiosas e estilo de vida do povo daqui. Mas no convívio familiar preservavam a sua cultura, principalmente quando as gerações mais novas conviviam com pessoas idosas preocupadas em repassar valores, costumes, idioma e ...