Kiyomi Nakanishi Yamada

KIYOMI

Born in Bebedouro, in São Paulo, Brazil, she has a Nursing degree from the University of São Paulo (USP). She worked as a professor at the State University of Londrina (UEL) until her retirement in 2010. She currently belongs to the staff of UEL’s FM Radio program “Tecer Idades” for this age group. She works as a volunteer in projects related to the field of aging, and she is a member of the board of directors of the "House of Support to the Family of Elderly Bedridden" in Londrina. She is a staff member at the Hikari Group of Londrina, whose aim is to keep Japanese culture alive. She is responsible for both the production and the written content of their site.

Updated June 2018

food en ja es pt

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

The Mochitsuki Tradition in the Hikari Group of Londrina, Paraná

By Alba Shioco Hino, Nilza Matiko Iwakura Okano, Kiyomi Nakanishi Yamada
25 Jun 2018

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 ...

community en ja es pt

Nikkei Chronicles #5 — Nikkei-go: The Language of Family, Community, and Culture

The Japanese language in the daily lives of the members of the Hikari Group of Londrina

By Alba Shioco Hino, Nilza Matiko Iwakura Okano, Kiyomi Nakanishi Yamada
19 Sep 2016

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 ...

community en ja es pt

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

My Life, Our Life: The Present, The Past, and The Future

By Kiyomi Nakanishi Yamada
22 Sep 2015

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 ...

food pt

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

A influência da culinária japonesa no Brasil – ontem, hoje e amanhã

By Alba Shioco Hino, Nilza Matiko Iwakura Okano, Kiyomi Nakanishi Yamada
26 Jun 2017

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 ...

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Discover Nikkei

Japanese migrants and their descendants

Kiyomi Nakanishi Yamada

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

Nikkei Chronicles #5 — Nikkei-go: The Language of Family, Community, and Culture

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

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

Series this author contributes to

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Japanese Canadian Internment and Family Experiences - Part 1

Nikkei Chronicles #1 — ITADAKIMASU! A Taste of Nikkei Culture

Ofukuro no aji: Mrs. Shizuka’s cassava misoshiru

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The Nikkei of Latin America and Latino Nikkei

日系次世代リーダーズフォーラムの意義と効果

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

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孤独な望郷 ～ フロリダ日系移民森上助次の手紙から

第16回 自分の意志を継いでほしいが……

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

曾おばあちゃん魂

Nikkei Heroes: Trailblazers, Role Models, and Inspirations

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My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #Only 7 Sins? Hardly: "Inhumane Humanity..."

Thieving Guards, Mass Food Poisoning, and Other Facts of Life in Fresno Assembly Center

Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column

Presence

Akashi-Kama

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孤独な望郷～フロリダ日系移民森上助次の手紙から

第16回自分の意志を継いでほしいが……　