Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1557/

Future of the Japanese Brazilian community in Japan (Portuguese)

(Portuguese)

The future – for sure there’s a whole lot of future here for Brazilians. Why? Nowadays we’ve got everything at hand, from foodstuffs, restaurants ... Whatever you can think of. I think the Brazilians don’t face any difficulties. And I’ve been around. I’ve talked to customers and they say – many people say that they wanna live in Japan, especially with this [economic] crisis going on now in Brazil, that’s been ... It’s been too much, ya know? Like, the merchants, for example, he [sic] intends – as an example, he intends to go back to Brazil to set up a business, but then he’s not sure, ya see? It’s like, “Gee, I'm going to open up a business. I've worked so many years here and all of a sudden there’s another crisis over there ... and maybe my business is gonna go under, ya know?” I mean … Japan is a country where things can go downhill ... the economy, right, but soon enough it’s sure gonna pick up again, get it? So, I mean, there’s a sense of security here that I believe Brazilians or [other] foreigners can feel, ya know?


Brazil Gunma Prefecture Japan Japanese Brazilians Japanese Brazilians in Japan Oizumi

Date: October 19, 2016

Location: Gunma, Japan

Interviewer: Shigeru Kojima

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Antonio Shinkiti Shikota was born on September 12, 1962, in the city of Campinas, São Paulo state, Brazil. His parents were born in Japan. Wanting to start his own business, he followed a friend’s advice and went to Japan. Initially, he worked as a factory worker and ended up liking it so he stayed in the country. Today, he lives in the city of Oizumi and he is the owner of an itinerant Brazilian products store in Japan. The itinerant store is a truck that offers a variety of Brazilian products directed mainly at the Nikkei public. Antonio is very fond of living in Japan and the city of Oizumi. (February 2018) 

Taoka,Isao

Views on Japanese Youth (Japanese)

(b. 1943) Paraguayan Ambassador to Japan

Narumi,Margaret

Nomo's Risk

Producer at NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc.

Narumi,Margaret

The Nomo Tornado in 1995 (Japanese)

Producer at NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc.

Schneider,Jean Hamako

Why I’m glad I immigrated to America (Japanese)

(b. 1925) War bride

Uesugi,Takeo

Returning to Japan after studying in New York

(1940-2016) Issei Landscape Architect

Hirano,Paulo Issamu

The difference between Nikkei community in Oizumi and Brazil (Japanese)

(b. 1979) Sansei Nikkei Brazilian who lives in Oizumi-machi in Gunma prefecture. He runs his own design studio.

Hirano,Paulo Issamu

From being a dekasegi to a long-term resident (Japanese)

(b. 1979) Sansei Nikkei Brazilian who lives in Oizumi-machi in Gunma prefecture. He runs his own design studio.

Hirano,Paulo Issamu

The term Nikkei (Japanese)

(b. 1979) Sansei Nikkei Brazilian who lives in Oizumi-machi in Gunma prefecture. He runs his own design studio.

Hirano,Paulo Issamu

Starting my own business as a graphic designer after the collapse of Lehman Brothers (Japanese)

(b. 1979) Sansei Nikkei Brazilian who lives in Oizumi-machi in Gunma prefecture. He runs his own design studio.

Uchimura,Sawako Ashizawa

Unique Identity from Having Multiple Backgrounds

(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.

Ninomiya,Masato

Foreign language education was severely restricted during the war

Professor of Law, University of Sao Paulo, Lawyer, Translator (b. 1948)

Yonamine,Wally Kaname

The privations of living in post-war Japan, 1952

(b.1925) Nisei of Okinawan descent. Had a 38-year career in Japan as a baseball player, coach, scout, and manager.

Sakata,Reiko T.

Parent’s Marriage

(b. 1939) a businesswoman whose family volunterily moved to Salt Lake City in Utah during the war.