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

The Forgotten Story of Japanese American Zoot Suiters - Part 1

Reflections of a three-time immigrant Japanese mother: Globalization and identity on-the-move

Clark & Division: Japanese Americans on Chicago’s Near North Side, 1940s-1960s - Part 1

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

My Hero: Setsutaro Hasegawa

Leonard Broom (AKA Leonard Bloom): Scholar/Activist and Defender of Japanese Americans - Part 1

Yoemon Shinmasu – My Grandfather’s Life in Seattle

Final Part: Atae’s re-entry into the U.S. and the family’s life afterwards

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

One Of Our Own

Tessaku

Richard Yamashiro - Part 3

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #50% Believe in B.S.: "Think Critically!..."

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 e seu impacto na vida dos nikkeis brasileiros

孤独な望郷 ～ フロリダ日系移民森上助次の手紙から

第33回 自分の墓は自分できめる

外国人になった日本人の気持ち、終わりのない長い旅 － その２

外国人になった日本人の気持ち、終わりのない長い旅 － その１

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

El arte siempre une: ilustrando sobre el coronavirus

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry reading

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Leonard Broom (AKA Leonard Bloom): Scholar/Activist and Defender of Japanese Americans - Part 1

Yoemon Shinmasu – My Grandfather’s Life in Seattle

Final Part: Atae’s re-entry into the U.S. and the family’s life afterwards

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

One Of Our Own

Tessaku

Richard Yamashiro - Part 3

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #50% Believe in B.S.: "Think Critically!..."

Hiroichiro Maedako’s Chicago - Part 3

Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column

On the inside

Sometimes the Smaller Things Tell a Greater Story

Tessaku

Richard Yamashiro - Part 2

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #Can I Get an N-95?: "Mask Tips..."

Hiroichiro Maedako’s Chicago - Part 2

Tessaku

Richard Yamashiro - Part 1

Seeking Will Thomas: An African American friend to the Nisei

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

EO9066 vs. COVID-19

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #8000 Calories-a-Day: "My New Diet..."

Internment of Japanese Americans on Angel Island during World War II

Wakijiro Yuki's Detention Because of Kendo

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Just 10 Weeks Ago

“Infamy’s legacy: Tule Lake and repatriation remembered”

A Japanese Canadian Teenage Exile: The Life History of Takeshi (Tak) Matsuba

Part 5: Career in the Private Sector - Amerex & Sogo Department Store

An Important Anniversary

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #75 Burgers per Second: "I Predict..."

Internment of Japanese Americans on Angel Island during World War II

Making Do: Suekichi Kameoka in Detention and His Family at Home

It Was My First Grown-Up Feeling of Responsibility: Student Views of Life in a Japanese American Concentration Camp

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #Since 3/15: "Far From the Madding Crowd..."

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Quarantine in Camp: Stories of Other Pandemics

The First Japanese Professional Game Took Place in ... Kansas?

Obituary: Cedrick Shimo, 100: Wartime Resister, American Honda Exec.

孤独な望郷～フロリダ日系移民森上助次の手紙から

第33回自分の墓は自分できめる

外国人になった日本人の気持ち、終わりのない長い旅－その２

外国人になった日本人の気持ち、終わりのない長い旅－その１